Much like a monkey aboard a 1960s Space Rocket it appears food prices don’t want to come back down to earth either.  A brand of chocolate that is now banned at Auckland Zoo seems to be partly responsible. Apparently the increase in Grocery Sub Group One was driven by a price increase for chocolate that was ‘influenced by a decrease in the size of some chocolate blocks’.

Alarmingly one of my favourite characters from the Munch Bunch Tom Tomato has also skyrocketed in price. Lettuce is up too but this vegetable was too unhip to have a dedicated Munch Bunch character so doesn’t have a snazzy cartoon persona.

But it’s not all slightly bad news – it’s actually even worse news when one realises that apparently recessions love fast food global mega burger corp.  Of course none of the above food price rises for veges coupled with a potential boom in fast food will help our obesity problem.

Also not helping is the government decision to allow any old rubbish back into our schools by getting rid of the healthy food guidelines.  In keeping with modern times how soon will it be before the nation’s youth are dosing up on some cocaine and downing a few demons before hitting their enviro-schools study – oh hang on the funding to that’s gone. 

Anyway you can save the kids from the threat of demons and cocaine by signing Sue K’s petition to keep schools a healthy place for kids and food – while there’s still time!

At present 675 schools are Enviroschools and the programmes cater for 210,000 children. Enviroschools told me about their long waiting lists of schools wanting to join the Enviroschools programme and their international success. Enviroschools have been mentoring the development of similar programmes and other “P4″ countries notably Chile.

The Enviroschools kaupapa is so much more than planting carrots outside the school library or cleaning up the local stream. The Matauranga Taiao approach is an educational philosophy based on an indigenous understanding of sustainability and of learning. Enviroschools is about children as leaders in critical thinking around sustaining the environmental and the community. It works with the leadership and passion of children and young people supported by Education for Sustainability (EFS) advisers and Enviroschools coordinators and teachers. I was initially concerned that Enviroschools might be constrained to a narrow definition of environmental thinking but having met the core team I am reassured.

The work of Enviroschools is deep and wide and holistic and it based on excellent reflective educational practices. The National Government has completely cut the funding for EFS advisers and has given Enviroschools six months to develop a plan for their ongoing funding. Enviroschools do have the involvement of Regional Councils and other partners but without core support from the central government things look tough.

In 2002 the Greens succeeded in a Budget bid to Labour which established the EFS advisers. In 2006 we managed to negotiate $30 million for the Enviroschools project based on the work of the EFS people and many passionate teachers and parents. Enviroschools are a Green flagship policy for good reason and we will continue to try and find ways to keep them going. This aspect of our children’s learning is so vital to everyone’s survival.

We are surprised at the sheer stupidity of this Budget cut.