SUSTAINABILITY efforts at schools in Mentone and Aspendale have been recognised in a Victorian awards program to highlight and promote sustainable education.
Mentone Primary School’s sustainability leader, Maree Bailey, won sustainability primary teacher of the year and St Louis De Montfort’s at Aspendale was named the primary school of the year in the water section of the Sustainability Victoria awards.
Ms Bailey has been embedding sustainability practices into many school operations, from teaching and learning to school community engagement. She co-ordinates the ResourceSmart Schools program, leads the student sustainability club, plans school working bees, and builds partnerships with organisations such as the Dolphin Research Institute, Coastal Ambassadors and Kingston Council.
St Louis De Montfort’s is well known for its water initiatives and ongoing sustainability achievements, and its water conservation programs across the curriculum are supported by a new water habitat.
Students learn how to reduce and monitor water usage through experiential, participatory and multidisciplinary approaches to water responsibility and knowledge.
They link the school environment to local wetlands and monitor water usage through ResourceSmart Schools and SWEP.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 23 November 2016