Water conservation efforts recognised

DIO’S WATER

CONSERVATION EFFORTS RECOGNISED

Melissa Brady, Diocesan School’s Property Development Manager, has worked with the United

Nations in war zones around the world, carried out humanitarian work in Iraq and dealt with complex emergencies, including in Caucasus. But it’s her role initiating and overseeing water conservation efforts at Diocesan School that she holds closest to her heart.

“I have a real connection to the Earth. We only have one and we’re all responsible for it – you can’t say it’s someone else’s problem. I’ve tried to instil that in the initiatives we’re introducing at Diocesan, but also to help empower our students. They have the power to facilitate change, and then to help push those initiatives through.”

It was Melissa’s enthusiasm and dedication to water conservation that first caught Watercare’s eye. She was invited to give a presentation to Watercare’s Auckland-based School’s Forum at Eden Park in October last year about some of her water conservation ideas that she was rolling out at school, ‘thinking smart and small’. usage. We’re looking at turning off sprinkler systems, and switching over to grey water tanks and using smart meters.

“Every time we turn on a tap, we should think about what we’re doing,” says Melissa. “Water’s a finite resource, and making our students global citizens and showing them the difference they can make is really exciting. It’s all about being aware that small changes can really make a difference.”

After Melissa’s presentation, Watercare asked if she would be interested in featuring in a 90-second educational video for its customers, outlining some of the water conservation initiatives the School had developed and adapted, and showing what a difference it was making.

“Apparently, lots of other schools were interested in the things we were doing, and especially the impact of the smart meters.”

Jane Eggleton, Head of Commercial Customers at Watercare, praised Melissa and Diocesan’s 1,550 students for the work they were doing.

“We’re really impressed by Dio’s efforts to save water,” she says. Not only will the measures they’ve taken benefit them financially over the long term, but it’s also helping their pupils to value water and understand that it is a precious resource. We’ve really appreciated being involved in their water-savings journey and are keen to support them in sharing their learnings with other schools.”

Since the beginning of 2020, Auckland has received significantly less rainfall than normal, which has had a severe impact on our city’s water supply. In April last year, the total volume of water stored in Auckland’s dams dropped below 50 per cent for the first time in more than 25 years. Aucklanders were urged to use water wisely and help reduce wastage by keeping showers short, not hosing lawns and gardens, and only using washing machines and dishwashers when they were full.

“Since we’ve been forced to look carefully at water-saving initiatives and water efficiency over the past year, they’ve now become part of the practical things that we can do on a day-to-day basis at school and home,” says Melissa.

“The School used to use around 22,000 litres of water a day,” she says. “But since we’ve introduced water conservation initiatives, we’ve dropped this down to 14,000 litres a day during

Melissa Brady

term time. We’ve still got a way to go, but that’s a great achievement.”

Most of the water savings can be attributed to the use of smart meters that show if there is water left running, or if there are leaks.

In addition, balance tanks under the school’s swimming pools collect rainwater from the roof, which is then used for backwashing and washing the concourse.

Irrigation systems for lawns and gardens are powered by non-potable, untreated water and are on timers to reduce water wastage. Non-potable water is also used to clean windows and the outside of school buildings.

“We’ve also installed Watercare timers in our swimming pools and boarding houses,” said Melissa. “A lot of our students have learnt the art of fourminute showers the hard way, but they’ve adapted well!”

Junior School students leave watering cans outside to collect rainwater, which they then use to water their gardens. Mulch is also used in the gardens to stop the soil drying out.

Melissa credits the Environmental Council with introducing and helping implement many of the initiatives, but says it’s very encouraging to see the entire School getting on board with water-saving approaches.

“Dio staff are leading by example, changing their behaviours and how they perceive water,” says Melissa. “We’re learning a lot from each other.” Environmental Council is looking at other areas of sustainability and good environmental practice. They’re looking at growing the school bus network (trying to reduce the number of students who take private buses), introducing cycle training with the Junior School and working with Auckland Transport on running scooter training.

“We’re also thinking about the eradication of litter, composting, fertilisation, and alternative power sources in an effort to make the School more sustainable,” says Melissa. “We’re encouraging our students to be leaders in this area and to work with us on implementing even more measures in our daily lives at School.”