Over three days from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 July, Sustainable Coastlines teamed-up with student group SIFE Waikato for a huge tree planting effort around Lake Okoroire — a site of top-ten ecological significance in the South Waikato. 25 volunteers came together to plant 3,200 native trees around the small lake: a good start to the 20,000 plants that eventually will surround this site.

So why is this different from other volunteer planting days? This lake and the land surrounding it are on private farmland. This activity was just one part of an ambitious new project — The Ripple Effect — that aims to link volunteer hours with farmers in the Waikato, joining forces to fence, weed and plant out riparian strips on their land and improve water quality for all. The project will also help to improve native biodiversity and encourage the return of native birds and frogs to the region.

If you’d like to take part in an event like this, contact us today.

Saturday 15 September is International Coastal Clean-up Day: an event when millions of good folk around the world roll up their sleeves and head to the beach to give back to the coastlines we all love.

Be a part of this epic occasion and join our clean-ups on Auckland’s West Coast. With the help of some fantastic volunteer troops we’ll have event bases at Piha, Anawhata, Bethells Beach, Maori Bay, Muriwai (South) and Muriwai (Rimmers Road) from 11am to 3pm on Saturday 15 September.

See map of all meeting points here and when you get there, look for our big blue flags. We’ll have sacks and gloves for all, so just turn up and you’ll be ready to go.

Cheers to Craig Levers from PhotoCPL for the epic photo for our posters!

From Monday 16 July to Friday 28 September 2012 we are offering free educational presentations to all schools in the Auckland region and we would like to invite your school to take part.

Presentations are available to every school in the Auckland region but places are limited so please register now to secure your school’s participation.

Since 2008, we have motivated 19,828 people to remove 818,033 litres of rubbish (more than half the volume of concrete in the Sky Tower) from the coast and delivered educational presentations to 27,172 school students with exceptional results (see below for testimonials).

Our experienced presenters will use imagery, short films and interact with the students to build an understanding about the challenges of marine debris and motivate them to work hands on to look after their local stretch of coastline.

We are also happy to coordinate a practical beach clean-up activity for your school. This is not compulsory to receive a presentation, but from past experience it has proven to be an excellent and enjoyable way for students to participate in inquiry-based learning and reinforce the educational message of the program.

We provide (at no cost):

• All equipment required (gloves, sacks, first aid kits, hi-vis vests for leaders and a ROSA audited health and safety plan).
• Student consent forms: Click here to download our student consent form.
• Risk Analysis and Management System (RAMS) information: Click here to download relevant information.
• Resources for ongoing learning (including detailed results of rubbish removed, data collection sheets, short films and presentations).
• Mention of your school’s involvement on our website and email newsletter.

What you need to do:

Please register now if you would like your school to be a part of this fantastic activity. We will reply promptly to confirm your involvement and make further arrangements with your school. For more information, please contact us on 09 948 8454 or email [email protected]

Background

Through the dozens of clean-up activities we have coordinated around Auckland over the last three years, we have found that both the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours, along with the many streams and tributaries that lead into them, are some of the most polluted stretches of coastline in the country.

After counting, weighing and categorizing the rubbish collected at our clean-ups we have identified that much of what is found on Auckland’s coastlines originates from land, largely a result of individual littering behaviour. Our presentations have proven very effective in the past: in two years our team has presented to nearly 30,000 students of all ages, with exceptional results.

Register now if you would like your school to be a part of this great event. We will be in touch to confirm your involvement and make further arrangements with your school.

Find out more

For any questions or further detail, contact Project Manager Ryley Webster on [email protected], or call our office on 09 948 8454.

Testimonials

“Thanks for a great day! (Your staff) were fantastic presenters and have enthused the staff and students. I was on duty at lunchtime and had senior students running around collecting rubbish from every nook and cranky of the school. They ended up collecting 4 grocery (plastic) bags worth and displayed a great sense of achievement. I also bumped into a group of boys who I assume were pretending to be trash superheroes, one boy rounded the corner yelling ‘Reduce, reuse, recycle!’ I wandered into the staffroom after duty and became engaged in a great discussion about ‘trash’ with the staff and started talking about the next steps for our school in relation to becoming a sustainable community. It is wonderful to have the momentum lifted in this area.”
Emma McFadyen, Makauri School, Gisborne, 2011

“It was really neat for the children to have the opportunity to see all the rubbish and have to think about where it all came from and how it got there. They say they will now think more carefully about what they throw away.”
Emma Bell, Flat Bush School, Auckland, 2011

