Governance

Should Catholic Schools develop management structures that promote Education for Sustainability?

“Schools should develop management structures that help them maximise their use of physical and human resources in a manner which is economically, ecologically and socially sustainable.”

Page 11: National Environmental Education Statement for Australian Schools: Educating for a Sustainable Future. DEH 2005

“Catholic educators have a critical role to play in promoting the Church’s call to “ecological conversion” which finds its ground in our faith.”

“As well as recognising the moral and spiritual dimensions, it makes good economic sense to carefully examine our use of water, energy and the potential for recycling and waste management.”

Catholic Earthcare Australia

School Environmental Management Plan (SEMP)

A key to the success of sustainability education programs in schools is the development of whole school plans. • Develop a Whole of School Environmental Management Plan (SEMP), the national approach referenced in the AuSSI framework. • That the SEMP is a tool for schools in planning for ongoing stewardship of the earth • Planned reviews and reprioritising of actions within the SEMP establishment • That the SEMP clearly addresses: - Systems, actions and targets for resource management (water, energy, waste, biodiversity/schoolgrounds) - Purchasing policy - Curriculum approaches - School community engagement - Service to others - School prayer and ritual

Triple Bottom Line/Accountability Economic Social Environmental Educational

Triple Bottom Line thinking is a global approach to assessing an organisation’s outcomes with the view of encouraging organisations to be responsible for good Economic Management, Social Capacity Building and Environmental Protection. Schools of course can add a fourth pillar of Education

Economic Social Environmental Educational

Sustainability in schools will greatly benefit if schools take note of this quadruple bottom line approach to planning.

Action Plans all resources and all elements

Policies, vision statement & ‘public’ documentation Commitment

Strategy Plan

Year plan & Goals & Targets Base line data

Visioning & planning workshop

Outcomes of the Core Module as defined by the strategic component of the Whole of School Environmental Management Plan or SEMP - ResourceSmart AuSSI-Vic

Inter-School Collaboration

Sharing experiences between schools can not only help each other learn but also, ultimately, build much greater collective outcomes as resources and ideas are shared. Schools should encourage:

Cluster approaches – small groups of schools can develop and share curriculum, projects and resources

Networking – opportunities for broader interaction to share stories and build contacts

Support for young teachers and sustainability coordinators

Professional learning – schools actively teaching other schools about their journey and learning

Community Leadership

Schools also have a timely opportunity to lead their communities in the journey towards sustainability. For many Catholic schools in regional Victoria, the school and church may be the strongest community asset. If schools firstly recognise that they can be the experts in the community, this can lead to:

Continual demonstration of the practices and systems associated with wise resource use

Opening of their doors to wide collaboration in order to share organisations’ expertise and resources

The schools sector as a whole demonstrating community leadership