About the Project
Since 2020, this Auckland Council-supported initiative has empowered schools across the Howick area to understand and reduce their carbon footprint. What began with student-led waste minimisation projects has grown into a comprehensive programme supporting carbon measurement, climate action planning, and integration into everyday teaching.
In the 2025/2026 fiscal year, we’re proud to extend support to 25 local schools, offering practical tools, workshops, mentoring, and funding to turn climate learning into meaningful action.
This expansion is made possible thanks to the generous funding from the Howick Local Board and the continued support of Enviroschools.
Our Project Goal
We aim to support schools in reducing their environmental impact.
Our 2025–2026 goal is to achieve a 40% reduction in waste.
We also encourage each school to set their own realistic and measurable targets for reducing energy and water use, based on their own waste and carbon audits and action plans.
Why Your School Should Join
- Empower students to take real climate action
- Strengthen your school’s sustainability leadership
- Access funding, tools, and expert support
- Connect with other passionate educators and schools
- Embed climate learning in classroom and across the school
- Research shows when students take climate action, their climate anxiety reduces
- Expand students hands-on learning about a variety of everyday actions that significantly reduce their carbon emissions
Project History & Impact (2020-2024)
2020
- Kickstarted with our pioneering school, Farm Cove Intermediates, measuring carbon emissions through waste minimisation and energy consumptions.
- Designed Excel-based data tool to simplify school-level carbon data collection.
2021
- Led carbon accounting workshops for over 80 local teachers
- Farm Cove Intermediate released its first school carbon report at the Waste Minimisation Prizegiving cluster
2022–2024
- Supported schools in measuring emissions from energy, water, waste, and staff commuting
- Delivered school visits and in-class climate education
- Schools deepened integration of climate learning into teaching and student-led action
Growing Participation: The number of engaged schools continues to rise each year including: Sunnyhills School, Pakuranga Baptist Kindergarten, Bucklands Beach Intermediate, Howick Primary School, Mission Heights Junior School, Sancta Maria College and Saint Kentigern College.
What’s New in 2025–2026
- Dedicated Community Coordinator to support your school
- Support for Carbon Footprint Tracking – Waste, water, energy, and transport
- Workshops for Teachers & Property Managers
- Mentoring Across Schools – Share what works, grow together
- Funding – Up to $500 per school for climate action projects (e.g. compost, bokashi,
water-saving, energy conservation, school gardens) - Community Waste-Free Event – Celebrate student action and impact
- Curriculum Links – Supports teaching of climate change and sustainability
Project Timeline & Key Steps
For Climate Action Project at Howick Schools (2025-2026)
- EOI (Expression of Interest) due on 15 September 2025
- First Waste Audit (if no data from 2025) complete by 31 October 2025
- First Energy/Water Audit complete by 31 October 2025
- Action Plan (Waste + Energy/Water) & Grant Application submit by 15 November 2025
- Carbon Data Collection submit by 28 February 2026
- Funding Decision by November 2025 & Grant Released in February 2026 (the $500.00 support to help students take action)
- Implement Your Project, Waste Minimisation + Carbon Tracking, ongoing during Term 1 & 2, 2026
- Second Waste Audit complete by 15 May 2026
- Carbon Verification in May & June 2026
- Celebration Cluster in June 2026
Register Your School for 2025-2026
- Limited spots available – 25 schools will be supported this round
- Questions? Contact us at nigel@thegreenfield.co.nz