OUTCOMES FOR SCHOOLS

 
 

Climate Action Schools
Regional Pilot Program

The Logan Pilot Program

Yagara and Yugambeh Country

Logan Leads the Way: Pioneering a Sustainable Future in Queensland Schools

Our Vision in Action: This story embodies Climate Action Schools' vision of "Redesigning Success: People and planet, thriving together," showcasing how functional sustainability can drive profound change.

The Opportunity: In 2024, Climate Action Schools launched its Logan Regional Pilot Program to address critical challenges in school waste management. The goal was clear: transform schools into hubs of functional sustainability, reduce landfill waste, and create tangible pathways to industry.

The Climate Action Schools Solution: CAS partnered with pioneering schools in Logan to establish on-site Sustainability Skills Centres (SSC). These centres mimic industry production processes, becoming 'live' STEM and LEAN (industry functional sustainability) training hubs. The program focused on diverting student resources, improving recycling quality, and fostering a culture of environmental responsibility.

Key Achievements & Impact:

  • Environmental: Significant reduction in waste to landfill (up to 75% diversion), improved recycling quality, and successful organic waste diversion within 3 months of the program implementation.

  • Economic: Schools realised substantial cost savings (up to 65% reduction in waste removal costs) and generated new income streams through circular economy initiatives.

  • Social: Increased cultural maturity around sustainability, empowered staff, and fostered stronger community connections with volunteers, P&C and third-party circular partners for resource recovery.

  • Industry Connection: Demonstrated how functional sustainability skills (LEAN tools) are directly applicable and highly valued by industry, creating early career awareness.

Functional Sustainability in Action: The pilot proved that by applying industry-based systems thinking, schools can achieve measurable environmental and economic outcomes. This foundational work has set the stage for deeper sustainability integration and STEM learnings and expanded industry partnerships. 

What's Next: The success in Logan is now a blueprint for scaling impact of the program. We're building on these learnings to empower more schools, connect more students to industry, and continue co-creating a thriving future.

Learn More: Discover how your school or business can join the Climate Action Schools movement. [Link to Contact Page] | #ClimateActionSchools #LoganPilot #SustainabilityInSchools #CircularEconomy #FutureLeaders #Learnerstodayleaderstomorrow #livingthevision

 

People: Principal Kathleen Janechek (WSHS), Andrew Byrne (teacher and CAS contact), Business Manager ( and Principal Megan Herbert (SPSHS) and Ineke McGuire (Teacher and CAS Contact). Cummins: Kristina Lambkin Corporate Responsibility Leader – Asia Pacific Technical Education in Communities (TEC) Program Manager – South Pacific and the leadership from Cummins Feb 2024 program started and completed Sept 2025

 

Photographs to accompany this story:

C:\Users\julie\Climate Action Schools\CAS - Documents\4. Marketing and Sales Collateral\Brand Assets and Visual Identity\Photographs\Edited photos from Networking Event Oct 24\Low Resolution

"C:\Users\julie\Climate Action Schools\CAS - Documents\4. Marketing and Sales Collateral\Brand Assets and Visual Identity\Photographs\Edited photos from Networking Event Oct 24"

 

Woodridge State High School Journey

Woodridge SHS: From Waste to Workforce - A Journey of Transformation

Our Vision in Action: Woodridge State High School truly embodies Climate Action Schools' vision of "Redesigning Success: People and planet, thriving together," by transforming waste into opportunity and empowering its students.

Woodridge SHS Vision/Values: Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow. Empowered, Resilient and World Changing

The Challenge & Opportunity: Woodridge SHS, like many schools, want to enact their Carbon plan and become more sustainable.  Also facing significant waste management costs and a desire to provide students with practical, impactful STEM learning experiences, our Climate Action Schools program offered a unique opportunity to address both, turning their resource stream into a 'live' learning hub.

The Climate Action Schools Solution: Woodridge SHS established an on-site Sustainability Skills Centre (SSC), implementing an industry production process for resource recovery using industry partners and functional sustainability tools (LEAN)

Key Achievements & Impact (Updated May 2025):

  • Environmental: Achieved an incredible 75% diversion of student resources from landfill, with 99% organics recovery and decontaminated recycling.

  • Economic: Realised a 65% reduction in student waste removal costs, saving the school approximately $27,000 annually. The P&C and Scouts now share income from Containers for Change (approx. $400/month).

  • Social: Cleaners, including those from migrant and refugee backgrounds, volunteered and gained profound insights into global waste issues, sparking a commitment to change .

  • Staff Empowerment:  Business Manager Andrew Byrne and the cleaning team demonstrated outstanding leadership in continuous improvement, teamwork and increased the cultural maturity of the operations team.

  • Functional Sustainability in Action: Industry tools like Take 5 personal safety, 5S organization, 8 Wastes, 5 Whys, and Fishbone problem-solving are being used by the team and being applied in other parts of the school. 

