Backyards day plants a green seed

Doing amazing things are Louie Atkinson, 20 months (left), Melanie Cameron, and Charli Curtis, 4, at the Tiaki Early Learning Centre. Photo / Stephen Parker

An early childhood centre collecting rainwater to water its vegetable garden, a marae community garden with more than 1000 kumara plants and a lifestyle property taking steps towards self sufficiency will all open their doors as part of a bid to get more people thinking about making their own gardens more sustainable.

The three organisations will take part in Sunday's Sustainable Backyards Open Day to show the rest of Rotorua what's possible.

Envirohub Bay of Plenty sustainable backyards connector Melanie Cameron said there were a lot of people who were passionate about sustainability and it was a case of joining the dots and linking up the different organisations.

It was important to get younger generations involved, she said.

"The biggest thing is capturing the youth and getting them interested. If they don't experience it when they are younger, it's much harder."

She said, while it was the 11th annual Sustainable Backyard Month, it's the first time this had happened in Rotorua.

Mrs Cameron said she'd love to see families head along - especially to visit Tiaki Early Learning Centre, which she described as doing some "amazing" things.

"It's just like it would have been 30 years ago on your grandparents' land."

She said she hoped the open day would encourage more people to look at what they could do in their own backyards, especially the unused parts of the sections.

"It's not necessarily hard work doing a vegetable garden."

The three were chosen because they were all quite different, with people able to head along to all or just one or two.

Sustainable Backyards Open Day, Sunday:

* Tiaki Early Learning Centre, Umukaria Rd, Hinemoa Point, 9am - 11am.

* Waiohewa Marae Community Garden, 16 Mataikotare Rd, Tikitere, 11am - 1pm,

* Lifestyle property at 85 Te Puea Rd, Tikitere, Rotorua, 1pm to 3pm.