Department of Education

Climate Change
The department’s long-term vision is for all Tasmanian
schools to be sustainable with students having the
opportunity to learn as part of a whole school approach
to sustainability.
Under the Tasmanian Framework for Action on Climate
Change the department produced an Emissions Reduction
Plan in 2009 which works in conjunction with the
department’s Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP)
to develop energy efficiency improvements in existing
facilities.
These documents provide the framework for achieving the
department’s broader goals of contributing to the reduction
of global greenhouse gas emissions by also encouraging
innovation in areas such as recycling, transportation, green
building initiatives and moving towards carbon neutral
facilities. The department intends to:
• use less energy
• reduce transport/travel related emissions while
maintaining continuity of business operations
• reduce levels of office waste
• develop and lead an education program aimed at
engaging staff, students and the broader community.
The key elements of the department’s initiatives are:
• The recently opened Kingston High School, Austins
Ferry Primary School, Romaine Park Primary School,
Somerset Primary School and Windermere Primary
School were designed as 5 Star Green Star facilities
as well as new buildings at the Jordan River Learning
Federation in Bridgewater. The new primary school
being planned for the Port Sorell community will also
be designed to meet the 5 Star Green Star rating.
• As part of the Building the Education Revolution
infrastructure projects, the department specified that,
wherever possible, the inclusion of energy efficiency
measures including water tanks, insulation, and energy
efficient hot water, lighting, glazing, heating and cooling
be undertaken in schools under the Primary Schools for
the 21st Century element.
• Actively implementing a stringent and ongoing review
of the vehicle fleet requirements to include more fuel
efficient vehicles and the use of hybrid cars where
feasible. A total of 99% of the department’s light vehicle
fleet meets the minimum greenhouse ratings and
overall the department has reduced the size of the
vehicle fleet by 37 vehicles (14%).
• The introduction of the Energy Saving Guide, an
incentive-based energy funding model and an increased
focus on climate change, has resulted in a significant
reduction in electricity consumption. Notably the
department benefited from a 4.2 gigawatt (6%)
decrease in electricity usage for the 2008 calendar year
and a further 2.0 gigawatt hours (3%) decrease for the
2009 calendar year. These reductions in consumption
have delivered important reductions in greenhouse
gas emissions over the two year period. Reductions in
energy consumption continued to be achieved during
2010, with an overall savings in consumption of 5.8
gigawatt hours (9.2%).
• As a means of measuring the department’s greenhouse
gas reductions, an interactive website has been
developed for Tasmanian Government schools to set
targets and monitor energy, greenhouse gas, water and
waste.
• A $2.8 million Sustainability Learning Centre will be built
on the site of the Hobart College at Mount Nelson.
The Australian Government funded centre is being built
through a partnership between Greening Australia,
CSIRO, the Department of Education, the Catholic
Education Office and the Association of Independent
Schools and will:
o deliver specialist science, ecology and
sustainability education
o provide a new home for Greening Australia
(Tasmania) which will contribute $300,000 to
the project, and CSIRO Education Centre
o be the first educational 6-Star Green Star
rated building in Tasmania and use recycled
building materials. The building demonstrates
sustainability principles as an educational tool
o encourage ‘hands on' education using the
building itself as a tool, nurseries, field activities,
interpretive trails and bush classrooms
o maximise use of solar energy resulting in zero
net external energy for teaching areas and
feature recycled stormwater and sewerage
o be a carbon-neutral building in initial
construction and ongoing use and will exhibit
plant cultivation and biodiversity. As an
additional feature of the project, materials
from a large warehouse and cottage in
Hobart have been recycled and will make
up 70-80% of the new centre’s materials. A
construction contract has been awarded to
Vos Construction Pty Ltd and work should
commence on site in August 2011. Vos
Construction Pty Ltd is harvesting additional
materials from the demolition of the Clarence
Health Centre.
• An audit of actual waste removal and management at
several schools was completed during 2009–10 and
has indicated that the department’s waste levels have
decreased by 11%. To further promote the importance
of effective waste management the department’s
Climate Change Steering Committee has implemented
a new statewide waste management contract. A
key feature of the new contract will be reporting of
levels of waste removal and the resultant greenhouse
gas emissions. This will substantially improve the
department’s information and management of waste and
enable improvements in recycling to be identified and
introduced.
Required Reporting – Climate Change
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