“Your presentation was excellent and made a big impact on the children”
Kaye Gilman, Paraparaumu Beach School, 2011

“I loved the presentation that you gave. It was so cool to learn so much especially as I didn’t know about all the rubbish so you have taught me so much. Thank you!!”
Katana – Year 7, Te Aroha Primary School, East Cape, 2011

“You guys gave us a message to not throw rubbish around our school and now our whole school has changed. Thank you for teaching our school”
Sandra – Year 6, Te Aroha Primary School, East Cape, 2011

“Your talk really changed the way I feel about rubbish and polluting… Keep it up, you’re making a real difference!”
Krystabelle – Year 8, Northcote Intermediate School, Auckland, 2012

“(Your presenter) had the children engaged by having engaging visual and audio images…inspired the children…(was) well organised and used his time with us perfectly…(the) information was relevant and meaningful…used visual technology to stimulate and motivate the children…The children loved it! And so did the teachers! We would unreservedly recommend the programme to other schools.“
Vauxhall School Staff, Auckland, 2012

Sustainable Coastlines and Sony New Zealand are teaming up to give the beautiful coastlines of Motuihe Island a spring clean. We would like to invite you to come along to this fantastic event. Limited spaces for volunteers are available, so please register now to secure your space.

To register, just fill out your details on our registration form.

The event is being provided through the generous support of Sony New Zealand and includes ferry transfers and lunch. Spaces are available on a first in, first served basis until the 360 Discoveries ferry is filled up, so get in quick to secure your spot!

Your spot will be confirmed by email after registrations are in. Meeting time is 9.30am at Pier 4 at the Downtown Auckland Ferry Terminal, for a 10.00am departure. We will return from Motuihe Island for a 4.15pm arrival back in Auckland City.

Participants need to bring:

• Sturdy shoes: Motuihe Island has some challenging coastal terrain with rocks that can be sharp, loose and slippery. You’ll need closed-toe, sturdy shoes (such as sneakers, sports shoes or tramping boots)
• Warm and waterproof clothes: NZ weather is unpredictable, especially during winter. Bring at least one warm top (ideally old woolen) and a rain jacket
• Sun hat and sun cream
• Reusable water bottle (filled-up – there is very limited access to drinking water on the island)
• Camera (optional) – this is a unique and beautiful location and we would love to see your photos after the event!

Background

Sustainable Coastlines is a New Zealand-based charity group that coordinates and supports large-scale coastal clean-up events, educational programs, public awareness campaigns, riparian planting activities and other projects aimed at looking after coastlines around Aotearoa and the Pacific.

In 2010 Sustainable Coastlines worked with other New Zealand non-profits to launch Love your Coast: an ongoing resource to help people around the world learn how to look after the coastlines we all love. Through the project website, www.loveyourcoast.org, anyone can learn more about the issues affecting our coastlines, find events, create their own clean-up and share their results for free. The project informs and motivates communities to look after their local environment through simple, hands-on solutions.

From 22 October to 11 November 2012, representatives from Sustainable Coastlines worked alongside the Cook Islands National Environment Service to deliver the Love your Coast Rarotonga: Education and Clean-up Tour. This three-week project was an introduction to ‘Love your Coast’ in the Cook Islands: raising awareness about the effects of littering on the marine environment and assessing the community need and capacity for the ongoing delivery of this important message.

Key objectives

• Spread awareness messaging on the effects of litter in the marine environment and motivate people to take action.
• Establish the need and capacity for the ongoing delivery of litter awareness messaging.
• Find and train existing and potential leaders in educational roles in the delivery of the Love your Coast litter awareness presentation for ongoing dissemination of this message.
• Share resources and expertise for educating communities on the effects of litter in the marine environment and generally for pro-environmental behavioural change.
• Develop and improve educational content, establish key contacts and consider initial plans to extend a similar project around other groups in the Cook Islands.
• Gain an overview of the waste management systems currently in place in the Cook Islands, the work going on in this space, and identify opportunities for incorporating locally-relevant waste minimisation education into awareness messaging.
• Introduce ‘Love your Coast’ to the Cook Islands National Environment Service, schools and other community groups.

