Judge's Feedback

The judges were extremely impressed with the level and quality of entries in this year’s Challenge and in particular with the variety of fun and innovative ways students and teachers came up with to educate their community about the impact their daily activities have on the environment.

For your interest, they have put together the following feedback on what they felt were the “winning” aspects of the successful entries in this year’s Challenge.

• High levels of student engagement and leadership. For example, Student Action Teams leading ongoing sustainability actions in the school, or organising the lead up to the day as well as activities that occurred on the day.

• Students from more than one school submitting the application just with guidance from their teachers.

• Long-term sustainability practices in school operations as well as curriculum. For example, a Rubbish Free Lunch occurring once a term, or a “take home what you bring” policy in the school that applies all year.

• Rubbish Free Lunch and associated activities which were embedded into existing curriculum, occurring more than just once a year and not seen as an extra thing to do. For example, all levels of one of the runners-up schools were involved in examining their lunches and completing a pre Challenge weigh in and count of their lunch waste as part of their maths lessons.

• Innovative, creative and fun ideas. For example, creating top secret recycled fashions for teachers to celebrate Rubbish Free Lunch Day and ongoing rubbish free practices or student leaders providing rewards for the best grade such as an extra half hour sports lesson.

• Evidence of partnerships. For example, one school had students, teachers and parents working together throughout the term planning and implementing weekly Rubbish Free Lunches as well as with Year 9’s from a neighbouring school to plan the big Rubbish Free Lunch.

• Measuring rubbish in an ongoing capacity. By measuring the amount of waste enabled schools to celebrate and then set targets for improvement, so even if they are doing well measuring provides incentives for the next steps to take. The winner of the Hero - School Category (North Melbourne Primary School) is now moving towards zero waste.

• Rubbish Free Lunches that fit into the whole school plan and are not something extra. Successful entries demonstrated that Rubbish Free Lunches were embedded into policies, school practices, the school’s values and how it engages with their parents and the broader community.