English 
Sustainable development at Lycée Condorcet de Sydney
For several years now, LCS has been fully invested in its mission to educate students about sustainable development through a school plan, class projects and the involvement and initiatives of teachers, students and parents.
Our school is committed to perennial solutions in both the school’s infrastructure and in the children’s education. LCS also participates in the initiative, one of the world’s largest education programs for sustainable development. The program was created by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and the Australian branch is run by the Keep Australia Beautiful organisation. We are regularly involved in recycling projects with the help of local partners (Return and Earn, Terracycle) with the aim of promoting sustainable daily habits.
LCS Sydney
EFE3D
LCS is proud to have received the highest level of the AEFE sustainable development in schools label, EFE3D, ‘Établissement français à l’étranger en démarche de développement durable’.
The EFE3D label recognises French schools abroad that are committed to sustainable development, and is composed of 3 levels.
Waste Reduction
Our school ventures to create a positive environment that enables systematic recycling and combats waste in our canteen. We have also been granted the opportunity to participate in a pilot project for FOGO bins (Food Organics and Garden Organics) for organic waste to be composted. These bins are currently in place in the canteen and have led to a significant reduction in organic waste in the regular, non-recycling bins. We have also placed recycling bins in Elementary School classrooms and put out FOGO bins in the courtyards so that the children can use them during their breaks. Furthermore, our school has vowed to refrain from using single-use cups and bottles at events and meetings.
Reducing Energy Consumption
One of the school’s objectives is to reduce its energy consumption, a significant factor in the institution’s carbon footprint. As a result, more than half of the classrooms have recently had their insulation redone. To optimise the energy consumption of the buildings, solar panels have been added to the structure, achieving a production of 53% of “clean” electricity generated externally, making Lycée Condorcet a “100% green” institution.
Protecting Biodiversity
At LCS, we work actively to protect and to boost biodiversity. We have created a sensory garden on our grounds, as well as an insect hotel, and Toa, our gardener, plants herbs and vegetables which are used in preparing the meals in our canteen. Our aim is to give students the opportunity to partake in concrete activities here at school that help protect the environment. This is an ongoing process and we are constantly working on new ideas on how we can further reduce our carbon footprint.
Our Eco-Committees
In line with the recommendations of the French Ministry of National Education, our school works actively to combat global warming, protect the environment and conserve biodiversity, and has created a student Eco Committee, Eco-LCS.
Eco-LCS: Who are we?
The Eco-LCS committee consists of class representatives aged 5-17 who are accompanied by teachers and members of our administration team.
What is our mission?
The Eco-LCS committee’s mission is to promote behaviour and habits in class that are respectful of the environment, and to propose initiatives that contribute to the protection of our planet. Our eco-representatives act as links between their class and the school administration, ambassadors of change, decision makers and guarantors of the actions carried out.
We work to preserve biodiversity, limit energy and water consumption, and reduce and recycle waste.
Our eco-representatives meet regularly throughout the year to discuss possible measures to reduce our school’s carbon footprint, such as projects, events and improvements to our facilities. The delegates have also collaborated with the CVC and the CVL on sustainability projects and at round table meetings.
The Eco-Delegates of LCS recently had the honour of presenting their flagship projects to the Mayor of Randwick City Council, the Consul General of France in Sydney, and the Ambassador of France in Australia.
The Eco-Committee is a group of parents who care about the environment and want to improve the ecological footprint of our family, our school and our community. The committee was formed several years ago thanks to the enthusiasm, energy and commitment of our parent volunteers. Our parents have been the forerunners of the school’s environmental protection movement and, to this day, they remain key players in LCS’s ecological journey. The Eco-Committee is now a part of the LCS association “Parents and Friends”.
The aim of the Eco-Committee is to encourage eco-friendly habits, changes and projects, within the parents’ community by, on the one hand, helping our students carry out sustainability projects and, on the other, proposing project ideas to the school, all in order to promote sustainable development with our children’s future in mind. We also participate actively in zero-waste goals at events organised within the school such as the Christmas Market and the School Fair.
Since forming, the Eco-Committee has organised a number of events that have allowed our students to help protect the environment. For example, the students have helped the school to sort and recycle rubbish, they have organised beach clean-ups and Ride-2-School events, as well as selling second-hand books and uniforms. The funds from these events go directly to financing future ecological projects in the school.
We hope to continue adding to the events and projects in our school calendar. We are always happy to welcome new parents who have new ideas or would like to help carry out these projects. Do not hesitate to contact us and express your interest by emailing us at: eco.comite@condorcet.com.au.
LCS Sydney
Our Projects
- Regular canteen waste audits
- Bushcare initiatives with local council
- Solar powered lights sent to children in energy poverty
- Regular collection and sale of used books and uniforms
- Fundraiser for WWF
- Sustainability conference with local council and French Diplomatic Mission
- Clean-up days
- Primary school car-pooling
- Regular Ride2School days
- Primary school recycling information campaigns
- Installation of worm farm for canteen food scraps
- Ecological garden
- Recycling-themed dress-ups
LCS Eco-News
