The Beautification Trust’s Tread Lightly Caravan has been helping tamariki learn about the environment for nearly 20 years, travelling to schools across Tāmaki Makaurau with hands-on environmental education.
To keep this award-winning mobile classroom safe, reliable and ready to travel, the caravan recently needed a range of repairs and maintenance. Support from The Jenkins Foundation has helped make that work possible, ensuring the caravan can continue delivering environmental education to schools and communities.
Keeping the caravan fit for the road
The funding has supported a wide range of repairs and improvements to the caravan.
A leaky window was repaired and resealed, while new external panels were fitted to provide an extra layer of protection when the caravan is being towed. Inside the caravan, the internal walls were refixed to make them more secure. Solar extraction fans were also installed to reduce moisture, helping protect the interior from dampness.
The caravan’s back ramp has received a new pulley system, along with a solar battery charger to ensure there is always enough charge to operate the ramp doors.
Other work included removing rust from the panels and underside of the caravan and applying rust prevention spray. The roof also received a chemical wash to remove moss and mould build-up.
Together, these repairs will help extend the life of the caravan and keep it in good working order as it continues to travel to schools across Tāmaki Makaurau.
Taking environmental education into schools and communities
The Tread Lightly Caravan helps tamariki understand how their everyday choices affect te taiao. When it arrives at a school, it becomes a hands-on classroom where students explore waste, pollution, energy, biodiversity and climate change.
Making the programme more accessible was a key focus this year. A scaled pricing model based on each school's equity index helped reduce cost barriers, while targeted funding and sponsorship enabled some visits to schools facing high socio-economic barriers to be fully funded.
Each session ends with tamariki making their own environmental pledges, giving them a chance to take what they have learned home and involve their whānau.
The Tread Lightly Caravan also reached wider communities through a new Community WasteWise contract with Auckland Council. Educators attended 18 community activations, engaging an average of 86 people at each event, and delivered eight Recycle Right workshops within the Department of Corrections.
Behind every school visit and community activation is a caravan that needs to be safe, reliable and ready to go. The support from The Jenkins Foundation helps make those visits possible, keeping the door open for more tamariki to learn about and care for te taiao.
Looking after what makes the mahi possible
By investing in the repairs and maintenance of the Tread Lightly Caravan, The Jenkins Foundation is helping ensure our educators can continue bringing practical, engaging environmental education to tamariki across Auckland.
We would like to thank The Jenkins Foundation for their continued support of the Tread Lightly Caravan and for helping us keep this important programme on the road.