Pictured above: The Enviro group on a Zoom with Daisy, the Auckland Council Enviro Schools Co-ordinator. She assisted the students in setting up their year planner and putting them in touch with other community groups as one of their goals this year is to have wider community engagement.

The Enviro Group is back but with new leaders!

We are passionate about the natural environment, and are motivated to protect our planet. We believe it is important to know the effects of our actions and how to reduce the impact of them. The Westlake Girls Enviro Group is a club and network that is open to all year levels and for students with any environmental experience. You could be a keen tree planter, bird identifier and zero plastic wiz, or be completely new to environmental activities and want to see what they are like. If you have a passion for creating change and helping our wild places and wild things, Enviro Group is the place for you! With current traffic light restrictions we have had to put our regular meetings on hold, so sign up to our Enviro Group Google Classroom to get the latest updates. The code is: cfvps5q

We are also on the lookout for some potential Enviro leaders that will help the Enviro Prefects to promote our events and workshops, and inspire fellow students. They will work with us Prefects to deliver the different units we have planned. If you are interested in a leadership position like this, have a look on our Google Classroom for where to sign up. 

A sneak peek of new projects we want to incorporate this year:

• Book Swap
• Waste unit 
• Adopt a Park (conservation work)
• +  other workshops about personal actions 

One of our first workshops for the year is associated with Sea Week. This year Sea Week will take place from March 5th to March 13th. We are planning to have an awesome guest speaker who is immersed in marine science and conservation. This will be a great chance for students who are passionate about our oceans, freshwater, and marine animals to come along to learn from an experienced and passionate individual in the marine field. You will be able to expand your knowledge on our underwater world and actions you can take to help this part of the natural environment. 

The Clothes Swap and Beeswax wrap events have been popular at Westlake for several years. We hope to bring both back this year. Both of these events are an effort to reduce our waste and reuse materials in different ways. Clothes Swapping is when you bring in clothes and swap them with another student’s piece of clothing. Beeswax wraps are amazing substitutes for one time use plastic wraps that can often end up in the landfill. These are both great alternatives to buying new trendy clothes or using plastic wraps which create more waste. 

And lastly and certainly not least let’s introduce the 2022 environmental prefect team!

Hi, my name is Rosa Troughton and I’m Pupuke’s Enviro Prefect! A bit about me is that I love the outdoors, ironic I know. I love going tramping, snorkelling, surfing, swimming, camping and basically anything that will push me out of my comfort zone. I’m very excited to be working with the other Enviro prefects this year, and aim to bring awareness to environmental issues by really putting our words into action. Hopefully together with the Enviro group soon!

Kia ora, I’m Anja and I am excited to be Akoranga’s Environmental Prefect. Since I was a little kid I have loved the outdoors and nature. You would always find me outside (most likely covered in mud), looking for bugs or up a tree. This has developed my strong passion for adventure, environmental education and conservation. This year I aim to inspire more students at Westlake Girls to get involved in activities that benefit our planet. I’d like to help develop their leadership skills and potential to be environmental ambassadors.

Hi, I’m Lunar (on the left), your Wairau Enviro Prefect. Something about me is that I enjoy sewing and altering clothes. One of the proudest alterations I’ve done is turning a thrifted large men’s polo shirt into a sleeveless dress. It’s one of my go-to summer dresses now! Not all projects go well and I often end up with strings and pieces of fabrics all over the floor and feeling frustrated. But nonetheless, at the rarest times, when I do succeed, it’s so rewarding.

Hi Envirogroup, I’m Moe, your Hauraki Enviro-prefect. Something about me is that I have always loved the sciences, ever since I could remember. Hand-me-down children’s encyclopedias were my holy grail to kill time at home. So, I definitely aim to do something related to my passion for the sciences in the near future. Ps: I don’t have blonde highlights any more.

Hi there beautiful people, my name’s Sian and I am the Environmental Prefect for Onewa! Fun fact about me is I love netball, I umpire, coach and play for our teams at Westlake, as well as Club and NNH. I also have a passion for the sciences, taking Bio, Chem and Physics this year and last! One event I’m looking forward to is the Clothes Swap. People who know me, know I am very thrifty. I’ve grown up exploring the Northcote Dressmart since I was in primary. I would love to see students be involved and develop the same keen interest, as Clothing/Fast Fashion/Micro Trends are one of our biggest polluters!