Three streets vie for greenie title

Groups of green-thumbed  residents in  Raumati, Raumati South and Paekakariki are competing to get their street the title of  ‘Kapiti Coast’s Greenest Street 2012.’

The three competing streets are  north Alexander Road in Raumati Beach,Grange Park Road in Raumati South, and north Wellington Road in Paekakariki.

The Alexander Road group comprises 12 households with a mixc of retired, middle-aged and young families.

Most of the men commute – with some some carpooling; and the women mostly work locally – preferring to use a car and sometimes a bike for transport.

Getting in touch with neighbours

Residents  have lived in the street between 6 months and 13 years Some of the long-term residents say they’ve lost touch with their neighbours as people have moved in and out of the street and life has become busier — so obviously this project will help them reconnect.

Most householders say they want to get to know their neighbours and become more self-sufficient.

The Grange Park Avenue team in Raumati South has nine households, and is a mixture of long-term and recent residents with a lot of children. The quiet nature of the cul-de-sac means it is safe for them to play out on the footpath, while older households appreciate the lack of through-traffic.

Getting to know each other better was a recurring theme in this street, as elsewhere.

Paekakariki team

The Wellington Road team describe themselves as a diverse group of about 12 households, with  a ‘wide range of ages and stages.’

They are notable for the inclusion of the Paekakariki Holiday Park, which will not be measuring its environmental impact due to the technical difficulties, but will be working with households on two-way ideas.

Neighbourhood rodent control, beekeeping and  ways to eat more sustainably are some of the ideas being developed.

Residents also want to talk to local farmers interested in exchanging firewood for help with riparian planting.

The competition will run for nine months through to June 2012 with streets competing to reduce their average environmental impact. Working as groups of households, this focus is supported by an emphasis on building stronger and more resilient communities.

Even at this early stage of the competition, participants commented on the enjoyment they are getting from having a reason to get together. Peter Rankin from Paekakariki hosted the launch for his street despite being one of the newest residents.

He says joining the competition has been a great way to accelerate the process, instead of gradually meeting neighbours by accident.

More information about the competition, including the street’s profiles and links to their blogs can be found at www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/Our-District/greenest-street/

Kapiti Coast’s Greenest Street 2012 was officially launched recently as four of the five judges met the three participating “streets” for the first time.

Mayor Jenny Rowan welcomed the three streets to the second round of the competition, followed by introductions from Professor Brenda Vale, Joy Darke and Robert Glensor. They were joined by Councillor Gurunathan.