Alexander Road North tops Greenest Street Competition

Alexander Road North has won the ‘Greenest Street’ title for 2012.

The street showed the biggest reduction in its environmental footprint and residents found greener ways of doing almost everything in their daily lives from growing their own food to reducing waste and buying fewer consumer goods.

Kāpiti Coast District Council is the only council in the country to run a Greenest Streets Competition, which began in 2010. Three streets entered this round, which started in October. They were Alexander Rd, North, Raumati Beach; Grange Park Ave, Raumati South and Wellington Rd North, Paekākāriki.

Judging began on Saturday with judges, Mayor, Jenny Rowan, Joy Darke, Robert Glensor Prof Brenda Vale and, Liana Stupples visiting all the three streets.

Alexander Road North revealed greatly expanded gardens (and reduced lawns) chooks, rain barrels, biodigestors, frog ponds and a recycled BBQ.  Judges heard how neighbours helped put on a ‘green’ wedding for residents Gwen and Jason Capp who got married during the competition.

Second stop on the judges tour, Grange Park Avenue, was able to demonstrate how residents had helped each other create productive gardens and begin looking at resurrecting old concrete rain tanks.

The tour of Wellington Rd North started at Paekākāriki Holiday Park and judges saw a community composting operation and the unveiling of Geoff Osgood’s incredible ‘Trojan Horse’ a huge hand-operated compost screening drum.  Residents also boasted an effective rodent trapping operation with the captives benefiting the local eel population.

Judges based 40% of the final score on their assessment of the street’s achievements as a community. The remaining 60% was calculated on the average environmental foot print – both the size at the end of the competition and the percentage reduction over the course of the competition.

Prize giving took place at Raumati South Memorial Hall on Sunday. As the overall winner of the competition, Alexander Road North will receive $3000 to be split between, school(s), charity(s) and a street project

A variety of other prizes were also awarded.  To view information about these prizes, go here.