Two local primary schools have achieved a bronze status in their journey as part of the Enviroschools programme.
Students and staff at Stratford and Toko schools were asked to reflect on their progress after participating in the programme since 2011 and to decide which of the three official enviroschools stages they were at.
Rachel Eckersley, who co-ordinates the Enviroschools programme in Taranaki, describes the two schools as having been exciting additions to the Enviroschools community in the area. "It has been really interesting to see two very different schools with two very different approaches to becoming more sustainable, but both demonstrating what it means to be a bronze Enviroschool.
Toko school principal Kim Waite says the school joined the programme at the end of 2011 because it wanted to educate children about their environment now and in the future.
"We had also just embarked on creating a heritage school orchard and felt the two worked well together.