By Nandini and Carla

This year Toorak Primary School has strived to save energy and help our environment. So far, we have accomplished the task of making people re-think their actions:

> We stuck warning stickers next to electrical appliances to remind people to do the right thing, and turn them off after usage.
> The school installed new blinds in the classrooms, to keep the heat out on hot days and retain the heat on cold days.
> Computers were turned off or put on hibernate when not in use. We made sure that each individual classroom had a thermometer so students and teachers could constantly check the temperature to make sure they were not over heating/cooling the classroom when unnecessary.
> Layer days were introduced to make sure the students wore appropriate clothing and that heaters and air conditioners were not turned on.
> Most rooms in the main building now have light sensors, so when no motion is detected the lights automatically switch off.
> Every week a group of student Green Team members inspect the classrooms to check that they’re doing everything that they can to make sure the classroom is as environmentally friendly as can be. The members of the green team made a checklist for each of the classes that included categories such as: lights turned off, computers off, the taps in the classrooms not dripping, etc. Every Monday morning the Golden Globe award was handed out to the class the class that was the most environmentally friendly.

The school has definitely taken a huge step to try and fulfill the expectations of a green school and we believe it has achieved that goal.