Enviroschools students to learn about climate change at hui

Enviroschools students to learn about climate change at hui

Dunedin (Thursday, 1 December 2016) – Dunedin school kids will spend a day walking and bussing around South Dunedin to learn about climate change at the annual Enviroschools Primary Hui.

40 staff and students from nine Dunedin primary schools will take part in the hui on Friday, 2 December. They will visit sites in South Dunedin to find out about climate change issues and how they can positively influence their future climate.

“Knowledge of climate change can be scary and debilitating for many people, which is why it’s so important to use the 20:80 rule. A 20% focus on what the issue is and 80% on the action we can take,” says Dunedin Enviroschools facilitator Anna Hughes.

Students will use maps and bus timetables to work out how to get to their allocated site. At the different sites, they will learn about groundwater and sea level rise, coastal erosion, methane production at the landfill, mud tanks and stormwater, civil defence and preparing for natural disasters, threatened marine mammals, and what Z Energy is doing to address sustainability.

“Some students may never have taken the bus or may have forgotten that it’s enjoyable and easy to walk to places that aren’t too far away. Learning about active and public transport will be one of the hui’s highlights,” says Ms Hughes.

Each group will make a poster about what they learnt to present at the end of the hui. Students will record the presentations to share with their school and community.

The ORC funds the Enviroschools programme regionally and the Dunedin City Council funds the programme for Dunedin city schools.

Schools that would like to find out more about the Enviroschools programme can contact Robyn Zink, the Enviroschools Coordinator based at the Otago Regional Council, for more information.

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