Live Green

Council's Live Green program gives residents the chance to get involved in sustainability programs, workshops and hands on environmental activities. It supports sustainability education in local schools and promotes sustainability advocacy and partnerships with community groups and organisations.

The Live Green Plan 2021-2026(PDF, 3MB)  outlines the objectives and actions of Council surrounding priority themes identified by the community. These key themes include:  

  • Energy saving and climate change action
  • Waste reduction and increased recycling and composting
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s ecological practices
  • Connecting with nature and taking action to protect it, and
  • Food growing and sustainable food.

To keep up to date with opportunities to attend free sustainability workshops and get involved, subscribe to Live Green eNews.

There are many ways to Live Green and be involved:

You can find even more things to see and do in the City by checking Council's events calendar

Hume City Council offers a range of programs and support to assist local schools and early childhood centres to engage students around sustainability and to create more sustainable learning environments.

To book educational incursions for your school or for more information, please contact the Sustainable Environment Department at environment@hume.vic.gov.au or call 9205 2200.

Volcano Dreaming
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Volcano Dreaming is a panoramic banner display consisting of twelve 1m x2m murals. The banners showcase the diverse wildflower grasslands of Victoria’s Western Plains. Each panel has a theme that represents an aspect of our native grasslands, and includes fascinating geological features, rich Aboriginal and European histories, and special native plants and animals of the basalt plains.
These grassland communities have been devastated since European colonisation. Today, less than 1% of the original extent of high-quality grassland communities remain. These unique Victorian ecological communities are listed as critically endangered under both federal and state environmental legislation.
Important places such as the Evans Street Grassland in Sunbury are here to help conserve and protect what little is left. Many remnant grasslands are dotted across Hume City's nature conservation reserves.

Your school, community group or organisation can borrow this beautiful exhibition from Hume City Council for free.

Notes about native grasslands and research links are available online on the volcano dreaming website.

Teacher notes and student worksheets are available from Ecolink in their program called Footprints.
Ecolink provides free apps (Apple devices only) of field guides of grassland flora and fauna, specifically of the VVP and South-eastern Australia.

Hume City Council can provide further educational support for local schools through Volcano Dreaming biodiversity incursions. In addition, Hume's Seedlings for Schools program, offers free indigenous seedlings.

For full impact the Volcano dreaming is best displayed as a straight line, semi-circle, or curved around the corners. For one person it takes 20-30 minutes to set up/pack-down the twelve panels.

For more information or to check the mural’s availability, contact Hume City’s Sustainability Engagement team on 9205 2200 or email environment@hume.vic.gov.au

To book the mural please fill out the booking form(PDF, 290KB).

Waste education

Council, in partnership with CERES education, provides a range of free waste and environmental education programs for schools, kindergartens and early learning centres. Further information can be found on the Waste Education page.

Biodiversity incursions

A range of biodiversity incursions and excursions are available. Incursions range from indigenous garden planting days, introduced species or threatened species activities, conservation and ecosystem-based activities, biodiversity audits and action planning, water quality monitoring and investigations, as well as indigenous cultural use of natural resources. 

Seedlings for Schools

All primary schools and secondary colleges located in Hume City can apply to receive free indigenous plants through Council’s Seedlings for Schools program. Schools can select to plant their seedlings on their school grounds in either Term 2 (May) or for Schools National Tree Day (July). For more information on what is provided and how to apply online, visit the Seedlings for Schools page.   

Schools can also use these seedlings to participate in Council’s Gardens for Wildlife program

Environmental scholarships

If one or more of your students is passionate about the environment and is keen to undertake additional learning, they could benefit from an Environmental Scholarship provided by Council. The scholarship can fund up to 80 per cent of environmental related course fees to a maximum of $1500 per eligible applicant. Further information on eligibility and how to apply is available on the Environmental Scholarships page

Support for environmental conferences and capacity building

Council regularly provides financial support for Hume schools to participate in environmental related conferences for students such as Australian Youth Climate Coalition events, Schools for Nature conferences and Kids Teaching Kids. 

We also support teacher education such as Bike Ed training.

Subscribe to our Teachers Environment Network to be kept informed, or contact the Sustainability Engagement Officer at environment@hume.vic.gov.au.   

ResourceSmart schools

The ResourceSmart Schools program is a Victorian state government initiative helping schools embed sustainability into their curriculum and school operations. Many Hume schools are involved in the program. To find out more visit Sustainability Victoria's ResourceSmart Schools web page.

There are many ways to live sustainably at home.

Watch a video below to learn simple ways to grow food at home or go explore on a virtual Indigenous food and fibre tour of The Nook, Sunbury. You can also read our energy efficiency tips and water efficiency tips to help reduce your households use and save money on your bills.  

 

 

 

 

If you are a teacher in Hume and interested in the environment, subscribe to our Teachers' Environment Network by emailing environment@hume.vic.gov.au.

The network offers:

  • Free professional development each term, providing teachers with new approaches to engage students on a range of sustainability topics.
  • A way to connect with other teachers and learn about local schools’ environmental initiatives.
  • Even if you can’t make it to all of our events, you will find the emails and information provided very useful.

CERES Sustainability Hub
The hub offers loads of teaching resources, inspiring stories on what other schools are doing and much more.

Cool Australia
A vast range of award-winning education for sustainability resources linked to the school curriculum.

Planet Ark
Loads of great resources for you to engage your school through National Recycling Week, Schools Tree Day and much more.

Ecolinc
A range of biodiversity-related activities available online and a free app to identify native grassland plants and animals, including curriculum materials for the Volcano Dreaming mural.

Yarra Valley Water student resources
A range of educational resources for schools for primary and secondary levels.

Melbourne Water learning resources and tours
Free educational resources focusing on water and the water cycle, Melbourne’s local waterways, and environmental conservation – for a variety of ages and learning formats. You can also book a guided tour to one of their sites. 

Australian Organic Schools
Access free, easy-to-use school garden resources suitable for primary and middle years throughout Australia.

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program
The SAKG program offers teaching resources to support the delivery of pleasurable food education in primary schools.

Environmental Education in Early Childhood
This not-for-profit organisation provides provides support, resources and professional development in relation to Education for Sustainability in the Early Years.

Environment Education Victoria
Environment Education Victoria (EEV) is the professional association of educators for sustainability. EEV promotes the development of environmental education and sustainable behaviour change.