Sustainable Schools

What is QESSI? QESSI logo

Queensland Environmentally Sustainable Schools Initiative (QESSI) is a joint initiative of the Australian and Queensland Governments with the aim of encouraging all Queensland schools to become environmentally sustainable.   The initiative provides an holistic approach to environmental education and supports schools to integrate sustainability across all areas of operation and curriculum. QESSI does not seek to replace other environmental education initiatives in schools. It is an alliance approach to support existing environmental education programs in schools. 

 

The Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC) in partnership with Amaroo Environmental Education Centre (Amaroo EEC) have formed the Darling Downs QESSI Hub to support Sustainable Schools in the Darling Downs and south-west Queensland region.  Waterbug sampling

 

School Participation

School participation in Sustainable Schools is flexible, which ensures relevance to a particular region and context. School activities will focus on one or more of the following key sustainability and natural resource management themes:       

  • Biodiversity       
  • Energy use       
  • Water use      
  • Waste 

School activities could include: 

  • improving and measuring school ground biodiversity or adopting a local area to manage for improved biodiversity
  • studing and managing a local waterway
  • waste and litter minimisation and recycling activities
  • reducing greenhouse gas emissions through improved energy efficiency measures 

The following flyers provide more information on the Sustainable Schools initiative:

1. What is QESSI

2. Introduction to Sustainable Schools

3. Getting started

  

Sustainable Schools Facilitators

Renee Fletcher - Toowoomba, Ph: 4637 6224, E: reneef@qmdc.org.au

Pippa Bagshaw - Goondiwindi, Ph: 4671 7900, E: pipb@qmdc.org.au

Ross Brown (Amaroo Environmental Education Centre) - Toowoomba, Ph: 4696 7140, E: admin@amarooeec.eq.edu.au