They’re hard to miss. Eight Year 5 students clad in fluorescent yellow vests patrol the grounds and classrooms of a suburban primary school, seeking out environmental infractions – burning lights, unused equipment left running, air conditioners whirring in vacated classrooms.

They are Merrylands East Public School’s Carbon Cops, and they’re coming to a power switch near you. Principal John Goh said that wearing the yellow vest has become so popular that the school “turns the team over” halfway through the year so more students can be involved. The “cops” work in pairs, with each responsible for a particular school area.

“They know what to turn off and what to not turn off. And to show that even the principal is involved in saving energy, they’ll come in and flick my light off,” Mr Goh said.

Carbon Cops is just one initiative the school has undertaken over the past two years to reduce its carbon footprint and improve the whole school environment.

Mr Goh said the school had an aesthetically “hostile environment” when he was appointed principal in 2005. “There was a lot of asphalt, sloping grounds and clay. We developed a school environment management plan and we’ve turned the school around in terms of how it looks,” Mr Goh said.

The plan to “soften” the grounds included a native garden around the administration area and a memorial garden for a Kindergarten student who died in 2006. Four large water tanks, connected to an in ground irrigation system, were also installed.

The learning environment had not been neglected either with four interactive whiteboards purchased and whiteboards installed in each classroom.

Classrooms have been painted and air conditioning placed in classrooms and the library. However, the air conditioners had created a green problem for the school.

“We’re well aware that you’ve got to offset power if you’ve got all those air conditioners,” he said.

This led to the installation of 27 solar panels, with excess power returning to the school’s grid. Smaller initiatives have included getting rid of plastic bags and the purchase of recycling bins.

An unexpected result is an improvement in the students’ academic performances. About 80 per cent of the school’s 392 students are from non-English speaking backgrounds, with 10 per cent of the student population from refugee communities.

Mr Goh said the school’s Basic Skills Test (BST) results over the past few years were in part a reflection of the improved school environment.

In 2007, the school’s Year 3 BST reading results reached the state average and the Year 5 results in 2007 were high compared with the state average. “As the kids see you improving the school, they start feeling better about themselves,” Mr Goh said.

Especially the ones in the yellow vests!