Findings

Single-use plastic problem

Over the course of the tour 527 volunteers were motivated to remove 5,680 litres / 713 kilograms of rubbish from local coastlines. In total nearly 20,000 individual items of rubbish were picked-up, including 2,196 plastic bags, 2,250 food wrappers or containers, and 1,065 plastic bottles. Single-use, disposable plastic products made up over 66% of the items found: evidence that echoes the educational message about reducing dependence on these products that was delivered during the tour. These findings provide a strong rationale for the great work the Cook Islands government is already doing to phase out the import of single-use plastic products such as plastic bags.

Strong educational results

The Love your Coast awareness presentation was delivered to 817 people in Rarotonga, mainly school students. This presentation was a locally tailored version of a presentation that has been delivered to over 67,000 people around the Pacific in the last three and a half years. Through surveys of the school students that attended*, it is evident that the Love your Coast presentation was both enjoyable and impactful, with students indicating good retention of information and positive behavioural intent:

• 78% liked the presentation “A lot”
• 86% understood “Everything” or “Most” of the presentation.
• 78% learned “A lot” from the films and photos showed.
• 89% said they would talk to others about looking after their rubbish.
• 57% said the presentation made them want to clean-up the beach “A lot”.
• 82% said that following the presentation, they want to “Tell other people not to drop rubbish”.
• 73% said that following the presentation, they want to “Use less plastic”.

*Figures are from surveys returned from 174 students at time of publication.

Ongoing need for improved waste behaviour

Despite a modern waste management system including an engineered and lined landfill, recently upgraded recycling centre and free weekly collection service for rubbish and recycling, litter problems and poor waste disposal practices are still evident. Rubbish burning and littering is frequently witnessed around the island and laws against these actions are rarely enforced. A recent audit of the landfill showed that 67.5% of materials could have been diverted through recycling or composting: a statistic that contributes to current estimates that a new landfill will be needed in seven years.

Need for ongoing clean-ups

This project built on the success of September’s second annual Rarotonga Rubbish Round-up, an event that is set to continue under the leadership of the National Environment Service. It is clear that coastal clean-ups are a well-established community activity and will continue to be so in the foreseeable future. The volumes of rubbish collected in the small number of clean-up activities during this tour, such a short time after September’s clean-up events, indicate an ongoing community need for these activities.

Further awareness resources needed

The core message of this tour was to raise awareness of the effects of rubbish on our marine environment and simple solutions to address it.

While a number of educational materials currently exist for waste education in the Cook Islands, few cover the effects of litter in the marine environment. It was also evident that further resources are required to deliver and spread the educational message. During the Rarotonga Rubbish Round-up, for example, resources were not available to provide participating schools with an educational background to the clean-up activity.

Project participants – including teachers, principals and community group leaders — expressed enthusiasm for both digital and printed versions of Love your Coast awareness resources.

Digital versions of these were supplied to National Environment Service, Creative Centre, Avatea Primary School, Nukutere College, Titikaveka College, Takitumu Primary School, Te Uki Ou School, Creative Centre, WATSAN, Muri Environment Care Group, Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative, and Aitutaki Conservation Trust.

Media willing to assist in educating the community

Significant media attention was received throughout the project, with two features on national television, interviews on two radio stations and extensive coverage in the national daily newspaper Cook Islands News.

This coverage extended the reach of the awareness message far beyond the participants who engaged directly, creating a large launch and providing a strong precedent to help secure future project sponsorship opportunities.

Prior to the completion of the tour, a number of short awareness spots were recorded in partnership with Matariki FM, a popular Rarotonga-wide radio station. There are plans to translate these into Cook Islands Maori and air them on an ongoing basis. Plans are also in place, pending availability of funds to cover costs, to install signage alongside the main road in Avarua to further promote the Love your Coast message. Several groups advised that there would be a strong opportunity for government funded and/or pro-bono media space available for a video-based litter awareness message on national television, an indication that provides a strong justification for the production of such a resource.

Live entertainment an important incentive

A number of contacts indicated that a free, all ages musical celebration, would be a highly effective way of rewarding project participants and incentivizing involvement. This mix of entertainment, fun and education has proven to be successful in past projects and helps to position Love your Coast activities as desirable rather than a community service or obligation. Initial discussions regarding such a celebration alongside Friday 9 November’s Tiki Taane & Shapeshifter concert had to be abandoned due to a change in concert venue outside of the control of Sustainable Coastlines. Other incentives discussed include providing Love your Coast t-shirts and/or reusable water bottles to key supporters. These concepts are both effective means of promoting a positive environmental message on a long-term basis.

