Sustainability Program
For the benefit of the planets environmental health Albany Rise is aware of the importance of being a sustainable school. Our goal is to manage resources effectively and integrate sustainable practices by educating the whole school and community to live more sustainably.
In 2022, Albany Rise joined the Resource Smart Australian sustainable school’s initiative program. We are aiming to achieve levels of star accreditation in curriculum and core Modules. We are planning various processes to incorporate into our accreditation target of 5 stars.
To achieve the 5-star accreditation we will need to meet benchmarks in the following:
- Curriculum
- Biodiversity
- Waste
- Water
- Energy
Together with the student Environmental leaders, sustainability coordinator, school leadership team, teachers, students, and parents this is achievable. Albany Rise prides itself on being active in promoting initiatives and programs through the school.
Environmental Team
Albany Rise Primary school have a group of year 6 leaders who have a passion and drive for sustainability across our school. The school also has classroom monitors from each year level that contributes to this team on a weekly basis.
Our aim and commitment to our school includes:
– Reducing the amount of waste in our classrooms.
– Continue and to maintain regular audits across the school.
– Create newsletter articles to inform families about sustainability within the school and home.
– Sustainable events and important dates.
– Develop and grow a range of vegetables and herbs in our garden.
Albany Rise primary school are proud of the achievement of a successful application in 2022 with the Victorian Junior Landcare and biodiversity grant. Our school was awarded $5,000 to transform an existing overgrown garden into an indigenous garden, with our very own garden frog bog. This funded project is helping the next generation of Land carers to protect biodiversity through on ground action that improves and restores habitat for Victorias native plants and animals.
Our projects include activities that provide both environmental and educational outcomes, along with health and social benefits
Energy
Albany Rise’s commitment to the reduction of energy consumption is paramount. In November in 2011, when our Foundation to grade 2 area (The ARC) was built. The building was fitted with motion light sensors to minimise the amount of energy consumption used in our larger buildings.
Other Activities we use to reduce our energy consumption:
- Annual participation in reducing our carbon footprint by walking or riding bikes to school in conjunction with Vic heath.
- Signage throughout the school to remind students, teachers, and visitors to turn of lights when classrooms are not occupied.
- Installation of motion and light sensor systems.
Motion sensors will detect movement and the lead will light up to full power. It is a practical way to reduce energy waste and therefore reduce energy cost. Motion sensors are useful in areas where there are sustained amounts of time there is no activity in the area.
Waste
Our Aim is to minimise waste at Albany Rise. As part of Vic Resource smart Module, our students are responsible for collecting all recycle materials from classrooms on a weekly basis and transferring it into our large paper/cardboard recycling bin for disposal.
Waste recycling stations are in every classroom, with the options of recycle papers, cardboard, and fruit scraps. At Albany Rise we utilise the opportunity to put these scraps into compost, and in our worm farm. With the successful process in composting, we utilise it in our school vegie garden as well.
The environmental leaders regularly update the school and wider community with regular Assembly presentations.
Water
With continual improvement at our school, Albany Rise Primary school is always researching ways the school can save on the unnecessary use of water. The Environmental team will run classroom Audits on a regular basis, so the school can focus on areas where improvements can be made. Albany Rise primary school has two 1000 Litre water tanks that collect rainwater, and we use these tanks to water our garden areas, and Vegetable Garden.
The green thumb garden club members continually work toward their focus to save water usage. With Australians being the greatest per capita consumers of water, its estimated that each person uses an average of 100,000 litres of water per year.
Part of Albany Rises target in managing water in the school is to continue to meet with the student leaders and come up with the best strategies that work well across our school.
In our school garden sugar cane mulch is used on our garden beds as it is an effective way to retain water in the garden beds. We also use wood chips and shredded pruning’s in our garden beds. This is also cost effective and contains is nutrient rich for our garden beds
