Umbrella Organisations that support Education for Sustainability
New Zealand
New Zealand Association for Environmental Education (NZAEE) The NZAEE website is a good source of news and information about environmental education in New Zealand and around the world. You can also find out about resources and programmes hosted by NZAEE and information about the latest NZAEE conference.
Parliamentary Commission for the Environment (PCE) In 2004 the PCE released a comprehensive report on education for sustainability called 'See Change'. The PCE is an independent Officer of Parliament appointed for a five-year term under the Environment Act 1986. The primary objective of the office is to contribute to maintaining and improving the quality of the environment in New Zealand through advice given to Parliament, local councils, business, tangata whenua, communities and other public agencies.
IUCN -The World Conservation Union IUCN is an international body that works through a 'Green Web' of partnerships with States, government agencies, NGOs, scientists and experts to generate environmental conventions, global standards, scientific knowledge and innovative leadership. It's Commission on Education and Communication (CEC) works to progress EE globally. The website is a great source of international news and resources
Funding Information Service A good starting place to identify where your school might be able to get funding. There are three funding databases: FundView, BreakOut and CorporateCitizens.
NZ Glass Environmental Fund O-I NZ is the sponsor of the NZ Glass Environmental Fund, which makes $25,000 available to schools annually. The fund was established to encourage studies which give young people an understanding of the importance and fragility of the environment. One of the aims of this fund is to encourage whole community involvement in environmental issues. It is a good option for enviroschools, the deadline for expressions of interest is 31 March and full applications are due 31 May.
The Royal Society of New Zealand Provides student award schemes and teacher fellowships that support the science and technology curriculum. There are great opportunities to develop enviroschools projects that qualify for these awards.
Transpower Neighbourhood Engineers Award This scheme is supported by IPENZ (Institute of Professional Engineers) and links engineers with schools to tackle projects that relate to the technology curriculum. Your school can use the NEA website to request help in finding an enginner to assist stsudents with a project. There are great opportunities to combine this with enviroschools projects. Then in October each year schools can enter their project for an award - winning schools receive $2,000 and $1,000 for merit
DonateNZ DonateNZ is a quick, easy-to-use website through which individuals, organisations and businesses can donate things they no longer want or need to schools, early childhood centres and not-for-profits that do. It is a great place for schools to get things they need for next-to-no-cost.
Environmental Education Action Fund Through the Environmental Education Action Fund, WWF New Zealand and The Tindall Foundation are supporting schools and community projects around the country that use education as a tool to encourage people to take action for their environment. There are two funding rounds a year, with an annual disbursement of $50,000. Deadlines for applications are 1 April and 1 September.
YHA Young Conservationist Awards The YHA Young Conservationist Awards are an annual environmental award programme for individuals or groups under the age of 18 administered as a joint programme between YHA New Zealand and the Department of Conservation (DOC).
YHA New Zealand and DOC look for innovative projects that include a hands-on component relating to conservation.
The awards are a great opportunity to showcase projects or research young people may be doing for environmental education in a range of areas including science, technology, social studies, biology, geography, the arts and English.
The Sir Peter Blake Trust The Sir Peter Blake Trust aims to help New Zealanders make a positive difference for the planet through activities that encourage environmental awareness and action, and leadership development. The Trust wants to carry on Sir Peter's work and keep his spirit and values alive for future generations.
Unisys Kidz Connect Unisys Kidz Connect is a New Zealand-wide grant programme designed to support connectivity and innovation amongst primary and intermediate children.
Under the programme, twenty teachers will each receive a $1,000 cash grant to spend on a programme or project of their choice for the benefit of children in their class.
Each teacher has autonomy to choose how to spend the grant money, as long as it is tied to connection and innovation.
The programme is open to all registered teachers working in New Zealand’s state, integrated and private primary and intermediate schools (Year 1- 8), of any decile and location.
Forest and Bird - JS Watson Conservation Fund The JS Watson Trust is administered by Forest and Bird. Applications are invited from individuals or conservation groups for financial assistance for conservation projects over the 2007-2008 year. Applications close 6 June 2007.