Educational and community leaders key contacts

Leaders of educational institutions, NGOs and villages around Rarotonga proved to be the most receptive to the Love your Coast project. They responded to and engaged with awareness, coastal clean-up and data collection activities throughout the project and showed enthusiasm for future involvement. Some progress was made in training leaders to deliver awareness materials on an ongoing basis and all such leaders were provided with resources to learn more.

Timing of events & program is of critical importance

Timing for this part of the project occurred in alignment with a Friday 9 November concert held by popular band Shapeshifter as a fundraiser for Sustainable Coastlines. This assisted the charity to cover essential logistical costs, but also reduced the lead-in time for the program. We have identified that with a longer lead-in time that engagement levels would increase and make the project even more successful. Similar future projects would look further into the most appropriate timing to allow the largest possible community involvement and most effective awareness message. Initial discussions regarding a similar project in the future indicate that it would be most effective to align timings with those of Lagoon Day, National Environment Week, Constitution Week and/or the lead-up to the Rubbish Round-up.

Strong support from a variety of sectors promising for future

Sustainable Coastlines received support from a wide variety of organisations and people in the project. Assistance came from government, businesses (through sponsorship of accommodation, car hire and assistance on the ground), schools, and non-government organisations. This indicates strong opportunities to engage with and build the capacity of a great variety of people in the Cook Islands through future Love your Coast work.

Conclusion & Future Opportunities

The Love your Coast Rarotonga: Education and Clean-up Tour was conducted as a pilot study to gauge opportunities for ongoing work in the Cook Islands and other areas of the Pacific. Aside from the aforementioned objectives, this project was positioned as an educational follow-on from September’s Rarotonga Rubbish Round-up and was aligned to meet several objectives of the Cook Islands environmental theme for 2012 “Taau Taku Tita — Taking Action Against Waste 2012”.

The project found an evident ongoing community need for improved waste behaviours, coastal clean-up activities and litter awareness work in Rarotonga. A strong opportunity exists to further spread this work in Rarotonga and strategically introduce it to other Cook Islands communities, with consideration to improvements in waste management systems.

The major objective of future work would be to fully train Love your Coast ‘ambassadors’ in as many Cook Islands communities as possible that would independently conduct ongoing litter awareness, prevention and clean-up activities.

Collaboration with the Cook Islands National Environment Service made a crucial difference in the first stage of this project. Their provision of logistical support, relevant local knowledge, key contacts within the community and experience in the regional environmental sector was invaluable and it is recommended that future work aligns with their priorities and helps to build their capacity.

Gaining support from school principals, village MP’s, local NGO’s, church and youth group leaders is critical in garnering high levels of community involvement. These connections offer mutually beneficial rewards, involving more people in local solutions while allowing the transfer of knowledge and skills specific to the Love your Coast project to a diverse range of groups.

In addition, future projects aim to align with the Cook Islands National Olympic Committee to train and up-skill athletes as local project ambassadors.

By connecting simple, individual actions with a common and highly tangible problem, the Love your Coast project provides the perfect opportunity for an achievable community-owned and -run solution.

In a short time a good appreciation was gained of the community need and capacity for the ongoing delivery of the Love your Coast litter awareness message. With more resources, similar projects in the future can reach more of the community and set in motion a longer-term litter awareness and prevention strategy that applies not only to Rarotonga but also to the Outer Islands.

Project details

In late October and early November this year, we are working alongside the Cook Islands National Environment Service to run our latest awareness and action project: the Love your Coast Rarotonga Education and Clean-up Tour.

We invite any interested schools, community groups and organisations in Rarotonga to join the fun and get involved! Our experienced presenters and event managers will happily visit your group to run free awareness presentations, training workshops and/or coastal clean-up activities. This free opportunity is available anytime from Saturday 27 October to Thursday 8 November.

Following September’s successful Clean-up the Cook Islands and Rarotonga Rubbish Round-up projects, this is a great opportunity to gain detailed knowledge on the impacts litter has on our marine environments and reinforce the importance of litter prevention and clean-up work.

During our informative awareness presentation — that we have presented to over 55,000 people around the Pacific since 2008 — we use imagery and short films to build an understanding of the simple but common challenge of litter in the marine environment, and motivate attendees to work hands-on to look after their local stretch of coast. Our presentation takes around 30 minutes, with time for discussion at the end. Timings for the presentation are flexible and can be tailored to suit whatever time you have available.

