Katikati kids get silver for being green

A green group of children at the Katikati Kindergarten are leading the way with environmental sustainability in their community, and have been awarded Silver Enviroschool status for their efforts.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council Chairman John Cronin said he was very proud of the commitment of the children - who are three and four years old - to improving environmental sustainability in their community.

"The children at the Katikati Kindergarten help make all the important decisions about their environment, and they share that knowledge with the community which is a fantastic way to learn," Chairman Cronin said.

"Rather than buying new plastic playground equipment the kindergarten decided to build their own, and the result is a fantastic earth brick playground which was designed with the children and made by the local community at a workshop early last year.

"They also built their own sun shade from natural materials, which they can move around as they choose.

"These young innovators have also implemented lots of water-saving features at the kindergarten, which means they can look after their own organic food garden with water from their tank, as well as feeding it with their composting and worm farming activities.

"Bay of Plenty Regional Council is proud to support the Enviroschools program, and the Katikati Kindergarten has shown what a great difference it makes - not just for now, but for future generations," he said.

A celebration of the Silver Enviroschools achievement with a certificate and sign presentation today was a fun reminder of the kindergarten's ongoing commitment to sustainability and involvement with their community.

For more information on Enviroschools, please visit our webpage.