About AuSSI
What is the AuSSI?
The Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI) is a partnership of the Australian Government, the States and Territories that seeks to support schools and their communities to become sustainable.
The AuSSI involves participants in a whole-of-school approach, to explore through real-life learning experiences, improvements in a school’s management of resources and facilities including energy, waste, water, biodiversity, landscape design, products and materials. It also addresses associated social and financial issues. The Initiative’s vision is for all Australian schools and their communities to be sustainable. Find out about the key elements and resources involved.
The AuSSI in schools
With the support from AuSSI partners, schools are offered best practice and quality curriculum support, audit tools to manage resources, ideas for on-ground projects and ways to involve the local community and encourage a shift in the broader community towards more sustainable practices and processes.
The AuSSI provides networking and clustering opportunities for schools and supports schools in their growth from awareness through to leadership in environmental education for sustainability and sustainable living. It fosters school ownership and empowerment and focuses on student involvement and learning.
Guiding principles of the AuSSI
The Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative:
- Seeks to develop a school culture committed to the principles of sustainable development;
- Seeks to go beyond awareness raising to action learning and integration with school curricula;
- Encourages the involvement of the whole school;
- Encourages the involvement of a school’s local community and encourages a shift in the broader community towards more sustainable practices and processes;
- Seeks to develop relationships with other areas that impact on the organisation and management of a school;
- Is founded on a sound basis of theory and practice in schools and school systems, quality teaching and learning, environmental education for sustainability, and
- Encourages schools to achieve measurable social, environmental, educational and financial outcomes.
Vision
For all Australian schools and their communities to be sustainable.
Goals
AuSSI seeks to achieve the following goals:
- Learning and teaching for sustainability as an integral component of school curricula
- Schools actively engaged in a continuous cycle of planning, implementing and reviewing their approach to sustainability as part of their everyday operations
- Schools using natural resources, including energy, water, waste and biodiversity in more sustainable ways
- Schools and school authorities reporting on changes towards sustainability
- Young people sharing ownership of sustainability initiatives and decision making
- Schools working towards sustainability in partnership with their local communities
- Schools and school authorities implementing governance practices that support effective environmental education for sustainability
- Individuals supported to make effective sustainability decisions and choices
- Schools and communities developing values that support a sustainability ethos.
Benefits for schools
The benefits to schools include:
- The opportunity to achieve curriculum requirements in the key learning areas.
- Reduced consumption of resources and improved management of the school grounds and facilities.
- Teachers and students working on real-life problems and outcomes.
- Professional development opportunities for the whole school staff.
- The school as a model for sustainability within the local community.
Achievements of the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative
Achievements include:
- More than 2000 schools are now participating in the AuSSI,
- Participating schools have reported reductions in waste collection of up to 80%, reductions in water consumption of up to 60%, and savings on energy consumption of 20% with commensurate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
- The following quote illustrates the type of educational and social benefits being achieved, ‘A systematic approach through the curriculum following a comprehensive audit exposes children to all elements of sustainability. They are increasingly accepting responsibility for actions within the program and are the leading edge in attitude change as these practices are transferred to home and the community’
- Family members across Australia have been influenced by the Initiative.
Comparative assessment: Pilot program in NSW and Victoria
In 2001 the National Environmental Education Network supported a submission to trial an Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI). Funding from the Australian Government supported two pilot programs to commence in 2002 - one in Victoria, the other NSW. Three hundred schools participated in this first phase of the AuSSI.
A comparative assessment of the pilots was conducted in 2004-05. The assessment found that both pilot programs generated identifiable educational, environmental, social and professional benefits.
History of the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative
School children walking to school.
Photo: Alastair Betts
September 2001 - The National Environmental Education Network (NEEN) met to discuss a NSW Department of Education and Training and Victorian submission to trial a Sustainable Schools Initiative.
Through NEEN all States and Territories expressed their support for the joint Commonwealth/State project.
