Students reap benefits of green projects

An Enviroschools hui was held at Western Heights High School with students from three different schools sharing ideas about staying environmentally friendly.

Lynmore Primary School and Kaitao Middle School attended the hui on Friday witnessing a presentation by the Western Heights High School special needs students about their sustainability projects.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council community engagement adviser Sally-Anne Daniell said the special needs unit had done very well in recent years working with worm farms, selling worm juice and growing food in the gardens among other projects.

"We were learning about where your food comes from and the students were sharing ideas.

"We've been looking at what the students here are doing with their vege gardens and worm farms.

"They even have a windmill that lights a petanque course."

She said the event included about 30 students but she was disappointed more schools did not attend. Mrs Daniell said sustainable projects such as gardens were great because they produced fresh fruit and vegetables and helped the environment by cutting the transport and energy used in buying produce from the supermarket.

Western Heights High School special needs student Ethan McEwen, 18, said he really enjoyed the event.

"I like learning about how other schools use techniques for their gardens and then incorporate it into our own ideas."

He said they grew lettuces, strawberries, feijoas, lemons and rhubarb.

His classmate Nathaniel McKenna, 20, said having a sustainable garden had great perks.

"We make crumble with the rhubarb - it is really nice."

Lynmore Primary School student Ila Ford-Robertson, 10, said she liked the set up at the Western Heights High School Special Needs Unit.

"They have lots of gardens and, unlike a lot of schools, they care about what happens in the environment."

The hui is held twice a year. Fifteen Enviroschools in Rotorua support sustainability projects.