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A group of 30 students from Mahurangi College marched through Warkworth on March 15 to protest inaction over climate change, as part of the Fridays for Future worldwide demonstration.
Led by 15-year-old Briar Minson, each of the students had chosen to give up an hour of their school day to highlight what they believe is an important message.
“We want everyone to think about climate change as a community and explore different solutions. Educate yourself and others because it all starts with knowing the problem,” she says.
The students identified several sustainability issues they believed could be tackled.
Louise Daum, 14, whose placard read ‘I’ve seen better cabinets from IKEA’, challenged the government to take the cause more seriously.
“Stop imports on products with plastic packaging. So many school lunch packages have plastic wrapped in plastic that gets used once and thrown away,” she says.
“Banning plastic bags was good but more needs to be done, especially since our recycling is no longer being taken by China.”
Lexe Van Satnen, 15, is vegan and says that a lot of her friends have made the choice to become vegetarians as a way of helping the environment.
“If there’s less demand for meat then it cuts down on methane produced by cows and other animals,” she says.
Brandon Lewis, 15, says it’s up to him and his peers to do the right thing after the previous generation let them down.
“Our parents have made the climate bad with their cars, but when I start driving I’m going to try to get an electric car, especially since there is a charge station in Warkworth,” he says.
The students received plenty of support during their march in Warkworth with motorists honking their horns and passersby cheering them on.
Despite schools across the nation speaking out against the strike taking place during school time, Mahurangi College principal David McLeod says students learned a lot from the experience.
“If they were going to be involved they had to do their research and check out if they personally believed in what the process was about. It wasn’t just a fun hour off school,” he says.
“I think that kids these days are intensely aware of environmental issues. This is the kind of passion we want to see in our students and it is actually important for the future of the planet.”
Briar Minson says students who didn’t get the chance to protest on the day don’t have to wait for international events to raise their voice.
“If you have an opinion then share it. You don’t have to wait for the whole world to do something before you can feel like you are contributing,” she says.
Climate change starts at home
Kiwis will have to make better lifestyle choices if New Zealand is to meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
There are three current targets:
• An unconditional 2020 target – five per cent below our 1990 greenhouse gas emissions levels by 2020 and, according to government sources, NZ is on track to meet this target.
• A 2030 target under the Paris Agreement – 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.
• A 2050 long-term target – 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050.
Here’s a few ideas where small changes by a lot of people will make a big difference:
Buy local
A typical meal bought from a supermarket uses four to 17 times more petroleum for transport than the same meal using local ingredients. Buying local food or products also helps local economies.
Action – Plant your own vegetables and fruit trees • Buy local and in-season foods that haven’t travelled long distances to reach you.
Eat less meat
Red meat production produces significantly more greenhouse gas emissions than the production of chicken meat, fruit, vegetables and cereals. It also requires substantially more water. Around 30 per cent of the world’s land area is used for livestock production, so it is also one of the key reasons for deforestation.
Action – Reduce meat consumption. A fruit and vegetable rich diet also has many health benefits, such as reducing the risk of heart disease.
Drive and fly less
The transport sector contributes 19 per cent of New Zealand’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
Action – Walk or cycle because it is free, has the least impact on the environment and is good for your health • Use public transport • Carpool with friends • Work remotely and use video conferencing instead of travelling to a meeting • Reduce the number of flights you take and pay to offset your emissions.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
The best way to reduce waste is not to create it in the first place! All products require energy and materials to be built, packaged, transported and sold. Reducing your consumption in general is good for the environment, and for your wallet.
Action – Buy only the food you need, and compost your kitchen scraps and garden waste • Around half the waste that ends up in New Zealand landfills is organic material (food, garden, paper and wood waste). When organic material decomposes, it produces methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas.
• Buy products without any packaging whenever possible and always take reusable bags to the supermarket.
• Make the most of what you already have. Maintaining and repairing products such as clothes means they don’t have to be replaced so often.
Other ideas
These actions have a higher cost, but have a big impact:
• If you are building a house, include balconies, shading and efficient cooling systems such as natural ventilation.
• Use passive solar design and insulation – this reduces the need for heating in winter and air-conditioning in summer.
• If you replace your car, consider an electric vehicle.
Source, Ministry for the Environment
