The Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW has funded Enviro Inspiro! for two years to encourage and reward student-led initiatives that increase the environmental sustainability of schools. Teams of students from NSW government secondary schools are invited to participate in the program.
The winner of Enviro Inspiro! 2007 is Moree Secondary College for 'Captain Enviro!' – a project inspired by the 1990s cartoon Captain Planet. The students formed 'earth', 'fire', 'wind', 'water' and 'heart' teams to investigate environmental issues in their area, and then acted on these issues in ways that helped the physical environment of their school.
Second prize in Enviro Inspiro! 2007 has been awarded to Shepherds Park School for 'Change Our Ways'. Students attend this juvenile justice centre for short periods of time and, while at the centre, their school environment is limited to the classroom. The students were able to overcome this limitation by creating a self-awareness project that propelled them into second place.
Billabong High School has won third prize for 'Environmental Team' – their story of how, after an initial project failed, the students learned from their mistakes and started from scratch to create a much stronger and inspiring project.
Two other entries worthy of special mention are James Fallon High School who used humour and creativity to highlight the importance of recycling paper, and Bourke High School who demonstrated how a small group of students can make a real difference to the school environment during the drought.
The NSW Student Representatives Council (SRC) hopes that Enviro Inspiro! becomes an annual competition and encourages all SRC students across the state to start planning for their entries for Enviro Inspiro! 2008.
For more information about Enviro Inspiro! email student.leadership@det.nsw.edu.au or visit the NSW Department of Education and Training website.
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