Starting in term 3 this year, Pita Pit are making all their Ka Ora, Ka Ako healthy school lunches climate positive by
partnering with CarbonClick. This means that the emissions from the forecasted 600,000 school lunches for term 3 will be offset by investing in
environmental projects such as preserving and regrowing the Arawera native forest in Taranaki, NZ.
Through the Ka Ora, Ka Ako Healthy School Lunch Programme, Pita Pit is now providing more than 60,000 school lunches a
week to approximately 11,000 children at 50 schools across the country. Pita Pit takes a proactive climate-friendly
approach wherever it can by utilising recycled, compostable and biodegradable packaging for its meals and is now working
with CarbonClick to ensure the programme is climate positive.
CarbonClick has calculated the carbon footprint of the school lunches, which is an account of all the carbon emissions
generated in the production and distribution of the lunches. Pita Pit is double offsetting the carbon emissions of the
lunches to make them climate positive (they are a net good for the environment, rather than being a net harm or
neutral). The carbon footprint of the Pita Pit school lunches during term 3 will be 780 tonnes of carbon dioxide
equivalent (carbon), and Pita Pit will be offsetting 1,560 tonnes of carbon.
Duane Dalton, founder of Pita Pit NZ, says: “We love the fact that our Ka Ora, Ka Ako school menu provides kids with nutritious meals enabling them to be more
involved at school. And with CarbonClick we are also able to help protect their future through NZ reforestation and
renewable energy projects. It’s programmes like this that make our Pita Pit community very proud to be able to do what
we do for current and future generations.”
The offsets from Pita Pit’s school lunches will be invested in three projects that fight climate change, including
creating hot water with solar energy in Bangalore, India; supporting the creation of biogas generators that turn waste
into energy in Guizhou, China; and preserving and regrowing Arawera native forest in Taranaki, NZ. By working to restore
this forest, biodiversity is increased in the area, resulting in a healthier habitat for native insects, frogs, reptiles
and birds, while native tree species thrive. Because these trees are healthier, more carbon is taken out of the
atmosphere.
Dave Rouse, CEO CarbonClick, says: “Pita Pit has taken their environmental commitments to the next level with this programme. By selecting projects that
contribute to the betterment of our planet well beyond the company’s carbon footprint, they are taking a significant
step forward from a simple tick-box exercise to claim carbon neutrality. It’s genuine progress and we’re proud that
companies like Pita Pit are thinking of the next generations through investing in their health and the health of the
planet.”