Sustainability
Sustainability at GHPS
Sustainability Captains 2026 – Lewis & Nagi
Our school is deeply committed to educating students about environmental sustainability and, importantly, putting these practices into action. We are an active participant in the Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSi), a nationally recognised program delivered in Victoria through the Department of Education and Training (DET) in partnership with CERES. This initiative supports schools to significantly reduce water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and waste.
Sustainability is embedded across our school through a wide range of hands-on programs and student-led initiatives. We have a strong focus on land and habitat, renewable energy, water conservation and management, sustainable building design, plants and animals, applied gardening, waste management and cultural diversity.
Our students play a key role in driving change. Our Sustainability Captains lead a variety of initiatives, including the popular “Golden Lunchbox” program, which encourages students to reduce plastic use and minimise waste in their lunchboxes.
We are proud of our extensive environmental programs, including large-scale planting of native trees and vegetation to support local biodiversity, complemented by the installation of bird boxes. Future plans include the development of a fenced frog pond to further enhance habitat creation within the school grounds.
The school has achieved significant recognition for its efforts, including accreditation as a Water Wise School and Bronze Accreditation through the “Learn it! Live it!” program. Our infrastructure supports these initiatives, with six water tanks and five complete rainwater harvesting systems that collect water from the gym and library roofs. This water is reused for toilet flushing and irrigation, with a total storage capacity of 40,000 litres.
In addition, we have installed a 98kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system with battery storage across both the Junior and Senior campuses, significantly improving our energy efficiency and reducing our environmental footprint.
For over fifteen years, our school has built a strong reputation within the Victorian community as a leader in environmental education. We pride ourselves on immersing students in meaningful sustainability practices both inside and outside the classroom, empowering them to become responsible and environmentally conscious citizens.