Sustainable Schools - Goals

The overall goals of the Victorian Sustainable Schools Program are:

• To provide students with engaging authentic learning opportunities in which they can excel.
• To enable students to solve problems that they implement.
• To create a happier, healthier school environment that improves student welfare.
• To provide leadership in sustainability education and develop partnerships at the national, state and local levels.
• To assist school communities to operate more sustainably, providing them with the skills, strategies, resources and networks to develop more sustainable operations, integrating these with sustainability education.
• To inspire all people to take action in their everyday lives to live more sustainably.
• To provide an holistic sustainability education program for schools that integrates existing programs.
• To assist schools to adopt actions that will result in significant reductions in the amount of energy, water and other resources used by the school; significant reductions in the amount of waste and litter generated; and an increase in biodiversity and attractiveness of the schoolgrounds.
• To assist schools to use a strategic and whole school approach to sustainability education.
• To inspire all people to take actions in their everyday lives to live more sustainably.

More specific educational goals of the program include:

• To encourage schools to be innovative, work in teams and develop staff as international experts in the field of sustainability.
• To engage students in real-life projects across all key learning areas, including science, literacy and numeracy.
• To engage students in hands-on projects that empower them and link them to the broader community, with a special focus on the Middle Years.
• To make the programs accessible globally, using Information Communication Technology (ICT) and global education approaches.
• To offer programs to schools in a wide range of geographical and social settings.
• To undertake sound research and document findings, case studies and exemplary programs.
• To establish a network of model schools to provide advice and support to other schools and inspiration to the broader community.