Kids show the way

Water-smart students at Tooradin Primary School have been recognised for their environmentally friendly achievements.
Out of 87 entries from across Victoria, the school has been named one of 16 finalists – in the Energy, Waste, Biodiversity and Water categories – in the 2008 ResourceSmart School of the Year Awards.
The school’s students and teachers saved 574,160 litres of water a year by installing a large 22,700 litre water tank, as well as reusing water from drinking taps, waste water and roof run-off. Additionally, 20 per cent of students swapped their old showerheads for new water efficient ones; other students completed surveys to find out how energy could be reduced at home and learned the impact of transportation to and from school.
Upper House member for the Eastern Victoria Region Johan Scheffer said he was pleased to see the school being recognised for its work to reduce its environmental impact.
“Victorian students are incredibly motivated and have risen to the challenge to protect our limited resources through smarter and innovative ways,” he said.
Tooradin Primary School’s Environment and Sustainability Coordinator Kristie Young was also pleased with the nomination. She said the school has been consistently stepping up its environmentally friendly practices and hoped to become a fully sustainable building within five years.
“The population of our school keeps going up, but we keep trying to decrease our carbon footprint,” she said.
Ms Young said the school hoped to achieve this by fitting solar panels on its roof, implementing an 85,000 litre underground water harvesting system and installing waterless urinals, all within a year.
“We are all very proud,” Ms Young said. “The students feel a great sense of achievement because they take a lot of ownership in the projects. They are the driving force behind a lot of what we do. It’s fantastic.”
School representatives have been invited to attend the ResourceSmart School of the Year Awards Ceremony at BMW Edge Federation Square on November 12. They have a chance to win a share of up to $250,000 in prizes to assist with ongoing sustainability projects.