Greerton Village Kindergarten hosted a breakfast earlier this month with children, teachers, parents, grandparents, volunteers and supporters to celebrate becoming a Silver Enviroschool.

The Enviroschools Programme is a nationwide initiative supported by Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

It provides resources to schools and kindergartens keen to look after their environment.

The programme encourages schools and centres to regularly reflect on their journey and provides the bronze, silver, green/gold levels to work towards.

Greerton Village Kindergarten teacher Alicia Taylor says working through the reflection process has been an affirming and positive experience.

'It has brought our team, whanau and community together.

'The children were very excited to share their learning as part of their journey to silver.

'The children enthusiastically showcased our worm farm, compost, garden and rain harvesting tanks and talked about the importance of looking after nature and Papatuanuku (the land). They led adults on a tour of our environment and we all enjoyed a healthy shared kai made with food we had grown, along with items donated by the local Good Neighbour Food Rescue Trust.”

Regional Council community engagement advisor Natalie Ridler says the kindergarten has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to sustainability actions.

'It is truly inspiring to see how actively involved the children have been in caring for their surroundings and that they are already planning their next steps towards green/gold.”

Children and teachers at Greerton Village Kindergarten have created a vision map with their ideas for future projects.

Having their own chickens, building play equipment from upcycled materials, and growing more fruit trees all feature on their map.

If your school or kindergarten is interested in the Enviroschools Programme, contact acting regional coordinator Natalie Ridler on 0800 884 880 ext 7152.