Woolworths is back with its sixth annual Growing for Good grant programme that encourages young environmentalists in Aotearoa to share their most innovative ideas for tackling climate change.
This year, a grant pool of $50,000 is available, with $10,000 up for grabs for each winning project. The programme has witnessed some incredible projects in the past year that achieved impressive results.
One of last year’s winners applied for the grant to install rainwater tanks to water its gardens, fruit trees, and native trees when students weren't available. This ensured sustainable irrigation for the school's crops, even during the summer and school holidays.
Sarah Johns, STEAM Leader at Nelson Intermediate School, expressed her satisfaction with the achievements since securing the grant. She said that students had become increasingly aware of the pending water crisis in their community, and receiving the grant meant they could do their bit to control Nelson's uncontrollable weather patterns.
"To strengthen the sustainability and resilience of the productive areas around our school, we have installed a series of rainwater tanks to harvest water from the sky,” said Johns.
“Developing the rainwater harvesting system has supported our ākonga in learning about the benefits of conserving our natural resources.”
Mount Albert Grammar School was another successful school that used its grant to build a vertical garden project so students could supply produce grown to its food technology classes.
Catherine Langabeer, Woolworths New Zealand’s Head of Sustainability, said that the innovation and passion from young Kiwis participating in the program have been impressive and inspiring.
"The past five years of Growing for Good have shown how determined and creative our tamariki are when it comes to improving their communities and the environment.”
Applications are open to primary, intermediate, and secondary schools and ECEs across Aotearoa until the 2nd of June.
