Increasing number of Enviroschools in Whanganui for sustainable future

Whanganui Girls' College students Hazel Engert-Rodgers (left) Tilda Donson and Alexandra Frericks with the school's star-shaped garden. Photo / Supplied

The best way forward for schools is to become more sustainable.

That's the view of Whanganui Girls' College Enviroschool co-head teacher Sandra Friedel.

"Sustainability has actually been a requirement in the national curriculum since the 1970s, and Enviroschools can really say they're fulfilling that," Friedel said.

The Enviroschools programme is a Horizons Regional Council initiative to support schools to develop, grow and deepen their sustainability practices by engaging in a range of environmental sustainability actions.

Whanganui Girls' College is one of 15 Enviroschools in Whanganui, up from four in 2013.

Friedel said to become an Enviroschool, which they did in 2018, the school had to create a "sustainable vision".

"The vision had to cover the five underlining guiding principles for Ecoschools - sustainable communities, empowered students, learning for sustainability, Māori perspectives and respect for the diversity of people and cultures.

"You need to show you're making progress in those areas all of the time."

She said being an Enviroschool made staff work more collaboratively and think more about how they could do things in more sustainable ways.

Friedel said as the actions were all student-led, students were becoming more aware of how to live in more sustainable ways.

"They are much less wasteful. We're still working to get everyone on board, but it's a growing thing."

Friedel said other actions included students taking home seedlings from the school's garden, serving all meals in crockery as opposed to disposable containers, and only using recycled paper in the school's photocopiers.

Enviroschool Brunswick School pupils with a vegetable harvest. Photo / Supplied

She said the school was also involved with Sustainable Coastlines, a nationwide initiative to reduce litter.

As part of this, the school had a designated 100m by 20m area at North Mole which students visited four times a year to clear all the rubbish, she said.

"The students also want to start school competitions and have environmental speakers come to the school."

Horizons environmental educator and Enviroschools regional leader Sarah Williams said the requirement for a school or early childhood centre to join the programme was a formal commitment from the school to developing a long-term journey of sustainability.

Williams said this could include incorporating zero waste practices, kai/food production, biodiversity and biosecurity, water health and conservation.

As of last week, there are officially 100 Enviroschools in the Horizons region, with Kākātahi School on the Parapara being named the 100th.

Of the 100 Enviroschools, 15 are in Whanganui, 15 are in Rangitīkei and nine are in Ruapehu.

Williams said when she started her role six years ago there were 43 Enviroschools in the region.

Through the programme, students could gain leadership skills and experience in planning projects and assessing whether their projects were working, she said.

"It's not that students wouldn't get these things at a non-Enviroschool but through Enviroschools, schools have a genuine commitment to supporting its tamariki in developing sustainability practices.

"Ultimately they come away with sustainability practices which eventually become second nature so that when they leave school they are mindful of sustainability and how their actions can impact the environment and how they can minimise these while living their lives."

She said it was about empowering young people to take action on what was important to them.

"So every Enviroschool is different because it's a framework which they fit around what they do, not a prescribed programme."

Each Enviroschool has a facilitator, hired by Horizons and district councils, who helps support and guide the schools to achieve their sustainability goals.

"The facilitator is a crucial part of the programme and this is what our partnerships with each council predominantly pay for."

When new Enviroschools joined the programme, most were already doing sustainability initiatives, such as recycling or having vegetable gardens, and wanted to join a programme because it added value by going deeper in their learning and action with their tamariki.

Whanganui District Council has liaised with the Horizons' Enviroschools co-ordinator to work with schools on waste minimisation and water conservation.

It has provided Enviroschools with recycling and compost bins as well as worm farms and has funded educators to deliver zero waste education and services.

The council's infrastructure team has worked with Horizons to provide the Kura Kaitiaki programme, a collaborative programme teaching the concepts of water conservation and environmental action.

Funding comes from the council's waste minimisation fund, which is allocated by central government (derived from levies charged for waste taken to landfills). The cost for Enviroschool waste education is about $15,000 to $20,000 a year.

The council also funds about $15,000 a year for the Kura Kaitiaki water conservation programme.

"It's an important initiative for us to support because it provides education from early childhood right through to secondary on how best to use and conserve water," council senior engineering officer Dave Rudolph said.

"Enviroschools complement the council's water conservation and wider environmental initiatives. The Enviroschools programme is tremendous for our district as it helps our young people understand environmental issues and make informed decisions."

Waste adviser Stuart Hylton said the council delivered waste minimisation services to any interested schools.

"However, schools that have signed on as Enviroschools have the benefit of being supported by Horizons Regional Council's Enviroschools co-ordinator. The Enviroschools programme is great to support because it gives students hands-on experience and empowers them to get involved with waste minimisation activities."