  • What's Next: Woodridge SHS continues to refine its SSC operations, serving as a beacon for other schools and is on a continuous improvement journey.

  • Learn More: Discover how your school can achieve similar results. [Link to Contact Page] | #WoodridgeSHS #ClimateActionSchools #SustainabilityInPractice #StudentLeaders #CircularEconomy

 

Photographs in the folder – ask me if you can’t find them.

Also the website photographs i.e. data sheet and the break up blueprint of their outputs 😊

 

Shailer Park State High School Journey

Shailer Park SHS: Innovating Upstream for a Safer, Smarter Future

Our Vision in Action: Shailer Park SHS exemplifies Climate Action Schools' vision of "Redesigning Success: People and planet, thriving together," by fostering teamwork and innovation for a sustainable future.  Principal Megan Herbert calls us a ‘critical support partner”.

Shailer Park SHS Vision/Values: Excellence in Learning and Life, Purpose – Inspiring lifelong learners to succeed in a world of opportunities.

The Challenge & Opportunity: Shailer Park SHS embarked on its Climate Action Schools journey with a strong commitment to sustainability but faced unique operational challenges, including ensuring cleaner safety and fostering cross-team collaboration for waste management. The opportunity was to innovate upstream and build a truly integrated system.

The Climate Action Schools Solution: CAS partnered with Shailer Park SHS to develop its Sustainability Skills Centre (SSC) and implement functional sustainability (LEAN) principles. A key focus was on empowering the cleaning and teaching teams to work together, identifying, and solving operational bottlenecks.

Key Achievements & Impact:

  • Team Bonding & Innovation: Teachers and cleaners worked together, fostering a strong team bond and driving upstream innovations to streamline resource recovery processes. This significantly increased cultural maturity amongst the team.

  • Safety First: The school prioritized and invested in essential equipment, such as a quality bin lifter, ensuring the safety of operational staff – a critical learning for all schools. They also bought a 4x4 with the funding and with aluminium donated from Oxworks (thanks people) they’ve built a trusty trailer to help with the 240l bins.  

  • Strategic Funding: Secured a $50,000 grant (based on program data) to further develop the SSC and enhance safety and efficiency.  

  • Industry Exposure: A professional development tour for teachers and cleaners into industry showcased sustainability in action, using functional LEAN tools, strengthening team engagement, and understanding.

  • Operational Readiness: Identified and implemented the specific requirements for a school to be truly "ready, willing, and able" to become a Climate Action School.

Functional Sustainability in Action: Shailer Park SHS demonstrated that functional sustainability is about more than just sorting; it's about continuous improvement, teamwork, and valuing every team member's contribution. They applied LEAN principles to innovate processes, ensuring safety and efficiency from the very start of the waste stream.

What's Next: Shailer Park SHS is now poised to fully operationalize its SSC, leveraging its grant funding and strong team collaboration to achieve significant waste reduction and cost savings, becoming a model for integrated school sustainability.  Ineke just received top 6 Teachers of the Year Award nationally for this achievement.  Congratulations Ineke!

Learn More: Discover how your school can foster teamwork and innovation for sustainability. [Link to Contact Page] | #ShailerParkSHS #ClimateActionSchools #UpstreamInnovation #Teamwork #SustainabilityLeadership

 

Photos and Video #1 includes Shailer. 😊

Case Study Template: WSHS Year 10 Student Pilot Program (2025)

Woodridge SHS Year 10s: Global Citizens Driving Local Change

Our Vision in Action: The Year 10 student pilot program at Woodridge SHS powerfully embodies Climate Action Schools' vision of "Redesigning Success: People and planet, thriving together," by empowering students to connect global challenges with local action.

Woodridge SHS Vision/Values: Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow. Empowered, Resilient and World Changing

The Challenge & The Awakening: Students in the Year 10 pilot program confronted a stark reality: migrant and refugee students shared experiences of never seeing a blue sky, due to families working in landfills where e-waste from wealthier nations is burned. This pivotal moment ignited a deep understanding of global responsibility among the Australian students. The Year 10 student pilot program brought functional sustainability (LEAN) tools to life, connecting classroom learning with tangible action.

 

The Climate Action Schools Solution: Through hands-on engagement in the Sustainability Skills Centre (SSC) and guided by functional sustainability (LEAN) tools, these Year 10 students are actively transforming their school's waste stream. The program provides the framework for them to channel their awakened sense of responsibility into tangible action.

Key Achievements & Impact:

  • Global Awareness & Empathy: Students developed a profound understanding of the global impact of waste and the interconnectedness of communities, fostering empathy and a sense of shared responsibility.

  • Student-Led Action: The class teamed up, driven by their new understanding, to initiate school-wide change, demonstrating powerful student leadership.

  • Behavioural Transformation: Students are actively changing waste behaviours within their school, raising the cultural maturity around sustainability.

  • Skill Application: They are applying functional sustainability tools (Take 5, 5S, 8 Wastes, 5 Whys, Fishbone) to real-world problems, developing essential 21st-century capabilities.

