Enviroschools mark sustainability successes

Northland is marking New Zealand’s first Enviroschools Action Celebration Week in a range of diverse ways from beekeeping to papermaking.


The Enviroschools programme is a network of schools and kura Maori committed to environmental learning, action and creating sustainable communities.


Northland Regional Enviroschools Co-ordinator Susan Karels says although the programme began in the mid-1990s, this week marks the first time participating schools have held a national week to celebrate their successes.


“Northland’s 40 Enviroschools are finding their own ways to mark this special week which runs from Saturday 20 to Sunday 28 March,” Mrs Karels (who is also an Environmental Education Officer with the Northland Regional Council) says.


“For example, Oturu School near Kaitaia is abuzz with ‘Bee Week’ plans. Students are packing honey from their school hives, making labels, working in their bee-food gardens and experimenting with adding honey and aloe vera to their successful kawakawa balm.”


Meanwhile, Whangarei’s St Francis Xavier Catholic School kicked off the week with a recent gala day featuring its paper-making enterprise - recycling envelopes from the school and parish office to make prayer cards and other paper products.


Kamo Primary, Tangowahine School and Whangarei Heads School are participating in an EcoHut Challenge judging day. The challenge involves students designing and building an ecological habitat on their school grounds that enhances all living things and expresses the culture of their local community.


“With such a broad range of innovative and successful projects active throughout the region, Northland certainly has a lot to celebrate.”


Mrs Karels says many Northland Enviroschools will also be participating in the ‘Positive Postcard Send-off’, in which students send postcards to share their successes with fellow Enviroschools participants.



“Enviroschools Action Celebration Week is all about acknowledging what we did, what we learned and what we created,” Mrs Karels says. “But, it’s also about having fun and sharing ideas that will lead us into new environmental learning and action.”