Schools go greener

Narre Warren South MP Gary Maas visits a local solar panel business.

Government schools in Casey are set to become eco-friendly thanks to the State Government’s Greener Government School Buildings program.

The funding will see the installation of solar panel systems to upgrade school facilities and to become more environmentally sustainable.

Narre Warren South MP Gary Maas announced applications were now open for the program, which would “improve education facilities whilst also creating a better environment for young Victorians.”

“Narre Warren South is home to great local schools, and now we’re looking at ways to bring environmental stewardship to the playground,” Mr Maas said.

Minister for Education James Merlino said the program followed the success of a pilot program rolled out across 42 schools in 2019.

 “Not only will the environment benefit from this program – installing solar panel systems will help reduce power bills for our schools,” he said.

This program will remove upfront costs of installing a system that may otherwise discourage schools from pursuing this option.

By October 2020, the solar panels installed in schools as part of the pilot will have generated more than 1,300 megawatts of electricity, reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1,600 tonnes and saved schools more than $300,000 in electricity bills.

Government schools can apply for a solar panel system at www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au. Applications close on 7 August.