Camberwell Girls Anglican Grammar

Suburban School: located in Camberwell (senior campus) and Mont Albert (Junior School Campus) Melbourne
Student Numbers:

Themes: Core Module, Waste, prior recognition given for Energy Theme
Key elements: Committee, Audit, Baseline Data, Curriculum, Policy

Summary

This is one of the few schools with students on a Sustainable Schools Committee (the E-Team). They have a large committee of approximately 10 students ranging from Year 8 – 12, and a similar number of teachers. Parents also come to meetings when they are available. The members of the E-Team are so committed they will come before and/or after other meetings to make sure they are involved and can have input. Due to the combination of being a secondary and primary school on two campuses, a large committee and ensuring all decisions are collaborative, they have made significant progress.

The Junior School has received their Waste Accreditation and are continuing with their Water Program. The Junior School received their certificates from The Hon. Richard Dalla-Riva MLC. While touring the school, he remarked on the colourful nest boxes made by the students. He recently returned for the Grade 5 Enviro Girls to present him with a specially painted nestbox.

The Senior School has continued working on the waste theme and are implementing waste minimisation and recycling systems in the school. The E-Team also raised funds to purchase two solar panels for the senior campus. The panels are used in Year 9 Environmental science classes and experiments.

Economic Benefits

• Students raised over $10 000 to purchase and install solar panels at the senior campus.
• School has saved money by minimising waste, using less water and reducing energy use.
• A 1000 litre water tank was donated to the Junior School by raincatchers.

• Empowerment of students and teachers

• Integration of the waste theme into the Year 9 Earth and Environmental Science Classes covering wastes to air (carbon dioxide and other pollutants), wastes to water (sewage treatment plant discharges into the bay) and waste to landfill (solid wastes and the potential of waste reduction and recycling) are also covered.

• Waste to landfill reduced by 50% by December 2004
• A 1000 litre water tank was installed at Ormiston House (Junior Campus) to water the vegetable garden.
• Students have built possum boxes
• At senior campus, energy reduction practices are in place along with installation of solar energy panels.