Lincoln High School has a Sustainability Council comprised of students who are passionate about the environment and have the goal of improving the school’s environmental sustainability.
The council members were motivated to provide an area of greenery for students and promote biodiversity in the school. Students chose the plant species for their area, in consultation with the local Kahui Ako cultural narrative. They wanted large trees that would sequester carbon, provide shade, and habitats for other species, and chose tōtara (which used to grow in the area), kōwhai (for its bird attraction), harakeke (for birds and for the Māori department to use for weaving), and a mix of other plants useful for attracting invertebrates.
One of the students drew up a final design which this included central seating surrounded on three sides by green natives to function as a breakout space that can allow students to be surrounded by nature. This was an aspect of school landscaping which students felt was sorely missed.
Initial planting took place in September, as well as laying edging and weed protection. The project will continue this year to build the seating and finish the rest of the planting.
