Our environmental champions 2009
The region’s top environmental schools, businesses, consent holders and community groups were honoured tonight with groups from the Hutt Valley, Wellington and Kapiti Coast sharing the spoils.
The 2009 winners are:
- Waikanae Estuary Care Group (Rata Community Partnership Award)
- Peter Reimann, Trelissick Park Group chairman (Community Environmental Leadership Award)
- Booker~Spalding (Business Environmental Leadership Award)
- Wellington City New World (Green Business Award)
- Owhiro Bay School (Meridian School Sustainable Project Award)
- Rowena Johnstone, teacher at Owhiro Bay School (Meridian School Environmental Leadership Award)
- Alsco Wellington (Environmental Protection Award)
- HP Contractors (Nikau Compliance Award)
Merit awards go to:
- Greytown School Kauri Syndicate (Meridian School Sustainable Project Award)
- Kenakena School Enviro Club (Meridian School Sustainable Project Award), and
- Duncan Lints, teacher at Hutt Intermediate School (Meridian School Environmental Leadership Award)
(More information about each of the winners follows below)
Greater Wellington's Environmental Awards honour the community groups, schools and consent holders working with the Council to improve the region's environment.
Greater Wellington Regional Chair Fran Wilde said the awards were about giving back to the people helping Greater Wellington to protect the region’s environment and make it a better place to live.
“This is the third year we’ve run our awards and once again the standard of entries was high so the judges had to make some tough decisions.
“All the groups who have participated in our awards this year are doing a fantastic job in protecting and enhancing our region’s environment. We all owe them a debt of gratitude because they are out front setting an example that everybody in time will come to appreciate.”
Greater Wellington Environmental Awards – 2009 winners
Waikanae Estuary Care Group (Rata Community Partnership Award)
Waikanae Estuary Care Group’s progress in restoring the Waikanae Estuary Scientific Reserve is laying the groundwork for the group’s vision of a native bird corridor from Kapiti Island to the Tararuas. Since 2004 the group has planted over 25,000 native trees and progressively eliminated weeds to return the area closer to its pre European vegetation. The group has its own shade house and also supervises the planting of suitable native plants by local schools. Detailed planning and a commitment to monitoring and following through are strong features of the group’s work. Members are hardworking and highly skilled - they know what works well in their area and have been able to assist local schools in their own efforts.
Peter Reimann, Trelissick Park Group (Community Environmental Leadership Award)
Despite a humble and almost retiring personality, Peter Reimann has a steely determination to get the job done. He’s been instrumental in restoration work in Trelissick Park; he has an expert eye and inspires and encourages all those he works with
Despite wearing many hats, Peter’s primary focus is on achieving the environmental goals in Trelissick Park’s Five Year Restoration Plan – planting streamsides, removing weeds, pest animal control, and planting fast-growing species to suppress weed regrowth – and huge progress is being made.
Owhiro Bay School (Meridian School Sustainable Project Award)
Over four years students at Owhiro Bay School have transformed a weed-rich wasteland bordering Owhiro Stream into an attractive environment with native trees and shrubs for all to enjoy.
The project has become a focus for environmental sustainability in the school and pupils have planned, researched and designed its development themselves - removing loads of rubbish, planting and mulching native trees, and identifying possibilities for the next steps in the project. The students understand environmental issues and are empowered to take ownership of the issues and take on leadership roles.
Rowena Johnstone, teacher, Owhiro Bay School (Meridian School Environmental Leadership Award)
Rowena Johnstone has been instrumental in the transformation of environmental education for sustainability into a whole school initiative at Owhiro Bay School.
Rowena has empowered students to take the initiative in their own learning and actions; and not surprisingly there is a high level of student ownership, leadership and involvement throughout the school. She has the confidence in her teaching to let students lead their learning - identifying the projects that they wish to undertake and sharing their learning with fellow students.
