NEWS
Community project aimed at building connections By Gabriella Vukman A community-driven effort to strengthen local connections and prepare for future challenges is gathering momentum in Steels Creek, with a major consultation event set to bring residents together on 17 May. Chair of the Steels Creek Community Resilience Project Fiona Martin, described the initiative as both timely and necessary. Ms Martin said, “The Steels Creek Community is closely knit and connected, but with the impacts of ongoing disruptions, particularly those related to climate change, there is an increased level of severity of events that disrupt people’s lives and that they’re happening in greater repetition.” The project, supported by Resilience Canopy, focuses on strengthening local ties while helping residents prepare for and recover from disruptive events, and giving new community
members a chance to connect is a part of this. Ms Martin said, “For the well-being of the whole community and its ability to prepare itself and recover from disruptive events, increasing the connections across the community is important.” “The project is about working to increase connections across the community,” she said. “Part of the work is for the community to identify things that it feels will make it better prepared and also better able to recover.” The upcoming event, to be held at the Steels Creek Community Centre, marks the first major step in that process and is an open invitation to all property owners and tenants to participate. Ms Martin said, “We’re highlighting the importance of having and representing diverse voices across the community, so we want to make this consultation a very open process.” The partnership with The Resilience Can-
opy came after early conversations within the community. Ms Martin said, “The community met Brett Ellis from the Resilience Canopy when he was making a presentation and recognised that this perhaps was an organisation that could help the community with some extra resources.” “The Resilience Canopy was felt to have the right orientation around supporting communities to do their own work and bringing really useful resources.” Since the formation of the partnership, the project has evolved through community-led discussions. “We held an initial consultation in July last year, and we had quite a significant turnout of over 20 community members, most of them showing an interest in being part of an ongoing core project team,” Ms Martin said. “We know that our community really value the opportunity to come together over a meal
and be together and be connected. So that informed how we’re shaping the event,” she said. The day itself is designed to be inclusive, practical, and welcoming. Beginning with a casual arrival and coffee, the event will move into a short presentation and interactive consultation activities, before concluding the formal session with a shared community lunch. With food and activities available for both adults and children, Ms Martin noted dietary requirements will also be taken into account. Ms Martin is hoping for a turnout of 60 or more community members at the event. Importantly, participation won’t be limited to those who can attend in person. Survey opportunities and other events are also available for those who will not be able to attend on the 17th. Ms Martin encourages those who cannot attend to still register their interest.
Local schools shine through sustainability nominations Sustainability in the outer east continues to shine with four schools nominated in the 2026 ResourceSmart Schools Awards. Lilydale Heights College, Wandin North Primary School, Croydon Hills Primary School and Eastwood Primary School and Deaf Facility were all named in different categories for this year’s awards. Lilydale Heights College, last year’s ResourceSmart School of the Year winner, has been nominated as a finalist in the CDS Container Deposit Scheme Vic (CDS Vic) Excellence Award (Secondary) and Student Action Team of the Year (Secondary) categories. Wandin North Primary School is a finalist in the Curriculum Leadership School of the Year category (Primary) while Croydon Hills Primary School, and Eastwood Primary School and Deaf Facility are hoping to take out the title of Teacher of the Year (Primary). Taking out the top accolade in 2025, Lilydale Heights College is a four-star ResourceSmart School that embeds sustainability into all aspects of school life. This school’s student-led Sustainability Club is driving a positive shift in the school’s culture. The club has raised funds to create a carbon sink at the school through initiatives such as ‘Rug Up Day’, where heaters were turned off to promote energy conservation, and has purchased bins to support CDS Vic collection, donating funds to Zoos Victoria’s Fighting Extinction program. Beyond the school grounds, the club runs a Sustainability Op Shop at the local Rotary market, plants native species with the council and has built nesting boxes for a nearby nature reserve. Wandin North Primary School works with its community to deliver a school-wide sustainability program called HEROES (Harvest Eat Record Observe Environment Sustainability). This four-star school delivers hands-on learning opportunities such as analysing waste audit data, determining the effectiveness of paper wind turbines and experimenting with different plant growing conditions. The school partners with local groups to deliver water education, cooking classes, tree planting and habitat boxes. In the past 18 months, the school has collaborated with Rotary, council, Eco Warriors Australia, Treasuring our Trees, Eastern Health, Yarra Valley Water, local friends groups, and many more. A finalist in 2025, Croydon Hills Primary School is this year vying for the title of Teacher of the Year (Primary). Teacher Steve Crook is the driving force behind this four-star school’s sustainability success. He has transformed the school environment, regenerating it into a thriving native habitat with yarning circles that strengthen place-based learning and connection to Country. Within the science program Steve leads, sustainability concepts are delivered through inquiry-based learning. Students maintain the school’s frog bog and analyse biodiversity in the school’s native gardens. Steve has built meaningful partnerships with the broader community to strengthen environ14 MAIL | Tuesday, 5 May, 2026
Croydon Hills Primary School teacher Steve Cook has been nominated for Teacher of the Year. (Supplied)
Eastwood Primary School and Deaf Facility, teacher David Clingin (right) has been nominated for Teacher of the Year. (Supplied)
Lilydale Heights College has been nominated for the CDS Vic Excellence and Student Action Team of the Year awards. (Supplied) mental leadership at the school. A collaboration with Interchange Outer East sees adults with disabilities working alongside Sustainability Club students as they care for the school farm. At Eastwood Primary School and Deaf Facility, teacher David Clingin’s personal commitment to sustainability helps embed environmental thinking into every aspect of school life. Through handson learning, he empowers students and parents to take meaningful action for the environment. David brings sustainability to life in the classroom, helping students to grow vegetables, explore seasonal food, and discuss how everyday choices impact the environment. In 2025, David ran professional learning sessions to build staff understanding of the ResourceSmart Schools framework and develop the school’s Green Policy. David models how small actions can lead to real environmental impacts that help build the
school community’s passion for sustainability. Twenty-nine schools are vying for an award in Victoria’s largest celebration for primary and secondary school students, teachers and school volunteers who are working together in schools and the community to build the future we need. This year, Sustainability Victoria is marking 17 years of the ResourceSmart Schools Awards with the theme, ‘Our Sustainability Community’. Sustainability Victoria chief executive officer Matt Genever says, “Our sustainable community celebrates teachers, students, stakeholders sharing knowledge, passion, and commitment to drive sustainability for a thriving environment.” ResourceSmart Schools is a free Victorian Government program delivering sustainability education to help Victorian schools minimise waste, save energy and water, promote biodiversity and act on climate change. Since 2008, ResourceSmart Schools has
Wandin North Primary School is a finalist in the Curriculum Leadership School of the Year category. (Supplied) reached over 1600 Victorian schools. Together they have planted more than 5.1 million trees, saved over $68 million through energy, waste and water savings, diverted 170,000 cubic metres of waste from landfill and avoided over 110,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. This year’s winners will be announced at a prestigious awards ceremony held at the MCG on 11 June. The 2026 ResourceSmart Schools Awards would not be possible without the generous support of sponsors, CDS Vic, Bank First, Department of Education, RMIT and Premier Waste. For information about this year’s finalists, please visit: sustainability.vic.gov.au/2026-rssa-finalists
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