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Sustainability in Schools

Sustainability in schools means teaching and practicing environmental, social, and economic responsibility. For educators, it’s about nurturing students' understanding of sustainability while making a positive impact on the school environment and community.


By embracing sustainability, schools can:

  • Reduce energy, water, and waste costs, freeing up resources for other priorities.
  • Create healthier, greener spaces for students and staff.
  • Foster students' connection to nature and awareness of environmental challenges.
  • Build strong ties with the local community through environmental leadership.

Where to start? 

Sustainability Strategy

A Sustainability Strategy provides a roadmap for making your school or classroom more sustainable. This plan outlines goals and actions to improve resource efficiency, reduce waste, and embed sustainability into your school culture and curriculum.

Anyone in the school can create the Sustainability Strategy, but it is always best to link Sustainability to the Strategic goals of the school. 

Sustainability Action Plans

Once you have a strategy, it's time to develop actionable steps.

  • Comprehensive Action Plan: A detailed plan with long-term goals, timelines, and specific measures to integrate sustainability into school operations and teaching.

    Download a comprehensive Sustainability Action Plan from the Department of Business website

  • One Page Action Plan: A simple, one-page summary of immediate sustainability actions. This is ideal for quick progress checks and annual updates.

    Download a sample One Page Action Plan and use over and over again!

What do include in your Action Plan

An effective Sustainability Action Plan includes a mix of operational actions and educational initiatives. For example, it might combine everyday practices like ensuring doors are closed when the air conditioning is on or setting up recycling bins. Combine these operational actions with learning and teaching-focused activities such as running a story circle about recycling, singing planet songs, or leading a Sustainability Adventure around the classroom.

Your plan should also set clear goals, assign responsibilities, and establish timelines. You can also have targets for operational activities and educational ones. For example:

  • aim to reduce waste by 20% in six months
  • introduce three new sustainability-focused lessons per term.

Including ways to measure progress ensures accountability and keeps your school motivated to stay on track.

Resources for Educators - Early Years

To support sustainability in teaching, we’ve developed a range of creative and engaging activities for pre-schools:
  • Superheroes for Sustainability: Fun characters representing energy, water, waste, and gardens to inspire action.
  • Story Circles: Group sessions featuring stories about waste to spark discussions and ideas.
  • Planet Songs: Engaging and memorable songs about caring for the environment.
  • Sustainability Adventure: A classroom activity using playscapes, led by superheroes, to identify areas for improvement in energy use, water, waste, and gardens.
  • Show and Tell: Students present their sustainability initiatives to foster pride and shared learning.
  • Sustainability Buddies: Older students mentor younger ones, sharing sustainable practices and ideas.
  • Teaching Guides: Ready-made lesson plans to introduce sustainability topics like energy, water, waste, and gardening.
  • Student Activities: Interactive games, experiments, and projects to engage students in hands-on learning.
  • School Initiatives: Ideas to start green projects like recycling programs, veggie gardens, and nature play areas.

Resources for Educators - Primary Schools

  • Interactive Eco-Quizzes: Fun, age-appropriate quizzes to test students’ knowledge about sustainability topics.
  • DIY Green Projects: Step-by-step guides for creating upcycled art, building birdhouses, or setting up compost bins.
  • Seasonal Gardening Guides: Tips on planting and maintaining native gardens or veggie patches aligned with Darwin’s climate.
  • Recycling Games: Engaging activities to teach students how to sort and recycle waste effectively.
  • Climate Action Journals: Printable templates for students to track their eco-actions and reflect on their impact.
  • Environmental Storybooks: A curated list of children’s books that explore sustainability themes, with accompanying discussion prompts.
  • Biodiversity Activities: Resources for identifying local flora and fauna, creating bug hotels, or exploring nearby ecosystems.
  • Energy-Saving Challenges: Classroom competitions to reduce energy use, like turning off lights or minimizing air-conditioning.
  • Water Conservation Kits: Hands-on materials for teaching about water-saving techniques and the water cycle.
  • Eco-Leadership Programs: Toolkits for setting up student-led "Green Teams" to drive sustainability initiatives within the school.

Resources for Educators - Middle and High Schools

Book in a Sustainability Lesson for your classroom

COOLmob currently have funding in the 2024/25 Financial Year to deliver sustainability education and lessons to schools in Darwin. If you are interested in having COOLmob deliver a lesson in your classroom, please get in touch with Bridget ([email protected]) 

Why Sustainability Matters in Schools

  • Cost Savings: Reduce utility bills and waste costs.
  • Healthier Environment: Improve air quality, natural light, and green spaces for better learning and well-being.
  • Student Engagement: Inspire the next generation to care for their planet.
  • Community Leadership: Position your school as a leader in sustainability within the NT.