For those that are interested in learning more, we can run a 45 minute training workshop immediately following our awareness presentation: passing on skills to help teach others about litter in the marine environment. Resources will also be provided for ongoing use, including short films, Powerpoint Presentations, planning documents, safety information, beach clean-up data collection sheets, posters and online tools.

We have our own presentation equipment including computer, projector, screen and speakers, so you will not need to arrange these for our visit. For coastal clean-ups with your group, we can help with planning and can provide rubbish sacks, gloves and safety equipment.

To find out more or confirm your involvement in this project, please email Project Manager Camden Howitt on [email protected] or call (682) 78218 and we will be in touch to confirm arrangements. We look forward to hearing from you.

Project contact

Camden Howitt
Project Manager
Sustainable Coastlines Charitable Trust
[email protected]
(682) 78218

More background

To coordinate a more effective project in Rarotonga we have been working with local governmental departments, organisations and community groups in both the planning and implementation phase of this project. This project is a pilot study that – if proven successful in Rarotonga – could be extended to outer island communities.

We have also partnered on this project with hugely popular band Shapeshifter, who are holding a concert in Rarotonga on Friday 9 November. The proceeds from this concert will go towards meeting costs for this project and future work in the Cook Islands.

A huge thank you in particular to National Environment Service, The Edgewater Resort & Spa, Island Car & Bike Hire, Muri Environment Care, WATSAN, Reef Shipping and our partners Lantern Insurance and Benefitz for your generous support of this project. Without the support of organisations like yours this project simply would not be possible.

On Thursday 22 November, long-term supporters of ours Lantern Insurance joined our team for a 4WD-based clean-up of the black sands of Auckland’s Muriwai Beach. Over the past two years we have hit beaches around Auckland many times with staff from the Takapuna-based insurers, but for some staff this was their first clean-up outing.

In perfect weather and wild surf we made our way along Muriwai Beach in four wheel drive vehicles, stopping-off at each break in the steep sand dunes where rubbish accumulates. In only a short time on the beach volunteers picked-up an impressive amount — well over a full sack per person — to remove a total of 750 litres of rubbish from Muriwai’s coastline.

Through hands-on actions like this over our past few years of operation we have found this to be an excellent, practical, fun way for organisations and their employees to learn about how litter can affect our marine environments, even in lowly populated places like Muriwai Beach.

If your organisation would like to take part in an event like this, contact us today.

Join us for a fantastic day where you can explore, experience and give something back to the beautiful Makara and the coastline surrounding Meridian’s West Wind Farm.

Meet at the Sustainable Coastlines display container on Makara Beach at 10am, Saturday 24 November to sign-in and collect equipment.

From there we’ll split into teams and head out along the coastline on foot and by 4WD vehicle to clean-up the area from Makara Beach around to Ohau Bay.

This wild piece of spectacular coastline, although well looked after by the locals, is affected by a regular flow of waste, so we are going to give it a good pre-summer clean-up.

We’ll provide the 4WDs or bring your own to join our convoy, this will be a unique opportunity to explore the incredibly beautiful bays that are usually closed to the public, where unfortunately, tonnes of plastic rubbish washes up.

Lunch will be provided from 1pm at Makara Beach with the support of Meridian Energy, whose staff will be mucking-in to clean-up too.

Please register here to confirm your attendance.

As we all know, Wellington can have challenging weather conditions at this time of year. A message will go up on this event page and be sent by email to those registered on Wednesday 21 November, confirming whether the event is going ahead, or if it will be postponed to our bad weather day, Saturday 1 December.

Participants need to bring:

• Sturdy shoes: this area has some challenging coastal terrain with rocks that can be sharp, loose and slippery. You’ll need closed-toe, sturdy shoes (such as sneakers, sports shoes or tramping boots).
• Warm and waterproof clothes: NZ weather is unpredictable. Bring at least one warm top (ideally old woolen) and a rain jacket.
• Sun hat and sun cream.
• Reusable water bottle (filled-up and ready to go).
• Camera (optional) – this is a unique and beautiful location and we would love to see your photos after the event.
• Your own 4WD (optional) – this is a unique opportunity to explore this area that is usually closed to public access.

Any questions, contact Sam Judd, Event Director at [email protected]

On Tuesday 11 December, 10 staff from AMP joined our team for a day out cleaning-up Auckland’s iconic Rangitoto Island. Along a short but challenging stretch of coastal terrain the AMP crew mucked-in to remove 17 full sacks of rubbish, or 850 litres, from the lava rocks of Rangitoto Islands shores. A solid effort from a dedicated team of volunteers.

