In Episode 4 of Energy Matters, we swapped solar panels for schoolyards as GoodWe took centre stage with its EcoSmart Kids program. Delivered from their eye-catching roadshow van, this educational initiative rolled into Victorian schools with one mission: Empower kids to tackle climate change through creativity and curiosity.
From hands-on workshops to a heartwarming awards ceremony, this program showed how the next generation is already brimming with brilliant ideas to protect our planet. With host James Treble presenting the 2024 EcoSmart Kids Awards and Roshan Ramnarain dropping into classrooms along the way, it was an episode that gave us all a bit of hope—and more than a few goosebumps.
Roshan headed to Courtenay Gardens Primary School in Cranbourne North, where the GoodWe EcoSmart Kids van had transformed learning into an interactive adventure. In the classroom, John Wright and Anie Kapadia from GoodWe introduced students to climate science, sustainability, and everyday actions that make a big difference.
The sessions were lively, practical, and packed with lightbulb moments. Students weren’t just taking notes—they were asking questions, sharing ideas, and preparing to enter the EcoSmart Kids competition.
This isn’t your typical colouring contest. Entries ranged from model eco-homes and pollution-fighting dioramas to songs, stories, and baked goods that delivered environmental messages. Every creation reflected a genuine understanding of what’s at stake—and how young Australians are rising to meet the challenge.
The program wrapped with the EcoSmart Kids Awards, held at the Melbourne Home Show. James Treble and GoodWe’s Hannah crowned the winners alongside an all-star judging panel:
Niva, from Courtenay Gardens Primary, took out the Grade 2–4 prize with a powerful diorama on pollution solutions. Violetta, from St Michael’s Grammar, won the Grade 5–6 category with a detailed eco-home—complete with solar lighting and a working wind turbine. Both walked away with $2,000 prize packs and a very shiny trophy. Other finalists received certificates and $500 prize bundles.
Dean Williamson praised the creativity and climate know-how on display, noting the potential of these young minds to drive change.
Launched in 2023, the GoodWe EcoSmart Kids program is designed to educate primary school children about climate change, renewable energy, and the power of individual action. It’s all about giving kids the knowledge—and the creative license—to build a more sustainable future.
In its first year, the program rolled out workshops in Victorian schools and wrapped with a championship-style awards event at the Melbourne Home Show. Off the back of that success, 2024 saw a major expansion: more schools, more students, and even more incredible ideas.
Nearly 2,000 students from Grades 2–6 took part across six schools in both regional and metro Victoria. New for 2024 was a partnership with Great Barrier Reef Legacy, bringing coral reef conservation into the mix. The result? A richer, more diverse curriculum that connected renewable energy to broader environmental themes.
Looking ahead, GoodWe has its eyes set on national—and even international—expansion. Because teaching kids about climate change doesn’t just prepare them for the future. It gives them the tools to shape it.
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