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The Woodbridge Whole School Sustainability Plan has evolved since 2003 as an initiative to develop environmentally responsible actions throughout the school community for a sustainable future. The initial plan was developed in consultation with teachers and support staff exploring a vision and practical strategies. This has developed through yearly focuses areas on biodiversity, water conservation, waste management, energy efficiency, wise resource use and organic gardening.

The Plan has been a flexible overview adapting to funding opportunities, community resources and support people available to help and provide advice on a variety of initiatives. Community support has grown with the program to become a critical element, with partnership agreements supporting student leadership initiatives.

· Integrated, relevant meaningful programs

· a viable farm, selling produce, enterprising projects

· involving the community

· Ownership of the MDC by school and community

Cleaner schoolground

Link between land and fresh water

Farm enterprise seen as vital

Parents involvement

What would we like to achieve in 5 years?

A system of waste reduction

Good habits of recycling

A staff committed to sustainable practices

Considerations for Sustainability built into school plan

Start in the classroom- Organised with Labels, bins

Identified targets and goals

MAPPING THE TERRITORY

Review

How much waste is the school producing?

How many cubic metres of waste?

How much paper?

What is the annual energy bill?

What else are we doing to contribute to sustainability?

What potential is there?

Solar car challenge

Seed orchard on the school farm

Greenhouse on the farm

Applied for Habitat Grant

BELIEFS AND VALUES

Learning should be on-going

Children should have a deep understanding of the environment and their place in it be able to communicate this with others.

The Values of the Area: Environmental, Social and Cultural

An inspirational local environment

Peppermint Bay- tourism interests

Biodiversity

Strong history

Divers enterprises in the community.

MAIN ISSUES AND ACTIONS

Issues	Review	Strategy development	Targets 2003-2007	Resources	Outcomes 2007
Resources	Paper audit	Reduce paper waste and use	Reduce waste by 50%	Council	Reduced waste by 80%
Transport	Calculate savings for car pooling	Promote Encourage cycling skills	Car pooling promoted	Sustainable Living Tasmania	Car pooling sporadic
	Buy bicycles for local trips	Tip shop		Tip Shop
Energy	Audit review	Develop strategy to reduce energy	Students and staff more aware of saving energy	Hands On Energy Centre	Arthur Masters conducting an audit in September 2007
	Regular measurement of power output.	5/6 team measure energy metre 2x daily	Develop strategy
Waste reduction	Opportunities for reusing, reducing and recycling	Recycling cans and bottles Corks Involve local community		TEC	Recycling Station built for Al cans, cardboard and paper
Biodiversity	Opportunities on the school farm Swift Parrot Program Wetlands development Foreshore trail	National Tree Planting Day Repair Greenhouse. Apply for Habitat Grant Partnership Agreement with Nursery Man, Dan Magnus.	Planting 1000 plants per year	Greening Australia Community Support Green Corps Team	Planted 3000 trees. Foreshore trail established
Water Conservation	How much water do we use? What is the water quality?		Mulch garden beds	Water Care Grant	1.3 million litres of water saved in 2006. Waterless urinals installed, half flush toilets and spring loaded taps
Organic Gardens	Seed saving	Seed to Plate Strategy	Develop school and community beds Whole school composting system	Mary Walker Luke Burgess

OBJECTIVES

SHORT TERM

Identify what we are doing already to promote sustainability.

Calculate annual energy and paper use in the school.

Identify opportunities for schoolground development.

Provide containers in all rooms for fruit and vegetable scraps. Organise a system for collecting these scraps and placing them into the compost bin. Establish chicken pens.

Provide reuse bins in all work places (offices, classrooms, staffroom, library, etc.) for paper that can be used for scrap, drafts, etc. Organise a system for collecting this paper so that the boxes do not overflow. These bins must be adequately labelled and with a consistent design.

Provide separate containers in all rooms for materials to be recycled e.g. cans, plastic milk bottles, glass, modified to suit what we produce. Organise a system for regularly emptying these containers and returning the materials for recycling.

Provide a bin in all rooms for clean white paper that has no further use and can be recycled. Organise a system for collecting this paper. Shred paper for chickens and compost.

Provide a sealed container in each classroom for students’ food scraps and organise for these to be collected and taken to the chickens on the farm.

Implement integrated curriculum unit on sustainability.

Reduce litter problem in the school.

Buy environmentally friendly cleaning products, toilet paper.

Ask students to come up with ways to reduce waste, conserve energy and promote biodiversity.

Organise whole school composting system

LONG TERM

Encourage the staff to use the compost produced from the school’s food waste on the school’s farm for the chooks.

Encourage children to care for class materials.

Organise a ‘swap box’ for classes to deposit items that they no longer want, but are not broken or damaged.

Encourage students to use recycled paper products.

Train staff to use photocopier for double sided copies.

Fill one tray of the photocopier with used paper and run off single-sided copies and drafts using that tray.

Purchase recycled products where available, e.g. stationery, plastic containers, toilet paper towels.

Use overhead projectors or a computer and a computer projection screen, if the school can afford them, to save paper.

Laminate commonly used worksheets. Have the students use water soluble felt pens and clean the worksheets after use. Alternatively, use clear plastic envelopes.

Develop and implement a system for filing class sets of materials.

Identify excursions to landfill sites, recycling depots and education centres on waste minimisation so that they can learn new ways to minimise waste.

Rationalise use of paper, notices and decorations for special events: produce or purchase reusable, quality materials instead of creating waste.

TARGETS 2007

Target Outcomes	Target dates 2007
	Term 1	Term 2	Term 3	2007
1. Planning group convened	y
2. Waste minimisation and litter reduction review	y	y
3. Waste minimisation strategy in place	y	y
4. Litter education/reuse paper strategy in place	y
5. Whole-school environmental strategy in place	y	y	y
6. Waste reduction of 25% achieved			y
7. Staff briefing of sustainable practices
8. Energy Audit – Arthur Masters		y
9. Toner cartridge recycling in place	y
10.Cardboard recycling in place	y
11. Whole School clean up day	y
12. Trial Bay maintenance
13. National Tree Day planting July		y
14.Cork recycling	y
15.Greenhouse repaired		y
16.Composting system in place	Y	y
17.Worm composting system in place		y
18.Waste and litter programs included in the curriculum at all levels in the school
19 Water conservation – water quality, water saving strategies	y
20. Environmentally Friendly Leaders team in place to promote positive practices in waste management in schoolgrounds	y
21. Wetland environmental assessment- weed management, in-fill planting	y
22. Rehabilitate Peppermint Bay crown land	y
23. Liquid fertiliser organised- Cow pat soup	y
24. Water quality monitoring of Masons Ck, school Ck
25. Fish Care ( Train 4 more volunteers)	y	y
26. Green Corps Project
27. Foreshore rehabilitation
28. Green Corps team building organic gardens		y
29 In-fill planting of Foreshore Trail		y
30 Partnership agreement with Dan Magnus to establish nursery on Farm
31 Development of Whole Farm Plan