Wao Climate Action Initiative x Wānaka Primary
Wendy Bamford, principal for Wānaka Primary School, featured on Radio Wānaka to discuss the Wao Climate Action Initiative (CAI).
Wānaka Primary are among 9 schools in the Queenstown Lakes District that have signed on to the Climate Action Initiative to understand and calculate their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and take action to reduce them. When asked why they are participating, Wendy says “we are trying to build deep thinkers, future thinkers. We know that the children will work with their critical and citizenship skills.”
How have they done it? They have formed a lead team which includes the schools principal, deputy principal and their Enviroschools lead. They will all work together to crunch the data, find out what information needs to be collected, set their boundary, and by end of term 1 they will know what greenhouse gas emissions they can measure.
The next step? The lead team can bring in the students and staff to get them involved, and let the student voice come through. Looking into the future, what are Wānaka Primary going to do about it? Wendy notes that it’s up to the students and the teachers as part of their deep learning programme.
The best part? The programme is not confined to school. Wendy notes many initiatives the school has undertaken involve the whole family and have a direct impact on the environment, such as getting to school without using cars.
The Climate Action Initiative “just fits in so well with what we are doing now with Enviroschools. It’s just the next step for us” says Wendy.
The Wao Climate Action Initiative is a 3 month program designed to enable local businesses and schools with the knowledge and tools to calculate their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and take action to reduce them. The program is fully funded by QLDC, Destination Queenstown and Lake Wānaka Tourism and is free to join. Applications for the first round have now been filled.
Email kiaora@wao.co.nz to register your interest for future programs.
Please note the date of airing as some information may be outdated.
On air: 10 March 2022
Radio Wānaka
