Sustainability at Vermont Primary School

At Vermont Primary School, we are learning for our future. We recognise that part of this learning involves ensuring the environmental health of the world we live in. Our goal is to manage resources efficiently and integrate sustainable practices by education and motivating the whole school community to live more sustainably.

We joined the ResourceSmart Schools (RSS) program in 2012. This program helps schools and students to actively build sustainability into the fabric of every day school and community life. The School Community has worked hard to meet the RSS Program targets and has maintained our 4 Star Accreditation for the past ten years. We are constantly reviewing and improving our sustainability initiatives in an effort to be awarded 5 Star Accreditation.

Vermont Primary School works closely with Eastern Alliance for Sustainable Learning to promote and support the programs and teaching of sustainability in our school.

Environment Care Programs that Vermont Primary School provide for a greener future:

• School Sustainability Leaders – Year 6 students
• Planet Savers - student leaders of Sustainability in each classroom from Foundation to Year 6
• Garden Club – once a week for Planet Savers and the students interested in a greener future.
• Compositing across the whole school each week
• A three bin recycling program in each classroom for waste – paper, organic waste and landfill
• Nude Food Gladiators program – regular Nude Food days to encourage the reduction in food wrapping waste in student lunchboxes
• Productive Garden where certain vegetables and fruits are grown and used in our OSHC or sold to the school community at a ‘gardeners’ market’
• Planning is nearly complete on an Indigenous Garden and pollination corridor
• Community events to assist with weeding, planting, laying mulch and garden bed creation and tidying.