RED Mrs Rozenberg
BLUE Jess
GREEN Abbey
PURPLE Caitlin
Aspirations for a Sustainable Kavanagh College
The following is a collation of aspirational ideas from the staff and students of Kavanagh College about how their school will look, feel, sound and be as a sustainable school. It is not a list of what will be done but a ‘blue skies’ vision of a sustainable school. This will help inform the school’s vision of sustainability as part of their Enviroschools journey.
A sustainable Kavanagh College will have solar photovoltaic cell panels to generate electricity from the sun, along with roof mounted, low noise wind turbines. The north facing solar panels and wind turbines on the roof will sit amongst a green roof of succulents where engineers deem the structure strong enough cope with this. New buildings or upgrades will also include double glazed windows and insulated walls. Lighting and heating systems will be the most energy efficient possible. Minimal lighting is needed as modern blinds are used to filter UV but allow enough natural light that lighting from electricity is not needed. Blinds can quickly and easily be blacked out for screen use and retracted for natural lighting again. Any boiler systems will be efficient waste wood fuelled. People will enjoy the look of the clean energy systems that model a better energy future as well as the plants in providing fresh air and a great smell. School vans will be electric vehicles and people will enjoy the quiet environment these support. The majority of students will walk, bike or use public transport to get to and from school minimising traffic and associated pollution.
The café style canteen will offer healthy, seasonal food, grown on sight where possible, smoothies, fairtrade coffee/hot chocolate and baking and will have student employees earning an income and gaining work experience serving, making coffee and washing up. Students using the café will have the choices of covered and uncovered seats and tables amongst edible gardens and fruit trees. They will enjoy the smell of flowers, food growing and the sounds of bird life attracted to the environment, while they eat. The café will be waste free will no takeaway option. The covered tables will be used by staff and students who feel the need to eat and work. The food technology classes will contribute meals and baking to the canteen. At the end of the day food that cannot be kept will be given away to students as they leave for the day. This will provide for those in need and help the students and their whanau feel supported in this area of life.
Edible gardens and fruits trees will be grown by students in Enviro-studies, Social Science, Science and Food technology classes. A garden club will oversee and support the edible gardens and fruit trees. The club will be made up of canteen staff, students, teachers, parents and a part time garden facilitator. People will be excited and motivated to work in an inspiring outdoor space that nurtures biodiversity as well as providing fresh, local food. They will also be motivated by the knowledge that excess food goes to local food banks providing for social justice in the community. Rainwater collection tanks and a timed irrigation system provide water for the garden year round as well as being a source of fresh water in case of emergencies. The water will be of a high quality being filtered through the succulent green roof gardens and then through a commercial water purifier.
An outdoor classroom amongst the native trees and gardens is available via a booking system for teachers to run lessons outside year round. A pond with goldfish and frogs surrounded by wetland plants will provide greater diversity and learning in an area of the school that is often wet. Every new student will plant a flower, shrub or edible plant on arrival at the school. This will give them an immediate connection to the school grounds which will be on going through their work in the gardens. Chickens will be an integral part of the permaculture garden. Eggs will be used in the canteen and given to the Food Bank when not needed. Beehives provide honey and pollination and specific plants such as Teucrium hedges will be established as a food source for the bees.
All waste systems in and outside of the school will provide options for recycling and composting as well as waste to landfill. Students will be learning why and how to live waste free, recycle, minimise food waste and compost as part of their education. They will be participating in these practices in school and be able to implement them in their homes. The costs to the school of waste to landfill will drop to between 10-20% of 2015 costs. Students employed as cleaners will be involved in managing the waste systems, ensuring waste streams get to right place, are cleaned and running efficiently.
E-waste will be minimised through the fixing of technology and replacement of parts. Any e-waste will be disposed of ethically and sustainably. Students will learn to spend time and money on fixing and replacement of parts of electronic equipment. Devices (phones, ipads, computers) will have flight mode on when not in use during class time and Wifi/Data disabled when possible. This will save disruption in class, the battery will require less charging and exposure to electromagnetic radiation will be minimised for the user. Staff and students alike turn all electronic equipment off at the wall at the end of the day.
A solar heated, salt water treated swimming pool on site will provide greater opportunity for all students to become competent swimmers as well as learn other water sports such as kayaking, water polo etc.
Groups of passionate students will run events and provide education on different themes each month, e.g. music month, health and nutrition, active and public transport month, plastic free July, etc.
The school curriculum will include life skills such as First Aid, survival skills in emergencies and in the outdoors, critical thinking around sustainability and how we are living on the planet. It will involve learning how and why to reduce waste, recycle and compost, with practical classes for this learning. Students have working knowledge of the PVC solar power system from which the school is powered. School camps will model sustainable living and provide connection with nature and wilderness, nurturing a love and respect for the earth on which we live.
Education on sustainable living will underpin all learning areas. Critical thought and questioning will ensure students understand the pros and cons of current practices in our societies.
Specific subject areas will focus on relevant aspects of sustainability and work across curriculum areas to show the interconnectedness and systems thinking approach to life. A strong focus will be ensuring students understand and take positive action on the unsustainable practices that have a negative effect on social justice. Maori perspectives and the perspectives of other cultures will be evident throughout the curriculum and environment of Kavanagh College
The Catholic and physical community surrounding the school will be drawn to its vibrant, natural environment. Current students and their whanau will want to come into the school outside of schools hours as it will be an inviting and peaceful place to be. The school will invite community to utilise both the indoor and outdoor space when it’s not being used for school purposes. There will be close ties with many aspects of community. Community-based Envirogroups will both learn from and support the practices modelled at Kavanagh College. The school will strive to show leadership as a sustainable school in New Zealand.