Alsco Wellington (Environmental Protection Award)
As the only commercial laundry operation in a street surrounded by residential housing Alsco Wellington has had to contend with a number of environmental issues – among them noise and building shaking from its machinery and wind blown lint on neighbour’s properties. Alsco has found simple but effective solutions to these issues – alleviating noise and shaking problems and lint discharge by innovatively using new equipment and installing a mechanical shaker screen to reduce trade waste costs. The judges were impressed by Alsco’s commitment to find solutions that have improved its environmental performance.
HP Contractors, Nikau Compliance Award
Under site manager Joe Potter HP Contractors have implemented and maintained erosion, sediment and slash control measures above and beyond consent requirements. Operating at their Fernhill Forest site near Pauatahanui Inlet and surrounded by sensitive streams, Joe takes his environmental responsibilities seriously. His crew received environmental training before commencing works, and Joe visits the site during heavy rainfall to ensure that erosion and sediment control measures work effectively. Site audits show that HP Contractors is continually meeting consent requirements that are the toughest of any forestry site in the region. The judges were impressed by Joe’s attention to detail, site management and his crew’s awareness of environmental issues.
Booker~Spalding, Business Environmental Leadership Award
Since 2006 Wellington clothing manufacturer Booker~Spalding has reduced water use, electricity use, waste and fuel, as well as achieved Enviro-Mark®NZ Gold and it’s continuing to look for ways to reduce its environmental footprint. The company demonstrates its environmental commitment is demonstrated in numerous ways – recycling, waste reduction, energy efficiency and by reducing transport costs. And it’s also raised environmental awareness among staff, suppliers and customers.
The judges noted the company’s commitment to social responsibility – demonstrated through sponsorship of tracksuits and raincoats for children at lower decile schools plus support for the Capital E National Children’s Touring Theatre.
Wellington City New World, Green Business Award
Since joining the eMission programme Wellington City New World is working smarter, saving money, helping to protect the environment and walking the talk for its customers. Impressive progress has been made in reducing waste, energy and water use, with energy costs down about $2,000 a month and a 2.5 tonne per month reduction of waste in the compactor.
The supermarket runs an extensive recycling programme including cardboard, plastic, paper, polystyrene, fluorescent tubes – averaging 100 tubes every two months - and glass bottle and aluminium.
Winners receive a certificate, a native tree and a prize of $500 towards their environmental projects.
Merit Awards – Meridian School Sustainable Project Award
Greytown School Kauri Syndicate
Greytown School’s Kauri Syndicate are helping to restore local Papawai Stream, and they’ve started work on a project to transform North Creek a concreted stream running through the school grounds.Students are learning key skills – identifying what’s need to keep waterways safe, how to investigate issues in the natural environment and take action about them and understanding the impact of human influences on their local environment. They are learning about taking leadership of a project, communication and cooperation with external groups.
Kenakena School Enviro Club
Kenakena School’s Enviro Club of year 7 and 8 students is involved in a wide range of activities: seed collection, managing a vegetable garden, composting, worm farming, establishing native plant areas, and school recycling systems. They also use the club shade house to grow on plants for the Waikanae Estuary Care Group and help that group with mulching and releasing plants at the estuary. Club projects are student-owned and driven and hands-on. The sheer number of projects within the school grounds demonstrates the enthusiasm and engagement of the students and their perseverance in seeing projects through.
Merit Award – Meridian School Environmental Leadership Award
Duncan Lints, Hutt Intermediate School
Duncan has been instrumental in linking education for sustainability practices into the school curriculum and in setting up the School Greenie Group.
This ever-expanding group led by Duncan currently comprises 97 children working on recycling, gardening, communication and environmental art. The group’s garden showcases the school’s efforts to reduce waste, recycle, use water efficiently and produce fruit and vegetables for sale. The demand by students to be part of the School Greenie Group is a testament to its success and to Duncan’s unwavering enthusiasm for making things happen.
See www.gw.govt.nz/environmentalawards for more information about Greater Wellington's environmental awards.