Sustainability Victoria awards schools for environment initiatives

Sustainability Victoria has celebrated the environmental protection efforts of schools across the state with this year’s ResourceSmart Schools Awards.

The event, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and hosted by TV personality Dirt Girl, recognised winners under the theme Our Sustainability Community – celebrating the students, teachers, and communities sharing knowledge and passion to create a more sustainable future.

There were 29 primary and secondary school finalists across 12 categories at the event, recognised for a variety of creative and collaborative practices.

RedGum – the Waldorf School of Central Victoria was named ResourceSmart School of the Year for its whole-school approach to sustainability, which included wetland waste management work, strong community partnerships and initiatives.

Meanwhile, the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School was awarded the Campus Infrastructure and Operations School of the Year award for its work in repurposing buildings, installing solar and water-saving systems, and enhancing biodiversity outcomes across its campus.

Lilydale Heights College was a multiple-award winner, receiving the Student Action Team of the Year and Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) Vic Excellence Award for secondary schools.

Judges praised the college’s data-driven approach to container deposit collection, innovative bin systems and strong student-led sustainability initiatives supporting wildlife conservation and community engagement.

Pleasant Street Primary School won the CDS Vic Excellence Award for primary schools for its student-led initiatives and partnerships driving waste reduction across the school community.

Box Hill High School won Curriculum Leadership School of the Year for secondary schools, and Wandin North Primary School won the award’s primary school version. Both schools were recognised for embedding sustainability across learning and engaging students through real-world experiences.

Individual and community contributions were also celebrated, with St Macartan’s Parish Primary School recognised as School Volunteer of the Year. Wendourie Primary School and St Monica’s College took out Teacher of the Year awards for primary and secondary, respectively.

In the Student Action Team of the Year categories, students at Tecoma Primary School were celebrated for their success in establishing Indigenous gardens and strong community partnerships.

Lilydale Heights College was also recognised for leading recycling, biodiversity and Caring for Country initiatives.

Matt Genever, Chief Executive Officer of Sustainability Victoria, said the winners demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment.

“These remarkable schools have shown the impact we can have when we collaborate on a common goal,” he said. “I congratulate all the winners and finalists for working together to build the future we need.”

Genever also said the awards showcase the powerful role schools play in shaping a more sustainable future.

“It’s inspiring to see students leading the charge on sustainability,” he said, “supported by teachers and communities who are empowering them to take action and think differently about the future.”

ResourceSmart Schools is a free Victorian Government initiative delivered through Sustainability Victoria, providing education to help state schools minimise waste, save energy and water, promote biodiversity and act on climate change.

Since 2008, the program has reached more than 1600 Victorian schools. Together they have planted more than 5.1 million trees, saved over $68 million through energy, waste and water savings, diverted 170,000 cubic metres of waste from landfill and avoided over 110,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.