Greenest Street signs go up
Wednesday 05 December 2012
Street signs marking the location of the 2011 and 2012 winners of Kāpiti Coast’s Greenest Street competition have been installed.
The signs, presented to the winning streets last July, have gone up in Te Roto Road, Ōtaki, and Alexander Road, Raumati Beach.
Mayor, Jenny Rowan, says the signs acknowledge the good work the neighbourhoods have done by working together towards a common goal. “The average environmental footprint was reduced by 29% in Te Roto Road and 18% in Alexander Road by making some simple but significant lifestyle changes. These changes were made easier by the support the neighbours gave each other”.
Terena Harris of Te Roto Road says the competition was a catalyst to putting some sustainable living concepts into action.
“It also gave us permission to break down social barriers and before we knew it we were welcoming one another into our kitchens and tool sheds and the momentum gathered from there. Over the course of nine months we reduced our environmental footprint and learned to live together more as a community.”
Terena says the participants introduced some sustainable living practices that have become habits and they are planning more projects to reduce their environmental footprint even further.
“It's been amazing to find what a big difference the little, everyday things make. We discovered we had a lot more in common than simply living in the same street and this resulted in some friendships and bonds that most likely wouldn’t have occurred in our previous busy lives.”
The Greenest Street competition has been run twice in Kapiti and is set for a third round starting in June 2013.
Groups of neighbours, keen to reduce their environmental footprint and build a stronger, more resourceful community, in a fun and supported way, are being sought.