What ever happened to Sustainable Schools?

Did you know that 'Sustainable Schools' - aka #GreenSchools - is a global movement and that Australia was once a recognised global leader in this movement?

In communities across the world, in a wide range of jurisdictions, and over decades, schools have been inspiring their communities to learn to become sustainable through simple, enjoyable, practical activities - through minds-on, hearts-on and hands-on learning for and with school children.

Not only did Australia's educators actively participate in the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development to really kick this off but through the National Environmental Education Council (NEEC) also worked in collaboration with the Australian federal government to write not just one but TWO world-leading education for sustainability (EfS) plans.

Then, starting in 2004, the Howard government fully funded a national program to implement these wonderful plans across Australia.

When it was eventually defunded, in 2010, the national Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative program - aka AuSSI - devolved into what now remains - an interesting place-based patchwork of state and territory 'AuSSI legacy' programs.

Now state-run, as far as funds and expertise allows, they are still very active and important hubs of practice - and they are impressive!

Some are also very busy generating well-developed evidence-rich case studies and elaborations that will form coherent whole-school 'back-to-basics' resources that not only save schools money but also meet and exceed the requirements of the Australian Curriculum's Sustainability Cross-Curriculum Priority, no matter what school or educational setting they are adopted in.

It would be wonderful to see these excellent cost-saving community-linked programs given just enough extra support to reach every school and every student!

Here are their links :

Australian Capital Territory 

Actsmart – Schools auspiced with Actsmart, ACT Government. 100% of schools in the ACT are registered, making the ACT sustainable schools program the one with the highest participation rate of any state or territory.
https://www.actsmart.act.gov.au/what-can-i-do/schools/actsmart-schools

New South Wales 

Sustainable Schools NSW auspiced with AAEE NSW Chapter 

https://www.sustainableschoolsnsw.org.au/ Twitter @aaeensw

Northern Territory

Individual schools No identifiable program

Queensland 

Queensland Sustainable Schools auspiced with Department of Education and Training, Queensland Government 

http://www.sustainableschools.qld.edu.au/

South Australia 

AuSSI-SA auspiced with South Australia Department for Education, with Natural Resources Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges, Government of South Australia

https://www.education.sa.gov.au/sites-and-facilities/environmental-sustainability-programs/aussi-sa
&

https://www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/adelaidemtloftyranges/education/for-educators/education-for-sustainability

Tasmania

Sustainability Learning Centre auspiced with Tasmanian Sustainable Schools Awards – Eco Schools 

Department of Education, Tasmanian Government
https://www.education.tas.gov.au/parents-carers/programs-and-initiatives/sustainability-learning-centre/

Victoria

ResourceSmart auspiced with Sustainability Victoria, Victoria State Government
https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/school  Twitter: @SustainVic

Western Australia

Sustainable Schools – WA auspiced with Department of Education, Government of Western Australia
http://det.wa.edu.au/curriculumsupport/sustainableschools/detcms/portal/

Catholic Earthcare

Catholic Education in all Catholic Dioceses,
http://catholicearthcare.org.au/community/schools/
http://catholicearthcare.org.au/project/on-holy-ground-south-australia/
Kinship with the Earth – downloadable from https://www.ceosand.catholic.edu.au/about-us/key-documents

Useful National resources, Documents and Links

Getting Started with Sustainability in Schools - https://sustainabilityinschools.edu.au/ 

(Click here for the PDF of all resources)

2019 AAEE 'Learning across the curriculum: Australian Curriculum Content Descriptions and Elaborations for the Sustainability cross-curriculum priority from Foundation to Year 10'


2005 Commonwealth Australia 'Educating for a Sustainable Future - A National Environmental Education Statement for Australian Schools'


2010 Commonwealth Australia 'Sustainability Curriculum Framework - A guide for curriculum developers and policy makers'


2014 Australian Education for Sustainability Alliance http://www.educationforsustainability.org.au/ 'Education for Sustainability and the Australian Curriculum Project Final Report For Research Phases 1-3'