Billanook College in Mooroolbark has impressed with three students named as finalists in Sustainability Victoria’s 2024 ‘Sustainability Through Your Own Lens’ photography competition.
The three outstanding entries from Billanook College have been nominated in the secondary schools’ category.
Year 12 student Gideon Classon’s ‘Sunlit Mosaic’ captures the alignment of solar panels, highlighting the readily available clean energy that should be utilised.
Emily Griffiths, a Year 10 student, captured vines adapting to their harsh environment around a pole in a piece labelled ‘Persevering to reach new heights’. This showcases nature’s resilience to man-made structures.
Finally, Year 11 student Darcy Thomson’s ‘Hidden Eye’ focuses on a dandelion, highlighting environmental adaptation and the significance of plants in our ecosystem.
As a ResourceSmart school, students at Billanook College are eager to engage in environmental projects and initiatives to improve sustainability and biodiversity on campus. Through the photography competition, students creatively share stories about sustainability and the environment, highlighting its connection to their school and the broader community.
Nine students from six schools are vying for the win in the ‘Sustainability Through Your Own Lens’ photography competition facilitated by the ResourceSmart Schools Program. This is one of several awards up for grabs at the 2024 ResourceSmart Schools Awards.
Sustainability Victoria Regions and Community Action director Katie Pahlow said the ‘Sustainability Through Your Own Lens’ photography competition offers an insight into students’ perspective on our environment.
“This competition celebrates the creative expression of students exploring the role that sustainability plays in both the built and natural environment. It’s fascinating to see sustainability ‘through the lens’ of students and understand what it means to them.”
This year, Sustainability Victoria is marking 15 years of the ResourceSmart Schools Awards with the theme, ‘Legendary Legacies – what will you leave behind?’.
Since 2008, ResourceSmart Schools has reached over 1,600 Victorian schools. Participants have planted over five million trees, avoided 74,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases, and saved over $60 million through energy, waste, and water strategies.
This year’s award winners will be announced at a prestigious ceremony held at the MCG in Melbourne on 4 June.
