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Mayor leads praise for top 'enviroschool'
May 11, 2005
Mayor leads praise for top 'enviroschool'
A North Shore City school is being praised by the local mayor for its commitment to environmental initiatives.
On Friday (May 13) the country's Prime Minister, Helen Clark, will present Birkenhead's Verran Primary School with the prestigious Green-Gold Enviroschools Award in recognition of its work to integrate environmental learning and action into all aspects of school life.
"This is a fantastic achievement by a school which has gone from strength to strength since being chosen to pilot the national enviroschools programme back in 2001," says North Shore City Mayor George Wood.
"The fact that the Prime Minister is presenting the award on Friday is testimony to the outstanding work of Verran Primary. We're delighted but not surprised that they are receiving this award because they have long been highlighted across the country as an outstanding example of a school working towards creating a sustainable, peaceful and healthy environment.
"They are also a great example for how councils and schools can work in partnership to achieve better environmental outcomes for the city," he says.
North Shore City Council has been committed to the national enviroschools programme since 2001 and is currently funding four other local schools to take the lead from Verran.
"We're funding three new Enviroschools each year and the positions are highly prized among North Shore schools," says the council's environmental programmes co-ordinator, Trish Kirkland-Smith.
"The funding provides for a skilled facilitator to work with each school for three years and support them in reducing waste, conserving energy and water, protecting and enhancing their natural environment, and putting in place long-term sustainability programmes, such as 'green' purchasing.
"With the aim of having a third of North Shore City's primary and intermediate schools in the Enviroschools programme by 2010, we have a really good chance of making a significant impact on our city's environment for the benefit of the whole community," she says.
ENDS
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