July 2002 - The Australian Government announced funding of $200,000 to support a pilot program in NSW and Victoria.
Both the NSW and Victorian Governments provided matching funding and secured additional resources from partner organisations of approximately $1 million and $500,000 in each State respectively. Steering committees, including key stakeholders, were established in each State for the trials to ensure the delivery of quality outcomes.
September 2002 - A review of nationwide curriculum documents to analyse environmental education content and identify national priority areas recommended the development of a national environmental education policy and the implementation of a national environmental education program. The review was commissioned by the National Environmental Education Council (NEEC) and the Department of the Environment and Heritage.
January 2003 - Pilot Sustainable Schools programs commenced in New South Wales and Victoria for an 18 month period.
The Department of Education coordinates the pilot in each State. Principal delivery of the NSW pilot is via a network of 23 Environmental Education Centres. In Victoria, the Gould League and CERES Environmental Park are primary deliverers. Other organisations in both NSW and Victoria offered in-kind support, additional expertise and/or financial contributions to the project.
June 2003 - A National Sustainable Schools Workshop was held in Canberra in order to incorporate all States and Territories not currently trialing the program. After examining the pilot initiatives in detail and considering the systemic differences of each jurisdiction all States and Territories agreed that the National Sustainable Schools Initiative was worth pursuing.
July 2003 - The Australian Government launched the Victorian Sustainable Schools pilot.
December 2003 - The NEEN endorsed a document outlining the 'Common Elements of the National Sustainable Schools Initiative'. The document will be used to guide the development of the Initiative around the country. It allows sufficient flexibility for each State and Territory to meet the requirements of their own jurisdiction, while also ensuring an appropriate level of consistency.
May 2004 - Australian Government funding provided to Western Australia and South Australia to develop and implement a Sustainable Schools Initiative. Additional funds were provided to NSW and Victoria to support the involvement of disadvantaged schools in the Initiative.
August 2004 - The Australian Government launches the national Initiative.
December 2004 - The Australian Government approved the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative funding for the Northern Territory.
March 2005 - The Australian Government approved Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative funding for the Australian Capital Territory.
August 2005 - An Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative Workshop was held in Canberra for the purpose of developing a vision and a national framework for the Initiative. Participants in the workshop included teachers, students and principals from all states and territories, academics and representatives from Catholic Education and Independent Schools Associations, non-government organisations and State, Territory and Australian Government environment and education departments.
December 2005 - The Australian Government released the National Environmental Education Statement for Australian Schools - Educating for a Sustainable Future. Importantly, the Statement was endorsed by the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA). This was the first time that the Australian Government and State, Territory governments approved a document which expressed a national approach to environmental education in schools.
June 2006 - The Australian Government approved Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative funding for Tasmania, ongoing funding for the expansion and consolidation of the Initiative in South Australia, and funding for a Global Communities for Sustainability Project for Australian and Indian schools.
July 2006 - The Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative logo was produced and shared with state and territory partners.
August 2006 - The Comparative Assessment of the pilots conducted in NSW and Victoria was published.
September 2006 - The Australian Government approved Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative funding for the expansion and consolidation of the Initiative in Western Australia.
December 2006 - The Australian Government approved Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative funding for the development of three sustainability resources to support the expansion and consolidation of the Initiative in Victoria.
June 2007 - The Australian Government approved Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative funding for the expansion and consolidation of AuSSI in South Australia, the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory.
July 2007 - The Australian Government approved Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative funding to the Catholic Education Office - Sandhurst (Victoria) to rewrite Catholic Earthcare Australia's 'On Holy Ground' document and embed education for sustainability within Catholic Education curriculum frameworks, and to the CERES - Community Environment Park to develop a model of Carbon Sink Schools for Australia.
April 2008 - Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) resolved to endorse the draft Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative partnership statement between the Australian Government and the States and Territories, and Ministers undertook to work together on education for sustainability in schools.
See also
Key
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