  • Industry Connection: Through industry tours (e.g. Thanks Cummins, Oxworks & Evolve), students are connecting their SSC learning to diverse career pathways in resource recovery, circular economy, and environmental science.

Functional Sustainability in Action: The SSC is their laboratory for change. Students are not just learning about waste; they are actively managing it, applying LEAN principles to optimize processes, and seeing the direct impact of their efforts on their school's 75% waste diversion rate.

What's Next: These Year 10 students are becoming powerful advocates and leaders, committed to making a difference. Their journey highlights the critical role of education in fostering global citizens who drive local, impactful change.

Learn More: Discover how your students can become global citizens driving local change. [Link to Contact Page] | #WoodridgeSHS #ClimateActionSchools #GlobalCitizens #StudentLeadership #SustainabilityEducation

 

Photos/VideoExecutive Summary

The Climate Action Schools Logan Regional Pilot Program demonstrates significant progress in resource recovery providing schools with a model of sustainability in practice. The initiative not only improves resource recovery management practices but also fosters a culture of environmental responsibility among students and staff. 

 

We’ve seen an increase in cultural maturity, unleashed the economic benefits of the circular economy, and provided and hope for the future.  Schools operations are run by Business Managers who love the cost savings, data and grants. Teachers love the STEM learnings and systems thinkings and the working model of sustainability in practice to assist teach the curriculum. 

 

School leadership appreciates the strategic alignment, the increase in cultural maturity the system provides. Shailer Park SHS Principal, Megan Herbert calls us a ‘critical support partner’.  Cleaners are appreciated and valued by teaching staff, leadership, and students alike. Purposeful work.

 

The students understand they’re global citizens living in a first world nation with the privilege of education.  Australian students learnt of the harmful damage first world nations behaviour is causing and they’re committed to a positive future where they have power and a responsibility of making a better future for the planet we share. 

 

Industry appreciate students coming with sustainability systems thinking mindsets.  Learning take 5 personal safety, 5S, 8 wastes, 5why’s and using Fishbone tools and understanding their neuro type has increased their cultural maturity.   They appreciate quality ESG and finding a workforce development solution providing sustainability in the supply chains.

 

CAS is living the vision of codesigning success: people and planet, thriving together.

Overview

Climate Action Schools (CAS) was trialled in Logan, Australia in 2024. The pilot was to deliver a circular, resource recovery, sustainability system, inside schools. We aimed to reduce student resources going to landfill, improve recycling quality (decontamination) and material redemption, divert organic waste, and offer sustainable pathways to industry, using industry based ‘systems thinking’ tools.  

Program Focus

The program centred on testing CAS delivery systems were fit for purpose, by developing prototype operational Sustainability Skills Centres (SSC). These centres serve as mini resource recovery centres which mimic an industry production process (similar to manufacturing), acting as ‘live’ STEM and LEAN (functional sustainability) systems thinking training hub.   Once developed and operational, we connected schools with industry to showcase the results. Could it divert student waste from landfill to under 0.03m2 per student? Could it increase cultural awareness? Could they join the circular economy and provide positive behavioural change in participants whilst offering hope for the future?

Partnership & Collaboration

In collaboration with Cummins ESG, the program integrated sustainability practices, resource recovery, and circular economy principles within schools in Logan, Queensland, Australia.  Climate Action Schools mimics industry sustainability. The pilot also included a professional development tour for teachers and cleaners, linking them directly with industry to enhance team engagement and outcomes leading to an increase in cultural maturity.

Participating Schools

  • Woodridge State High School

  • Shailer Park State High School.

Results at Woodridge State High School – updated May 2025 through #continuousimprovement

Woodridge State High School established its Sustainability Skills Centre (SSC) within the first four months after signing The Pledge. The data highlights the following achievements to date through #continuousimprovement:

  • Daily Resource Diversion: On average, 555 litres of recoverable resources are diverted from landfill each day, representing 53.3% of the total material sorted daily in the SSC.  Update: May 2025 – through #continuousimprovement, this is now on average 66% and up to 75%. 

  • 10c Cans and Bottles: Of the 555 litres diverted, 113 litres were 10c cans and bottles. Update: The P&C and Scouts partner (50/50) and have now both received their second $600 circular economy income via Containers for Change scheme. 

  • Waste Reduction: There was a 66% reduction in the number of general waste bins each week and a 42% reduction in the total number of bins requiring collection by August 2024.  Update: through continuous improvement, this is now a 65% reduction in student waste costs representing a $27K saving in 2025

Results at Shailer Park State High School

Teachers and cleaners have worked together and bonded as a team going upstream and innovating increasing cultural maturity amongst the team.  We learnt schools must have an operational and quality bin lifter to ensure cleaners are safe.   We learnt putting the cleaners and teachers on a bus into industry together to see sustainability in action using these functional tools works.  We also learnt the requirements of what a school requires to be ready, willing and able to become a Climate Action School.

Testimonials: