Council looks at input in Enviroschools

Horizons Regional Council PHOTO/FILE

Rangitikei District Council is considering funding schools to join Enviroschools.

The nationwide programme helps schools to learn about, and to adopt, sustainable practices with input from an Enviroschools facilitator.

Horizons Regional Council has approached RDC about supporting it within the district.

About 1000 schools are involved with Enviroschools throughout New Zealand but Bulls Kindergarten is only one officially involved in Rangitikei.

In September, Enviroschools organised a meeting with Rangitikei schools to discuss the programme. So far six have indicated interest in joining the programme. It would cost RDC an estimated $1000 per school involved to fund a facilitator, a report to the council's policy and planning committee said. If council voted to fund the programme, the money would come from its waste minimisation fund at the expense of other initiatives.

Clifton School in Bulls is one of the group interested in joining Enviroschools.

Principal Neill Gordon was supportive of the council's proposal.

"Anything that the council can do to support what we are doing in schools has to be a step in the right direction.

"That's why it's such a positive thing," he said.

Mr Gordon said his school already had a big focus on sustainability with recycling and gardening part of school life.

"All of those sort of things we do for tomorrow's generation really."

Mr Gordon said the cost to council would be worth it.

"It's in the council's interests to reduce the rubbish we're throwing away."

Hunterville School principal Stephen Lewis said it was an area of education he was keen to get into.

"I've seen other schools that are doing it really well," he said.

Mr Lewis said the funding would be something there should be no argument about.

Horizons sold its own mobile classroom - the Green Rig - last year after councillors voted to axe the environmental education tool because of the cost of running it.