100% Renewable Energy

Camberwell Grammar is one of the first schools in Victoria to reach 100% renewable energy!

At Camberwell Grammar School, we have set ourselves ambitious targets – to be Net-Zero by 2030, and to operate our school in an environmentally sustainable way.

As the first milestone in reducing our carbon footprint, we are excited to announce that we have become one of the first schools in Victoria to procure our energy needs from 100% renewable sources. While 48% of our total energy consumption already comes from our solar panels, we now source the balance of our needs from wind and solar farms in south-eastern Australia, through our partnership with ENGIE.

At Camberwell Grammar we aim to lead by our actions, inspired by our Spectemur Agendo – ‘By Our Deeds May We be Known’. This year we are continuing our sustainability journey towards an environmentally-friendly future for our school and community by reaching our goal of 100% clean energy.

This means that every light switch, laptop, and screen at Camberwell Grammar is now powered by renewable energy. This power comes from a combination of our solar panels, which supplies around 48% of the School’s needs, mixed with a further 66% from solar and wind farms in south-eastern Australia, through our partnership with ENGIE. With the surplus 14% power generated on our rooftops (on weekends and holidays), we are able to positively contribute green energy to the local power grid. Reaching this goal means that we will have achieved an overall balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and greenhouse gas emissions taken out of the atmosphere. Importantly, the School is no longer reliant on power from non-renewable sources.

Sustainability is now a core pillar of our school’s strategic plan and the story of our environmental journey will continue beyond the Net-Zero 2030 target as we strive to become a Climate-Positive school. In consultation with The CERES School of Nature and Climate, we have been actively reducing the School’s carbon footprint to ensure we operate in an environmentally sustainable way, while also working on our water usage and the biodiversity rating of our campus.

Furthermore our investment in the future is not skin deep – it is in the bones of the School. At our core, our mission is to educate committed citizens of the future who are passionate about the problems facing our world, instilling them with the necessary skills to make a positive change. Attaining our 100% renewable energy goal is the first step on this journey. We look forward to sharing more steps along the way to Net-Zero by 2030.

Mr Will Hone

Sustainability Coordinator