Criteria For Assistance
*The conservation of plants and animals and natural features of New Zealand.
*The advancement of knowledge in these matters by way of research, literary contribution, essay or articles, or other effort.
*General education of the public to give them an understanding and love of the world in which they live
BOC Where there's Water - Community Environmental Grants Where There's Water Community Environmental Grants provide funding to help the community understand, maintain, protect and improve their water environment. This includes streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries and beaches in urban and rural areas. Where There’s Water Community Environmental Grants were initiated by the staff of BOC in New Zealand and the fund was launched in June 2002. BOC provides all of the funding for the grants and the New Zealand Water
& Wastes Association (NZWWA) administers Where There’s Water on behalf of BOC.
Mazda Foundation Grant Mazda Foundation offer a Grant for Environmental Awareness and Conservation
Zero Waste New Zealand The Zero Waste New Zealand Trust supports the activities of community organisations, councils, businesses, schools and individuals involved in waste minimisation and recycling.
WasteWise This is a school programme designed to create an awareness of waste and help schools improve their knowledge and understanding of ways they can reduce their own general waste in particular the disposal of their own organic waste (organics accounting for approximately 80% of total waste in schools). The programme provides participating schools with a 'Hands On' tool and involves establishing a vermicomposting system within each school to process organic wastes. Classroom resource is available to download from website. Schools are able to registar on a national worms in schools database online.
Sustainability "in general"
Global Education Centre (GEC) The GEC provides training and resources to support both the formal and informal education sectors. Global Education aims bring about a more just and sustainable world through a process which enables people to understand the links between their own lives and those of people throughout the world.
Connected Media Connected Media is a New Zealand based charitable trust founded in 1993. Their mission is to promote sustainability through media. They advance that mission by developing and distributing media content and through media empowerment projects.
Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit The ESD Toolkit is an easy-to-use manual for individuals and organisations from both the education and community sectors. This resource addresses the potentially powerful alliance of school systems and communities working together to reach local sustainability goals. It is a US resource but it relevant to us in Aotearoa.
Education for a Sustainable Future blog site The environmental education/sustainable futures blogsite is designed as a platform by which examples of environmental education practice in schools and current research can be posted, shared and commented upon by teachers, researchers and environmental education practitioners
CO2 Emissions Calculator for Schools The School calculator will help teachers and students estimate the amount of CO2 your school releases into the atmosphere. Using the tips suggested as a guide, you can develop an action plan for the school. Then you can see how effective you are at reducing the emissions. The school calculator is an excellent hands-on learning resource.
Planet Slayer A fun interactive website for kids and adults alike. Focusses on greenhouse gas impacts and dilemmas as well as sustainability of our planet in general.
Ecobob - making eco living easy An informative website covering all manner of eco related topics including eco houses, eco business directory, eco living, eco events and much more.
Precious Energy & Ecological Buildings
Branz - Easy Guide to Eco-Building The Building Research Association of New Zealand have developed a useful eco building booklet that can be downloaded from this site. It describes how to carry out construction projects with consideration for the environment and suggests things to consider from the very early stages of design right through to the end of the buildings lifetime. There are also references and contacts you can follow up on.
Climate Change - 4 million careful owners We can all help to reduce the effects of climate change on New Zealand. This website tells you more about climate change and explains how every Kiwi can make a difference, starting now.
Travel Planning for Schools EECA (The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) have developed a process and tools to help with School Travel Planning. The aim is to identify and remove practical and attitudinal issues attached to walking, cycling, and other environmentally friendly modes of travel, to and from the schools in a particular community.
Fuel Saver This website has been developed by Land Transport NZ to help car divers save fuel. It has some good tips and information on the impact of different fuels types and driving habits. You can search a for the fuel efficiency of a huge range of cars and calculate your own annual fuel consumption.
Energy Efficiency This website has a section for adults and kids. The adult section provides facts, tips and tools on energy saving and the kids section features fun games on energy efficiency.
The Energy Smart Schools Trust As part of Conservation Week “The Energy $mart Schools Trust” has released a nationwide multi level thematic unit, complete and ready for the participating schools to implement throughout the school’s classrooms.
