The journey towards sustainability
From Sustainable Schools participants …
A Sustainable School has embarked on a journey that engages the hearts, minds and hands of the people involved.
Global citizens
Globally, our use of energy and consumption of resources cannot be sustained by our planet. We cannot sustain our growing demand for materials and energy and yet there is a widening gap between those who have and those who have not.
Local actions
In recognition of this, creating a Sustainable School is about building a sense of place and belonging, and creating a just future through which we can address this imbalance.A sustainable school engages the whole community by adopting a fun, practical and relevant way of learning and working together.
Lifelong learning
By sharing knowledge, investigating and trialling ideas, environmental education nurtures the development of solutions that change our behaviour, and fosters tomorrow’s environmental citizens.
Learning together
Sharing stories about what we gain links our journey with others. It provides us with the skills, knowledge and values to create a way of living that respects the delicate and complex balance that our planet’s survival depends on.
And from the students …
A vision for the future developed by students from the NSW Sustainable Schools Program in 2004:
“If we don’t change our ways of living, the children of future generations will not be able to experience our beautiful natural environment. The world we want to live in is one of an environmentally friendly nature, which renews, reuses, regenerates, and recycles. Students and the community can work together to build a friendly, safe and beautiful world. The future needs you.”
Sustainable Schools NSW’ is a government-funded support program that helps schools to:
- become more aware of their impact on the environment, and
- work out what actions they can take to improve their environmental performance.
The aim of the program is to help schools integrate environmental learning and awareness into all aspects of their activities, from the classroom, to the canteen, school grounds, travel to and from school, the office, workshops, or the sports carnival … all the activities that schools engage in. |