Canberra’s first college to be awarded five-star accreditation for schoolground sustainability and biodiversity has been named as Hawker College.
Congratulating Hawker on its achievement the Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability, Shane Rattenbury said the ACT was the only jurisdiction to have all schools signed up to the Actsmart Schools program.
“Hawker College first achieved an Actsmart Schools accreditation in 2013 and is now the first Canberra college, and 20th Canberra school, to achieve five-star accreditation,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“To achieve five-star accreditation under the Actsmart schools program, schools must demonstrate their commitment to improving their waste and recycling, energy use and water use, biodiversity and schoolgrounds, and embed sustainability across the curriculum.”
He said Hawker had impressive environmental credentials and the passion its students and staff had in improving the sustainability of the college was an example to all.
“Embedded programs like the Actsmart Schools program go beyond what the schools themselves achieve, it teaches and embeds important sustainability and environmental principles and behaviour in the students who then take that home to their family and eventually pass it on to their own kids,” Mr Rattenbury said.
Minister for Education, Yvette Berry said that the continued commitment of Hawker College to improving sustainability demonstrated how much it was embedded in its school culture.
“Students attend Hawker College for only two years, so their ability to maintain their leadership in sustainability is a testament to their ongoing commitment and hard work,” Ms Berry said.