The thematic unit focuses on the hot topic of “energy conservation” and how we can all play our part in alleviating the associated problems that New Zealand now faces, such as the current contributions to greenhouse gases, landfill waste and global warming.
Living Landscapes
Kids Edible Gardens Kids Edible Gardens is a Christchurch based initiative that assists schools implementing organic gardening so that children learn how to grow their own vegetables, flowers, herbs and fruit.
Organic Gardens and Mara Maori A report on TKI that covers student learning through the creation and maintenance of organic and Maori gardens.
Trees For Survival The Trees for Survival programme supports students of all ages to grow and plant native trees on designated land to prevent soil erosion, improve water quality and increase biodiversity.
Wild about New Zealand This is a community based biodiversity monitoring and action programme. It supports schools and community groups to monitor an area of land and/or waterway in your local environment on a regular basis. Through the programme your school would learn about all the interactions that occur in your environment, build up a picture of the biodiversity status, and identify some of the most serious threats to local wildlife. Using this information, you can then plan appropriate actions to restore or enhance the biodiversity - turning the tide for your local wildlife.
Department of Conservation This links to the 'For Schools' section of the DOC website which provides information and resources to support conservation education programmes in schools.
Landcare Research Landcare have developed a number of resources on New Zealand's plants and animals for use by teachers and students. They also have sattelitte images and climate change resources.
Healthy Water
National Waterways Project Provides high quality water monitoring activities to schools for use in their local rivers, streams and lakes. It has links to lots of other good sites too!
NIWA The NIWA site has initiatives for schools, stuff for students, activities and classroom resources.
Up the Creek Up the Creek is part of the Government's Biodiversity website. Students can join Dion, Rick, and Ani on a trip up the creek to learn how fresh water supports life.
Experiencing Marine Reserves An innovative marine education programme developed in Northland is bringing school children and community groups face to face with the marine environment. The programme involves investigating marine biodiversity and local marine environments before venturing to the fully protected marine reserve. After the marine reserve experience, students put their knowledge to action within the community.
At this stage the programmme is only available to schools in Northland and Auckland.
The Whitebait Connection The Whitebait Connection is an action based environmental education programme. It aims to inspire and educate schools, community groups and tangata whenua to restore and take care of the life sustaining force of their local streams and catchments.
The Programme is available to schools in Northland, Westport, Nelson and Blenheim.
Learning through Landscapes A programme that works with schools, organisations and individuals across the UK to help them improve and develop their school grounds.
International
Eco-Schools Eco-Schools is an international programme for environmental education for sustainability. The Programme is used by schools in 28 European countries as well as South Africa, Morocco, Canada, Chile and several countries in the Caribbean.
Australia & Pacific
The Gould League The Gould League is a long standing Australian environmental education organisation. They run a range of programmes including Waste Wise Schools and a Sustainable Schools programme in the state of Victoria.
The School Learnscapes Trust A non-profit organisation dedicated to helping Australian schools develop their grounds for learning.
Firestarter Firestarter Pty Ltd is an environmental business offering communication, management, education, promotion and major event organisation services to businesses, government and community groups across Australia, with a strong emphasis on environmental community interest projects.
Americas
Earth Care Canada Earthcare is an activity-based, curriculum-aligned program focusing on energy conservation, waste reduction, and water conservation.
World Wide Fund For Nature - WWF WWF is a global organisation acting locally through a network of family offices. Their focus is to take action on local issues towards global solutions that halt the accelerating destruction of our natural world.
Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth International is a federation of autonomous environmental organisations from all over the world. Its members, in 68 countries, campaign on urgent environmental and social issues, while working towards a shift to sustainable societies.
Greenpeace Visit Greenpeace's international site for latest campaigns, information on global environmental issues and links to national Greenpeace wesbites.
The Ethical Guide The Ethical Guide is a links directory of the world's very best English language websites that are ethically run, help spread tolerance, sell organic, fairtrade or environmentally friendly products or generally make a positive impact on our planet.
