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Enviroschools

Enviroschools  is a growing network of schools, early childhood centres and communities in New Zealand and internationally who want to make a positive difference to our environment.

The programme encourages children and young people to become catalysts for change.

Local facilitators work alongside students, teachers, whānau and communities to plan, design and implement sustainability actions across five key areas: Zero Waste, Water of Life, Energy, Ecological Building, and Living Landscapes.

The Buller District Council is a funding partner of Enviroschools West Coast, with the Toimata Foundation.

There are six Enviroschools in the Buller District, these are Granity School, St Canices, Reefton Area School, Karamea Area School, Sacred Heart Primary School and Reefton Early Learning Centre.

Overall, there are 19 Environschools in the West Coast, six in Buller, five in Grey, and eight in Westland. This is over a third of the total schools and early childhood centres in the region.

If you would like to keep up to date with the West Coast Enviroschools’ activities, you can sign up for their newsletter.

You can also check out the Enviroschools website.

You can read about the great mahi Enviroschools are doing in Buller in their 2024 Enviroschools Annual Report.

How the Enviroschools holistic reflection process works

For the Enviroschools Holistic Reflection Process there are three stages that reflect the deepening and broadening of the Enviroschools journey: Bronze, Silver and Green-Gold.

Holistic reflections are an opportunity for students, staff and the wider community to celebrate their mahi and inform the next steps of an Enviroschools journey.

A school's/kindergarten's first reflection stage is Bronze which some of our schools and ECEs have reached. 

Bronze indicates that:

  • Opportunities are identified
  • Laying foundations
  • Committed to the journey
  • Initial steps being taken

Bronze means mahi has started on getting to know our environment better and create a whole school vision.  

Silver shows that: 

  • Maintaining
  • Extending
  • Increasing range and depth of learning and action
  • Developing connections and integration
  • Projects and participants growing in number

Silver means everyone is working together creatively to make the vison happen.

Green-gold is the highest form of involvement and shows that: 

  • Embedded
  • Integrated
  • Sustained
  • Instinctive
  • Effective
  • Empowered
  • Deep
  • Critical
  • Visionary
  • Courageous.

Green gold means the vision is embedded into school life – it is a living, evolving school vision. New ideas are constantly being added and progress is celebrated.

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