Sustainability
Laudato Si and Caring for Creation
The Laudato Si’ encyclical, published by Pope Francis in 2015, builds on millennia of scripture and Catholic teaching about our relationship with God’s creation. St Columba’s College recognises and demonstrates the importance of caring for our common home, guided by our faith and shared Indigenous knowledge.
Our Environmental Action Plan sets out a vision to embed sustainability within the curriculum and College life, reduce our environmental footprint through operational advancements and actively engage with the wider community in environmental action. In 2025, we appointed an alumni and former Environment Captain in the role of ‘Environment Steward’ to develop the plan and provide strategic guidance on the proposed initiatives.
STCC is committed to environmental action in line with the College’s values.
- Truth – We will educate our College community about the impact our actions have on the world around us and remain transparent on the College’s efforts to protect the environment.
- Hope – We will engage students and staff in meaningful activities around sustainability that contribute towards tangible changes to empower ongoing action and alleviate climate anxiety.
- Justice – We will improve our understanding of the social and cultural impacts of the climate crisis to work towards a better world for all.
- Love – We will show deep care towards our common home by fostering an appreciation for our precious planet and being mindful of the impact of the College’s activities on the environment.
- Compassion – We will commit to the targets in this Environmental Action Plan in recognition that it is our duty as stewards of creation to care for our common home.
Sustainability Leadership
Laudato Si Action Group
The Laudato Si Action Group is responsible for overseeing the education and promotion of ecological stewardship, sustainability and regeneration at the College. As the Pope’s encyclical calls for a holistic approach to addressing ecological challenges, the group acts as a bridge between the areas of environment, justice and faith to promote environmental stewardship within the College by developing and implementing sustainability initiatives, raising awareness, collaborating with external partners, and monitoring progress.
Student Environment Group
The Student Environment Group seeks to actively involve all students in hands-on environmental initiatives, allowing them to directly contribute to the College’s sustainability efforts. It also serves as a platform for students to share ideas on improving the College’s environmental impact and to bring creative energy to making sustainability engaging and enjoyable, to inspire broader student participation.
Recognition
Earthcare accreditation is a certification process for Catholic schools, parishes, and families in Australia, managed by Catholic Earthcare Australia, which is part of Caritas Australia. It acknowledges and supports efforts to care for creation with a strong focus on the Laudato Si’ principles. The program involves different levels of certification, in which St Columba’s College currently holds a Level 4 certification with the goal to reach the final Level 5 accreditation where the College is recognised as actively promoting a culture of care for the environment
ResourceSmart Schools is a Victorian government program that helps schools embed sustainability into their operations, curriculum, and community. Offered by Sustainability Victoria, it provides support to reduce utilities use, improve biodiversity and integrate sustainability education. The program uses modules to guide the College toward a Sustainability Certification and awards, supporting us with our environmental management system and encouraging knowledge sharing between schools. St Columba’s College is currently a two star school, having become a ResourceSmart School at the end of 2024.
Current Initiatives
Laudato Si Week
Each year, the College celebrates Laudato Si Week to raise awareness of the small actions we can take to protect our environment.
In 2025, the week involved daily House Group prayers, an eco-meditation session, a clothes swap in the staff room, a bee hotel workshop, sustainability pledges with Valley Youth and an environmental film screening.
Precious Plastics Program
The Precious Plastics Program at the College collects plastic bottle lids and uses these in Design & Technology classes to produce creative and reusable items. This intends to divert waste from landfill, actively involving our community in the circular economy and environmental awareness. Precious Plastics is an international program.
Container Deposit Scheme (CDS)
The College has set up collection bins for eligible containers and has become a donation partner (‘Greening Our College’) under the Victorian Container Deposit Scheme. The aim is to divert waste from landfill and redirect the materials to be recycled, contributing to a circular economy and raising money for our environmental initiatives.
Second Chance Paper
Staff and students are encouraged to place their unwanted, single sided paper into boxes that our Action Group have placed near every printer in the College. Notepads and uniform affirmation pads are created from the scrap paper whilst raising awareness of the impact on the environment of logging and plantation forests and encourages our community to print mindfully.
Organics Recycling
Our Food Tech labs have two Eco5 composters which helps us to divert organic scraps from landfill by dehydrating the material and turning it into nutrient rich fertiliser. The fertiliser is available for everyone to purchase and use in their own gardens.
Trees for Schools
St Columba’s was a participating school in the 2025 Trees for Schools program led by Greater Western Water whereby the College was given 50 native shrubs to plant. Students, parents and staff helped with the plantings along the Leslie Road fenceline and in the garden beds outside the MPC. The plantings were also in celebration of National Trees for Schools Day on July 25.
Season of Creation
The College celebrates the Season of Creation annually during the month of September, seeing it as a time to reflect and act. The month commences on World Day of Prayer for Creation and concludes on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of ecology.
The 2025 theme was “Garden of Peace” which marked the start of creating the College’s new edible Indigenous garden whilst the Houses competed in a pot plant painting competition. Each House now has the duty of caring for their own indoor plant.
Garden of Peace VM Project
Students in the Year 11 Vocational Major class established three portable garden beds and vertical herb walls to grow a range of native and non-native edible plants to be used in Food Tech classes.
The students were guided by guest speakers from Moonee Valley Sustainability, Sustainable Gardening Australia and the University of Melbourne’s Wattle Fellowship to learn more about productive gardening with native plants.
The College thanks the project’s supporters including Green by Nature, a Victorian Government Youthfest grant and a Coles x Planet Ark Sustainable Schools grant.
Year 7 Sustainability Subjects
In the Year 7 Design & Technologies subject rotations, students are taught about the Sustainable Development Goals and how they can be addressed using a range of creative disciplines. This includes recycling waste materials through the Precious Plastics Program, learning sustainable food practices and having discussions around e-waste in digital technologies.