Press Release for immediate reading. 11th July 2008
Event Date: 1st August 2008
Use Your Brain, Harvest the Rain
“This is so smart, we should start” says student Jayna Parbhu. And so they did, ‘Use your Brain, Harvest the Rain’is the
slogan devised by Year 10 students to promote respect for our globally stretched water supplies.
Wellington East Girls’ College students are launching a project to harvest a free resource; rain.
Until now the rain has literally gone right down the drain. Not any more at Wellington East Girls’ College. Now
harvested in tanks, the rain will be used for emergency water supplies, to water gardens in times of drought and will
ultimately be part of the school’s for toilet plumbing system. Why pour treated water down the toilet if you don’t have
to?
But the weather’s so bad here we don’t need to! Or do we? The WCC has signalled that water use is an issue of rising
concern for the region in the Draft District Plan 2007/8. The reasons for concern are two fold; we live in a land of
plenty, so consequently waste water. Our population is expected to continue to rise, whereas our water containment
capacity is not.
Rain Water Harvesting is a solution to this problem. The girls want to spread the word. Can you help?
Come to a Project Launch at Wellington East Girls’ College Library 1st August 2pm.
Support for the project has been immense. Businesses have donated tanks and materials, experts have taught the students
how to test and manage the untreated water supply.
Learning on this issue has been cross curricula, through both Science and Social Studies. Students have looked at water
management issues globally, nationally and locally. Teachers are using the new curriculum and students are developing
their enterprising attributes.
The school has used a Trade & Enterprise E4E grant to facilitate this learning and action based projec
For further information & to reserve a place at the Project Launch 1st August 2008, email kathryn.hutchinson[at]wegc.school.nz by 24th July 2008
ENDS