Riverina schools are ahead of the game as they are already adopting sustainable practices that benefit the whole community.
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Despite commercial businesses just finding their green feet, with Tuesday's announcement by Prime Minister Scott Morrison that Snowy Hydro 2.0 will deliver lower emissions and Wagga's meat processor Teys unveiling their $42 million energy hub.
Junee High School partnered with Junee Power, Charles Sturt University and the Department of the Environment and Sustainability to reduce residents' power bills.
"Our blower door technology through the help of CSU has been a great program to look at airflow currents and how to improve the ventilation, heat loss and reducing air current to reduce power bills," Scott Frazier, Junee High School principal said.
"We aimed to use the latest technology to find out how people can save money and this was a great community initiative.
"This has been driven by the students, who were interested in their own practices and trying to help people and contribute to the community."
Mr Frazier said solar panels, recycling and FOGO bins have been implemented for more "real world practices" inside the school grounds.
"We've had more students being trained and they've worked with Junee Primary School to put these practices into the classroom," he said.
"Our students also worked with seniors in the community who wanted to know about how to get those rebates for fridges and power saving bills in their own homes.
"We're still continuing with our recycling program and compost and hoping to engage in further work with the community."
A Department of Education spokesperson said these community initiatives have been "well-received" as they were putting money back into Junee residents' pockets.
CSU Green manager Ed Maher said it is "critically important" that students are exposed to lessons around climate change.
"School footprints provides an exemplar students can see in action," Mr Maher said.
"The bigger opportunity exists when you're producing graduates that are leaving primary and high schools equipped with these skills.
"These graduates then move into the future as leaders and decision makers and achieves that net benefit that influences organisations, which then multiplies."
Mr Maher said Junee High's year 9 and 10 curriculum project was a "perfect example" to get students engaged with mitigating carbon emissions.
"Schools themselves are like any organisation that have high energy needs, especially in climates like Wagga that have extreme heating and cooling requirements and should implement initiatives around energy efficiency," he said.
Mr Maher listed other ways schools can reduce their carbon footprint:
- Ensuring that new buildings are designed in orientation and insulation to minimise heating and cooling needs and Mr Maher said it is important that the buildings are "appropriately sized and controlled to not be working after hours".
- Waste is another contributor to green house gas emission and landfill. Mr Maher noted the War on Waste initiative that "effectively engages students to be aware of waste consumption". He said schools should encourage students to adopt reusable drink bottles and nude lunches.
- Transportation - schools should support public transport and other means of transport, such as walking, riding to school, ride sharing and car pooling to "reduce congestion around schools and broader environmental footprints."
Mr Maher said there are some barriers for publicly owned schools that tend to rely on larger departments to support and facilitate changes.
"It takes time to research and implement sustainable practices that can take them away from focusing on students, so it's important for institutions to have access to solid and sound recommendations and guidance about where the opportunities lie for them," he said.
Lutheran Primary School hosts an eco-living festival every two years, which focuses on how to live in a sustainable lifestyle and attracts people from the Wagga community in a range of workshops.
Recently, students across the country skipped classes to strike against climate change which has led to the question about whether this is something that should be addressed into the curriculum.
A NSW Education Standards Authority spokesperson said the curriculum is currently undergoing a "comprehensive review" to ensure that students are equipped for future jobs.
"Teachers often use contemporary issues and current events as a way to teach students the syllabus, after all, what happens in schools is a reflection of what happens in society," a NESA spokesperson said.
"There is currently an elective topic in the history syllabus called: 'The environmental movement (1960’s-present)', which covers the evolution of environmental issues from the Chernobyl disaster to the establishment of national parks and government responses."