By Jena Carr
Geelong Grammar School is a finalist in two categories of the ResourceSmart Schools Awards as the emerging school and student action team of the year.
Environmental action team captain Indigo Devlin said it was important to the school’s students to attend a “sustainable school”.
“I think that integrating sustainability into the way we work, teach and live will teach students from the beginning that sustainability is important and that it doesn’t have to be a challenge,” she said.
“While I think we have definitely seen a lot of change in the past two years, there is still so much more to be done.
“I would like to see education programmes surrounding waste, composting systems and mitigative measures put in place to reduce the waste we produce.
“The next step for us is placing solar panels on more boarding houses and ensuring that the school purchases energy-efficient vehicles and appliances.”
Geelong Grammar has appointed a sustainability manager, installed 265kw solar panels and upgraded more than 500 lights to LED across its four campuses.
Dibdin Fitzgerald is also an environmental action team captain and said the school was “very honoured to be shortlisted” for the ResourceSmart Schools program.
“The accomplishments we have achieved over these past 18 months will be a catalyst for more change for the better,” he said.
“It fills us with joy to know that the hard work our Environmental Action Team has put into shifting the direction of our school towards a more sustainable future has been recognised.
“We are also excited to see what other schools have been up to, as it is always important to look for other ways to learn and improve on our own journey towards sustainability.”