ENVIRO COMMUNITY SURVEY

As part of our Green/ Gold reflection process we decided to survey our school and community. We got an excellent return rate and will use this info to inform our future next steps. Here are the questions and results: 1 Would you support our school being a zero waste school? Y - 51 N - 0 2 Do you use reusable containers rather than individual yoghurt pots? Y - 21 N - 29 S - 5 4 Would you object if your child brought home their lunch box wrappers every day? Y - 6 N - 4 S - 5 Do you use cloth bags or plastic bags when shopping? Cloth - 7 Plastic bags - 17 Both - 25 Comments: Use them as bins Going to change to cloth – thanks! Plastic if I forget cloth bags Use boxes 6 Do you buy some products in bulk rather than individual packets to reduce wrapper waste? Y - 12 N - 10 S - 4 7 What recycling do you do at home? Standard (Glass, Tin, paper, plastic) - 37 Worm farm - 2 Compost - 12 Other: Food scraps for chickens, food to animals, chickens, bokashi 8 On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate Environmental Education in schools? 5 - 3 6 - 4 7 - 9 8 - 17 9 – 2 10 - 6 9 Do you have a garden and if so, what do you grow? Y - 22 Fruit Trees – 5 Comments: Would if I had time, easier to buy at supermarket. Lack of knowledge 10 Do you think we should have a tuck shop at lunchtime? If yes, what types of things do you think we should sell? Y - 21 N - 27 Sell – Sticky Date lunches, warm food in winter, soups, pizzas Healthy food, fruit, carrot, celery sticks Warm things for winter, toasted sandwiches, soup, noodles, microwave pies Fruit, crackers, lunch box fillers Homemade basic food Sushi No junk food or lollies Le snacks, tuna and crackers, muesli bars, muffins 11 Do you use glad wrap to cover/wrap your child’s lunch? Y - 22 N - 18 S - 8 Comments: Try not to We use paper towels and they get composted Use paper wrap as well 12 Do you have any ideas/ suggestions that you would be willing to share with us and the skills and know how to implement? Lunchboxes with compartments Bees wax food wraps – 3 Reusable plastic bags and containers Buy small reusable containers for lunch boxes instead of gladwrap Compost kids food scraps or give to chickens/ worms More artwork outside. Finish wall outside library Using baking paper and small reusable containers Reuse and wash zip lock bags. Making wax wraps for lunches Making mesh produce bags. Making recycled paper Children to educate wider community about reducing plastic bags. Work with supermarket towards being plastic bag free. Write to MP. (see bali sisters -ted talks) 13 How could we further enhance our school grounds? A senior area with established plants, flowers and shade. A place for seniors to hang out and interact – café styles. Use school gardens more. Keep back native area clean for the kids to use more often. Plant more food around the school More murals Make sure parents and teachers understand the rubbish free zone I’ve picked up a bit of rubbish that has fallen out of cars when getting kids from school Potted herbs and vegies around the school so parents and teachers can see and use them. More edible fruits, improve the gardens for veggies. Use the bush area to learn and enjoy. Plants to encourage birds and smells. A garden bed for each class. Regular weeding, watering and checking roster on outside of classroom walls and pictures on murals. I think the school grounds are good. Canteen for unorganised parents Maybe more recycle bins Vege gardens Entrance to native area More fruit trees Fruit Use veggie gardens More native plantings – families to donate a tree? Trees Compost bins for veggie gardens Worm farm and sell wees Bring back secret garden Senior area, hanging plants inside and out, murals, picnic tables. Consequences for dropping rubbish More natural play areas More trees – especially fruit trees and beehives would be great 14 What do you think is the biggest environmental problem facing the world? Global Warming - 5 Poverty Amount of waste Oil mining Rubbish/ litter - 7 Pollution -5 Sustainability Overpopulation -2 Toxic chemicals Plastic bags Ozone layer Rubbish on the road side – 2 Plastics – 9 Water conservation Water quality Education and humans attitudes Humans consumerism mentality – use once and throw away 1080 Apathy – lack of interest, enthusiasm and concern Rubbish in our oceans Recycling is a hoax by councils in general as everything ends up in the same place which is frustrating 15 Any other comments or suggestions. Good on you for doing this Newsletters/ Enviro updates Assembly info Great enviro system Keep up great job Allgreenz Good on Opoutere School for going for green/gold. Totally support you. Establish gardens 51/72 families responded 71 % response