5 June 2008

Media release

Waitakere celebrates World Environment Day with two Green Ribbon Awards

Waitakere City has celebrated World Environment Day with two Green Ribbon Awards from the Ministry for the Environment.

Waitakere Central - the civic centre and transport interchange - won its 11th major award by taking out the Green Ribbon Award for Urban Sustainability, while Te Piataata Trust received the "Community action for the environment - young people" Green Ribbon for its work in engaging young people in Waitakere's Project Twin Streams.

The awards were announced by Minister for the Environment, Trevor Mallard, and Prime Minister Helen Clark.

Prime Minister Clark also travelled to Waitakere last night (4 June) to help the city celebrate the passing of the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act to protect the Waitakere Ranges.

The Green Ribbon judges agreed that Waitakere City Council has made an outstanding contribution to urban sustainability culminating - to date - in the Waitakere Central development in Henderson.

The Waitakere Central building was designed on sustainability principles, using the council's own Better Building Code for the design brief.

The judges were also impressed with the efforts of Te Piataata Trust, which has actively engaged rangatahi (young people) in Project Twin Streams since 2005.

Since 2005, rangatahi have been actively involved in Project Twin Streams, devoting four hours a week to restoring the banks of the Swanson Stream.

They have adopted significant areas of the stream banks, which they have transformed from being weed-infested, over-grown and strewn with rubbish, to being planted with eco-sourced native plants and well cared for.

Rangatahi have been involved in all aspects of restoration from site preparation, crown-lifting, planting, weeding and on-going maintenance.

Te Piataata also participates positively in other Project Twin Streams activities, including supporting community planting days and talking to overseas and national visitors - including the Minister for Climate Change, David Parker - about the project and showing them the extent of the project from their perspective.

ENDS

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