Many thanks also to our long-time partners in crime the Watercare Harbour Clean-up Trust for their logistical support.

Through hands-on actions like this over our past few years of operation we have found this to be an excellent, practical, fun way for organisations and their employees to learn about how litter from city streets flows out through our drains and affects our marine environments, even on uninhabited Rangitoto Island.

If your organisation would like to take part in an event like this, contact us today.

New Records Set

Since mid-November our team, with the help of newcomers Niall Mackay and Te Kawa Robb, have been running educational presentations and coastal clean-ups around the Wellington region as part of our third Love your Coast Wellington event. This year’s project has seen over 3,000 people remove 33,000 litres of rubbish from the region’s coastlines – the most people we have ever had involved in a clean-up, anywhere! To all of the students, school teachers, sponsors and volunteers that helped us make this happen, a huge thank you.

Part of this event was a very special day working with Meridian Energy along the wild West Wind farm coastline in Makara. The combined efforts that day have set the bar high with another record, as 115 volunteers removed an average of over 200 litres of rubbish per person, our largest effort yet. This is all the more impressive when you consider that we only cleaned up for a couple of hours.

Event details

From Monday 12 November and Wednesday 12 December 2012 we are once again coordinating an educational roadshow and series of coastal clean-up activities in the wider Wellington region. This is the opportunity for your school to receive an educational presentation and/or an organised clean-up of your local coastline at no cost.

Our experienced presenters will visit your school at a time that suits you during the roadshow. They will use imagery, short films and interact with the students to build an understanding about the challenges of marine debris and motivate them to work hands on to look after their local stretch of coastline.

We also provide coordination, rubbish sacks, gloves and health & safety equipment for cleaning up the coast, all at no cost. Transport for your students, however, must be organised by the school.

Presentations and clean-up activities are open to every school in the Kapiti, Hutt Valley, Wellington and Wairarapa regions but places are limited so please register now to secure your school’s participation.

We will provide (at no cost to your school):

• All equipment required (gloves, sacks, first aid kits, hi-vis vests for leaders and a ROSA audited health and safety plan).
• Student consent forms: Download here.
• Risk Analysis and Management System (RAMS) information: Download here.
• Promotion of your school’s involvement.

What you need to do:

Please register now if you would like your school to be a part of this fantastic activity. We will reply promptly to confirm your involvement and make further arrangements with your school. For more information, please contact us on 09 948 8454 or email [email protected]

Testimonials

“We had a great time this a.m. and are really proud of our efforts. Personally, I am amazed at the share volume of stuff we collected. We had several elderly locals, give thanks to the kids – and even marshmallows! This was very touching…Thanks again for all the resources. We would be keen to make this an annual event.”
Kate Jensen – Plimmerton School

“Thank you for coming to do the presentation for our children, they really got a lot out of it. One of the little 5 year olds shared about going the beach in the weekend and picking up some rubbish that she found close to a drain. My children all wrote a story after your presentation.”
Jeanelle Ymker, Pukerua Bay School

“The kids are coming out with stuff which shows they have a real appreciation of what it’s all about.”
Fiona D’Souza, St Patricks Primary School

“Your presentation was excellent and made a big impact on the children”
Kaye Gilman, Paraparaumu Beach School

“Thanks for visiting both groups yesterday. The children really enjoyed themselves and were proud of their efforts. We hope to make the coastal clean-up a regular event on our school calendar from now on. An added bonus was that on the walk home some of the children noticed the Miramar Bush track needs cleaning up too, so I can see the left over sacks getting lots of use next year!”
Tracey Arthurs, Miramar North School

“Our kids have just written a letter to themselves to be opened in 20 years – for a time capsule. A large number of them wrote that the biggest problem in the world is pollution and wondered if it would be sorted out or fixed in 20 years. Here’s hoping, maybe some of them will come up with good solutions. It is good to see their social conscience being developed, thanks so much for your help with that.”
Gail Dewar, Makara Model School

“Your influence in the school community has been wonderful!”
Geraldine Smart, Hutt Valley High School

“Our students commented on how much they enjoyed their Coastal Cleanup. We also completed our bin project over the following two days, which made sense to the students as they now understood how litter dropped in the schoolyard becomes runoff into the harbour.”
Janet Glenn, Onslow College