The green thumbs of pupils at Werribee Primary School have them well on their way to winning a national award.
The school has been named as one of four finalists for a Keep Australia Beautiful Sustainable Cities award in the category of active schools. It was also named as a finalist last year.
The Werribee school’s sustainability co-ordinator, Jo Wembridge, said the school had a range of projects and initiatives that had helped it achieve their five-star rating as a resource-sustainable school, putting it in the running for the award.
“We have a zero waste policy here, which students and their families have supported,” Ms Wembridge said.
“It initially started as nude food days, encouraging students to think about how they bring food to school – like, in a plastic reusable container. Now many students choose to bring no rubbish to school, which has reduced our volumes of waste.”
The school has also switched to using solar panels, resulting in a reduction of $500 on each energy bill.
Two vegetable gardens, succulents, a sensory garden and a range of different grasses can also be found on the school grounds.
All these features have been put together by pupils of all ages during an 18-month period.
Ms Wembridge said the staff and students were excited to be finalists in the competition again.
“It’s good to be recognised for what we’re doing in the school,” she said.
The winners will be announced in November.
