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Education for Sustainability

Environmental Education

Awards

Environment Canterbury School Awards 2008
[through regional Science and Technology Fairs]

Environment Canterbury staff judge exhibits in the special category of Resource Management in the Science and Technology fairs held in Christchurch and Timaru. Awards are given to students whose exhibits take an innovative investigative approach to solving an environmental issue facing Canterbury.
There are two categories: Yrs 7-8 and Yrs 9-13.
Prizes: Winning exhibitors receive $1000 for their school.

Students receive:

$400 1st place
$60 2nd place
$30 3rd place

Senior students [Years 12 and 13] are also offered work experience.

The Wrybill Trophy

Each year, the winners of the Environment Canterbury School Award category present their exhibits to Councillors at Environment Canterbury, Christchurch. The overall winner is awarded the Wrybill Trophy, the best of the best!

Wrybill Trophy Winner 2008

photo of winner of 2008 Wrybill Trophy.

Bronte Davenport
Year 7, Craighead Diocesan School, Timaru
Exhibit: 'Walk this Way'

Craighead School Year 7 student Bronte Davenport was encouraging her fellow pupils to burn up the calories by taking to their feet on walking school buses. Bronte's exhibit “Walk This Way” surveyed schools and parents about walking school buses, and then designed her own version of a walking bus stop sign with information about “bus” times.

“My little brother Will uses a walking school bus to go to St Joseph’s and I knew that other students would have liked to use it too, only they didn’t know what routes it took or what time it left.”

Bronte also discovered that the walking bus concept seemed to be spread mostly by word of mouth and that parents believe the biggest benefit was children were getting more exercise.

“I’d also noticed that you might have 10 cars parked outside a school with sometimes only one student in each. If all those children came to school on the walking bus that’s 10 fewer cars on the road.”

Winners - Lincoln University School's Science and Technology Fair (Christchurch)

Junior (Years 7-8)

First Place Winner Photo - Senior - Katie Glasson - Who's got the power!

First
Katie Glasson
Cobham Intermediate

You've Got the Power!

Top junior ECan prize winner was Katie Glasson, 12, of Cobham Intermediate. Katie made up a list of all electricity-consuming items in her home and surveyed 23 families. Most people would dispense with the extravagant and luxury categories, Katie said.

These might include heating in bathrooms and bedrooms or a swimming pool heater in summer. “As a country we could save 21 million units of electricity a year doing this,” she said.

Second
Logan Glasson
Westburn School
Pest Trap Monitor

Third Equal
Vinura Karunasekera
Cobham Intermediate
Facing Climate Change

Vincent Curd
Cobham Intermediate
How Acidic is Our Rain

Senior winners (Years 9-13)

Second Equal
Emil Martin
Lincoln High School
Shower Boss

Emil Martin, 16, of Lincoln High School, designed a simple shower box attachment, which would switch off the water after a certain number of minutes. Families (mums and dads) thought it was a great idea, he said. Couples and singletons were not so keen.

Brad Parker
Lincoln High School
A Reusable Produce Bag

The second equal top winner of the ECan senior section was Brad Parker, 13, also of Lincoln High School. The year nine student tested several different re-usable supermarket produce bags.

NB: No first place getters

Winners - Sanford Science and Technology Fair (Timaru)

Junior (Years 7-8)

First
Bronte Davenport
Craighead Diocesan School
Walk This Way

Getting fitter and saving petrol were just two of the benefits Timaru student Bronte Davenport discovered while working on a science project to grab the attention of Environment Canterbury. Her walking school bus project won Environment Canterbury’s first prize in the junior section of the Sanford Science and Technology Fair in Timaru recently.

Eleven-year-old Bronte, a Year 7 Craighead School student, wanted to find out why more families were not letting their children walk to school with others as part of a walking school bus. She not only surveyed schools and parents, but designed her own version of a walking bus stop sign with information about times to be picked up. Results? More kids walking together, arriving at school alert, less congestion at the school gate, safer, pedestrian-filled streets, just like the old days.

Second
Oakley Campbell
Waihi School
Packaging is Rubbish

Third Equal

Lydia Oldfield
Craighead Diocesan School
Is the answer blowing in the wind

Jacob Beeman
Ashburton Intermediate
How degradable is 100% degradable?

Senior winners (Years 9-13)

Second
Sam Brosnahan
Mountain View High School
Solar vs. Hydro

Fourteen-year-old Sam Brosnahan of Mountainview High School won second prize for his entry comparing efficiencies of hydro and solar power. The project has had some immediate spin-offs. Sam’s dad, who had been planning to install some solar systems at home, has been inspired by his son’s results to carry out an even more comprehensive installation programme.

NB: No first or third place getters

Future Environmentalist Award

Photo of FEA Winner 2008 - Holly Gardiner This award is to reward and encourage Year 12-13 students who have environmental interests in their schools to continue the work they have been doing when they move on to other institutions or work places.

Each year in February/March information about the award and the nomination procedure is sent to all secondary schools in the region. In July nominations are sought from teachers of senior students who have contributed to environmental causes in the school environment.

Every student nominated receives a certificate and a book voucher. The overall winner receives an invitation to attend "Hands On Science" at Otago University Summer School.

The winner for 2008: Holly Gardiner

Year/age: Year 13
School: Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti

Just some of Holly's achievements include:

Attended the inaugural Untouched World Foundation Tiromoana trip in 2005.
2007 Blumine Island in the Marlborough Sounds, also with the Untouched World
Foundation. During this trip Campbell Live came and documented what we had
been doing, this was a wonderful opportunity to get the sustainable message
out to New Zealand.
2007 Represented my school, Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti, along with another
student, at the Enviroschools Youth Jam.
Founding member of our school’s environmental group, Sustainable UPT.
This year we promoted Earth Hour and Fair Trade Fortnight.
Contribute regularly to a column in our school newsletter called ‘Green space’ with sustainable
messages for students and families.

Download the FEA Poster ( PDF download icon File Size Icon 363kB) to read more about Holly's achievements and future goals.