Swings + Roundabouts Spring 2020

centre look for low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). VOCs can be dangerous to human health and the environment. LAND AND NATURE: Support our local native flora and fauna by: ● Installing insect and bird boxes in the playground. ● Establish programs that allow children to take care of their ‘own’ plant/fish/bird bath in a way that they can contribute to the maintenance and continuity. ● Growing native plants in the playground or in the classroom. SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT: ● Establish a centre travel plan with Auckland Transport - it provides a centre’s community with practical actions to improve road safety, reduce car trips to the centre, and encourages the use of more sustainable modes of transport such as walking, cycling and buses. ● Consider turning some of the car parks into ‘small car’ spaces so that only smaller energy efficient cars will fit. CULTURE AND COMMUNITY: ● Provide references to local culture and heritage and build a relationship between the centre and the history of the surrounding area. ● Build a relationship with a local rest home to embrace the elders in our communities. ● Host cultural awareness days such as Chinese New Year, Diwali and Matariki that involve the parents. HEALTH AND HAPPINESS: Providing a healthy and pleasant environment for all within the centre by: ● Leave shoes at the doors as this leaves any pesticides and mould at the door and naturally supports the development of young feet. ● Ensure there is fresh air always. ● Use natural light instead of artificial light. ● Practice mindfulness regularly with the children including when eating. ● Clean the filters of the extraction fans in the bathrooms and in any heat pumps regularly. ● Using environmentally friendly low VOCs cleaning products. ● Improve sound quality by installing sound absorbing pin boards on the walls. These steps give just a few examples of what can be done. Use them to help define goals and then implement them gradually as sustainable principles should always be practical, easy and above all fun. OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES, CHECKLISTS AND RATING TOOLS: − Go Green Rating Scale for Early Childhood Settings by Phil Bosie − Childcare Design Guide by Anita Olds − Sustainability Business Network, www.sustainable.org.nz − The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), www.sdg.org.nz − New Zealand Green Building Council, www.nzgbc.org.nz − Living Building Challenge - The Living Future Institute, www.iving-future.org/lbc − The International WELL Building Institute - www.wellcertified.com Phil and Tiffany Smith, owners of Collingridge and Smith Architects (UK) Ltd (CASA) have specialised in designing world-class education architecture for over 20 years, both in NZ and the UK. They believe in creating beautiful human spaces based on research that brings together architecture and evolutionary psychology. This is achieved through creativity, refinement, and care. They have been recognised for their achievements in sustainable early childhood architecture with their designs achieving many local and international awards for centres including Fantails Childcare; New Shoots Children's Centres, Three Trees Learning Centre, Campbells Bay Early Learning Centre, Chrysalis Early Learning Centre, Kristin Early Learning, and Te Mirumiru Childhood Education Centre. Website: www.casa-uk.com How does your early learning centre support sustainability with your tamariki? Send us a photo and a short paragraph describing what you do and go in the draw to win three books for your early learning centre. Images must be of high resolution to be published (if tamariki are in the photo please confirm in your email that parents/caregivers have given permission for their child to be in this nation-wide/online publication). Send your entry to Trudi, publications@ecc.org.nz by Friday 16 October 2020. Replace lightbulbs with energy efficient ones e.g. LEDs, House of Wonders - Cambridge Good ventilation and leave shoes outside, House of Wonders Cambridge September 2020 { 34 }