Schools at Energy Breakthrough are increasingly thinking about how they can reduce waste and be more environmentally sustainable while attending the event. Energy Breakthrough has introduced the Sustainability Award to acknowledge schools’ admirable efforts and encourage ongoing improvements.

ResourceSmart Schools (RSS) supported participating EB teams through waste reduction workshops in the lead up to the event.  Teams could then earn points for their Sustainability Award entry by completing a variety of actions on the entry form and uploading photo evidence of each action to RSS’s online portal.

The winner of EB24’s Sustainability Award is Epsom Primary School!

“Epsom Primary School is a well-deserving winner of Energy Breakthrough’s Sustainability Award!  The team worked tirelessly to reduce waste, even utilising a 3D printer to create trike parts that students can recycle and remanufacture into new components as needed. Their dedication went beyond innovation—they meticulously documented and calculated their waste reduction efforts, sharing this valuable information with their school community and fellow Energy Breakthrough competitors.”
– Debbie Rovere, ResourceSmart Schools Team Leader, Sustainability Victoria

Epsom Primary School's Energy Breakthrough team

Energy Breakthrough and ResourceSmart Schools congratulate Epsom Primary School and their 2024 Energy Breakthrough team for an outstanding effort in sustainability!  Epsom PS will receive $500 toward their 2025 EB entry and a $250 sustainability prize pack.

We would also like to highly commend Ballarat High School for their team’s enthusiasm and valued support volunteering with the Sustainability Pit Crew!!

Thank you to all schools who entered this year’s Sustainability Award and for ongoing efforts to win the race against waste!

Find out more about the Resource Smart Schools (RSS) program by Sustainability Victoria here >

So, what did the Epsom Primary School do and how can you follow suit in 2025?

Waste A6.1 Energy Breakthrough Bronze Level action: bring tubs to separate waste at your campsite and pit area into recycling, organics and landfill.

Epsom PS

Waste A6.4 ENERGY BREAKTHROUGH BRONZE LEVEL ACTION: bring reusable kitchenware for campsite meal preparation.

Waste A6.4 ENERGY BREAKTHROUGH BRONZE LEVEL ACTION: leave your campsite litter free.

Waste A7.1 ENERGY BREAKTHROUGH BRONZE LEVEL ACTION: leave your pit site litter free.

Waste A6.2 ENERGY BREAKTHROUGH SILVER LEVEL ACTION: bring a tub for bottle Container Deposit Scheme recycling collection.

ENERGY BREAKTHROUGH SILVER LEVEL ACTION:  

Not painting our trikes, using vinyl to design and save on co2 emissions that are caused by aerosol cans of paint (white fairing from mould)

3D printed parts for our trike, made from recycled filament, can be made as needed, and shredded  to make new filament, hard plastic, can be recycled.

Waste C1.1 ENERGY BREAKTHROUGH GOLD LEVEL ACTION:  promote your efforts to support energy breakthrough become zero waste, with your school community.

Waste C2.1 ENERGY BREAKTHROUGH GOLD LEVEL ACTION: have students present the results from their data collection and action plan to the wider community.

All students received and information poster made by students to display that highlighted the result of the data collection.

Waste C1.2 ENERGY BREAKTHROUGH GOLD LEVEL ACTION: collect recycling, organics and landfill data from your schools participation.

Data shows how many times reusable bottles were refilled, calculated how many single use plastic bottles this would equate too as well as large non-recyclable plastic wrap on slabs of water.

Waste C1.2 ENERGY BREAKTHROUGH GOLD LEVEL ACTION: collect recycling, organics and landfill data from your schools participation.

Data shows how many times reusable bottles were refilled, calculated how many single use plastic bottles this would equate too as well as large non-recyclable plastic wrap on slabs of water.

The RESULTS showed that 128 bottles saved from landfill as well as 128 wraps and 5 large slab wraps.

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