Transformative Enviroschools Energy flows at Ōwairaka
On International Children’s Day, over 130 Early Childhood Education sector representatives, school students, key teachers, principals and Council local board members gathered at Mt Albert War Memorial Hall for the annual Sustainable Schools Celebration event. Te Puna o Wairaka, Mount Albert Grammar School’s Yr10 kapa haka group led the mihi whakatau, opening the positive energy for shared learning. Standing proudly by displays of their work, students from 18 schools and ECE taught us about the action for the environment underway in their communities, and what it means to be an Enviroschool. Achievements and successes included predator control, building healthy soil, and increasing biodiversity within their school grounds, in local parks and on private land.
We welcomed local board elected members Jan Robinson from Papakura, Jess Rose from Waitākere Ranges, Dianna Fuka from Maungakiekie-Tāmaki and Christine Fletcher from Albert-Eden.
Environmental Services graduate Lucia Giacon’s opening address inspired the crowd to make a difference with personal, family, school and community wide climate action.
Lynfield College’s mission is to get more students to use low carbon transport to get to and from school, an initiative in collaboration with AT and funded through the Council’s Mana Ora Youth Resilience programme.
Everyone was there to share and learn from the success of schools and early childhood centres who collectively contribute enormously to positive environmental outcomes for Tāmaki Makaurau. This was a great opportunity to introduce new local board members to the mahi of the Sustainable Schools team and how we connect schools to opportunities for environmental action, including waste minimisation and low carbon opportunities within communities such as Bike Hubs.
Activities for the students followed an energy theme and included the:
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