North Shore City’s first eco-fear factor a success

Secondary school students who faced their fears in North Shore City Council ' s first ever eco-fear factor challenge recently could be coming back for more next year, the event proved so popular.

Westlake Girls High School, Northcote, Carmel, Hato Petera, Long Bay and Rangitoto Colleges entered four person teams and competed in a series of challenges based loosely on TV2 ' s reality show ' Fear Factor ' with strong environmental themes.

A recycling race tested the teams ' knowledge of the recycling process with Hato Petera disappointingly eliminated after the first round while the remaining teams went on to compete in the ' worm feast ' challenge. This involved a team member sorting compostable from non-compostable waste with his or her head buried in a bucket of worms. Carmel College and Northcote College were out after this round.

A tense three-way tie-breaker saw Rangitoto College eliminated from the ' eel rescue ' challenge while Westlake Girls High School and Long Bay College were successful having raced to carry dead eels and Kokopu from a drum of foul smelling, dirty water, through a series of obstacles, to a clean bin. The fish had died after concrete was discharged into a stream. Long Bay College won this challenge and $400 worth of chemical-free paint donated by Nelson based Bio Paints Ltd.

The final challenge saw members from the last two teams racing in to the sea wearing waders then having to consume disgusting food including mock prawn soup and red-hot chillis, blackbean and jelly soup, and anchovies with shrimp sauce. A few team members choked at this point, but were carried through by the cast-iron stomachs of their team mates.

Westlake Girls High School displayed great determination and teamwork, but was unable to beat the strong, Long Bay College team, comprising Aaron Blucher, Tom Caiger, Samantha Koman and Aliena Wieland. As overall winners Long Bay College received $800 towards their school ball.

North Shore City Council ' s pollution prevention officer, Rowan Carter, says the event was a great way to get secondary students involved in eco-fest, with activities this year aiming to show that everyone in the community can do something to help protect the environment.

" The eagerness of local secondary schools to participate and the positive response during the event means we will definitely be considering doing it again next year, " says Mr Carter.

The eco-fear factor was held during the week-long eco-fest celebrations and is the first time the event has catered specifically for secondary school students.

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