Sustainable Schools

A Walking School Bus (WSB) is a group of children accompanied by a minimum of two police-checked and insured parent volunteers who walk children to school on agreed days and along a specified route. Most WSB routes take about 20 – 30 minutes to reach school.

Benefits of the Walking School Bus program include:

Increased physical activity for your child (and you if you choose to walk)
Improved road safety awareness and skills
Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
Escaping the congestion at the front of the school
Less exposure to ‘in-car pollution’ as well as air pollution while sitting in traffic
Possible reduction in the need for before school care
Minimum level of commitment (if every parent with a child on a WSB walked one morning per week, very soon we would have WSBs running 5 mornings a week!)
Fresh air and a relaxing start to the day
The chance for adults and children to get to know their community better
Making friends along the way

Click on the following documents for more information:

Walking School Bus Guidelines

Volunteers Handbook

Volunteers Contract

Student Consent Form

Also, to find out more about Walking School Buses and how to get involved, please contact:

Walking School Bus

YWCA of Canberra

Ph. 6239 6878

Program Manager: Tiffany Henderson wsb@ywca-canberra.org.au

Program Officer: David Turbayne david.turbayne@ywca-canberra.org.au

Similar to water conservation, the first place to start with saving energy in your school is a walk through energy audit. This is of particular importance as energy is easily overlooked. We tend to think about warmth, computers, lights etc but not the underlying energy used to provide these services. By performing a self-audit, staff and students can identify where energy is being used and start thinking about possible ways of saving energy.

For your school to receive support in conducting an energy audit please email vanessal.whelan@act.gov.au

Following the steps outlined below will help your school develop an Action Plan to achieve Energy Savings:

Sign up to the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative ACTwith attendant rights and responsibilities,
Obtain template for Walk Through Energy Audit and student team (with guidance from an adult, e.g. teacher, parent, BSO, etc.) and conduct energy audit over a week-long period,
Submit your energy audit for preliminary analysis to HEAT team,
HEAT consultant visits your school to discuss findings of the energy audit with team that collected data and performs additional data gathering and analysis,
HEAT writes up Energy Audit Report with recommendations on energy saving measures that can be undertaken,
School, (with any necessary support from HEAT) comes up with School Environmental Management Plan (SEMP) to implement recommendations from 5, and
School implements and monitors actions in the SEMP.

HEAT is the Home Energy Advice Team, an ACT Government funded initiative that has a broad mandate to reduce school and residential energy use. To date we have conducted energy audits at Isabella Plains PS, Garran PS, Dickson College, Lyneham Pre-School and St. Thomas the Apostle PS. In addition, the HEAT team operates the ACT Energy Wise home energy audits for the ACT government, (see www.heat.net.au ) and we also offer free advice and consultations on how to improve home energy efficiency.

Other HEAT school projects :

Students at Rosary produced an energy saving video and hosted a school-wide assembly on energy efficiency, and
Presentation on the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect and energy saving to Radford College year 7 students.

Guidelines for Specific Energy Using Appliances

Lights:

Most lights in schools are 1200 mm (4 ft) fluorescent tubes. These are usually in paired configurations, i.e. two tubes per fixture. Both the number of lights, and their switching configuration is important. Note size and location of windows, as these are the only truly free lights around. Draw a sketch showing the lighting configuration and window layout on the back your Dingo Saver Sheet (this will be provided by the HEAT team when they visit your school). Rather than climbing a ladder to check the wattage that is printed on the bulb, why don’t you ask your building service officer (BSO) where the spare globes are kept. Also note the condition and cleanliness of light fixtures.

Estimate the daily hours of usage, by visiting the rooms:

before school,
during morning classes,
at recess and lunchtime breaks,
during afternoon classes,
after school, and
night time

Check the school’s timetable to see if rooms are used at night. Ask the cleaner how long lights are on during cleaning. Try to take into account weather conditions on the day of the survey; on a dull day, lighting use will be above average, and on a bright day, below average.

Computers:

Both the monitor and box draw considerable amounts of power. Desktop computers will have separate appliance labels for the box and the monitor. Laptops will only have one label. Generally a school will only have a few types of computers so you don’t have to crawl under every desk once you have recorded representative power numbers.

Interactive Whiteboards:

These are becoming increasingly common and use a relatively large amount of energy. Rather than climbing to read the unit on the projector, ask the front office if they have a manual for board.

Hot Water Services:

Coming in two forms these might be built-in units to provide boiling water for hot drinks, or might be storage units providing hot water for showers, taps, etc. They may be either gas or electric powered. Ask your BSO to help you locate these units.

Photocopiers:

Have variable wattages - record the range as it is shown on the label (if accessible). Alternatively, note the make and model and ask the office staff if they have a manual for the photocopier.

Clocks:

Most school clocks are hard wired and don’t have accessible appliance labels. Assume 10W for a power draw.

Security systems:

Generally the easiest way to get specifications for security systems is from the front office or BSO. Note the rooms that have security sensors.

Miscellaneous Appliances:

Don't forget other appliances, such as kettles, fax machines, televisions, DVD or VCRs. If they are left on standby, this can use quite a lot of power.

Heating:

Most schools use circulating hot water to keep the school warm in winter. The water is warmed using a gas boiler, which your BSO can show you. It should have a plate similar to electric appliances. Look also for a maintenance sticker, which will show when maintenance was last performed and how the boiler rated. Ask teachers and students for anecdotal evidence of particular rooms in the school being too hot or cold in winter this may also indicate a problem with the heating system.

Portable classrooms will often have heat pumps (reverse cycle air conditioners) and some classrooms in the school may be cold so teachers sometimes use electric resistance heating to supplement the school's central heating. Look for fan forced or column heaters or ask the class teacher.

Example of an energy audit (, 710kb).

This spot is for students!

We would like to hear from students from any schools who have been involved in the AUSSI ACT or are getting involved!

If you or your class have any great ideas, photos, powerpoints or projects that you have done or are doing and you would like to share it with other students, please email vanessal.whelan@act.gov.au

Walking School Bus

Getting Started

Developing an Action Plan

HEAT

Information for Schools