MMAEP Coordinator Nikki Brighton with Anastacia Martin, Publisher, Mail and Guardian Media Ltd . (Photo: Andie Visser)

The Midlands Meander Education Project (MMAEP), was thrilled to win a Mail and Guardian Greening the Future Award at a ceremony held on 2nd June. The annual awards honour and celebrate the achievements of organisations that are playing a role in ensuring a sustained and healthy planet for all people, aim to inspire innovation and action and address the causes of climate change.

The judges, who are experienced and forward thinking individuals involved in shaping sustainability in South Africa, were impressed by the creativity and enthusiasm of the project. The MMAEP vision is to help Midlands’ schools nurture capable, confident, curious children who are sensitive to environmental issues, who have the resilience to cope with a changing future and are who able to contribute positively to their communities.

“N3TC is extremely proud to be associated with the Midlands Meander Education Project. It is one of N3TC’s key education projects within our Touching Lives, social responsibility, programme and we are privileged to partner with the Midlands Meander on this exceptional Project. The Bugs bring colour and excitement to the schools in the Midlands together with amazing passion and a touch of their special ‘magic’ - the essential ingredients for any successful initiative. N3TC congratulates Nikki Brighton and her team on this outstanding achievement, which is well deserved recognition for the incredible work that they do,” commented Con Roux, commercial manager of N3TC who have supported the MMAEP since 2004.

School days with the Bugs (as the MMAEP facilitators are commonly known) certainly are interesting and often great fun too. Perhaps Gugu the Grasshopper and the Superbug encourage everyone to search for insects and spot birds to determine the Biodiversity of the school grounds while Charles the Chameleon gets muddy in the nearby wetland inspiring learners to value this precious resource. Sizakele the Spider and Masechaba the Mayfly might get stuck into the food and medicine garden, determined to share their enthusiasm for growing organic food, while indoors, Doodlebug sorts out the school library to enable learners to do research projects and improve their reading.

The MMAEP supports 15 schools registered in the WESSA/WWF-SA Eco-Schools programme by assisting educators to integrate environmental education into the teaching curriculum, with emphasis on wise resource use, creativity, sustainable living and community building.

Rob Shuttleworth, Chair of the Midlands Meander Association (MMA) said this week “The genuine, bright, energetic and enthusiastic Bugs are a real MMA success story and make us all proud to be part of the Midlands Meander.”

The WESSA/WWF-SA Eco-Schools programme received a Commendation in the Schools and Institutions category.

To read the Mail & Guardian online article on the project and award click on this link: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-06-03-bugs-make-learning-fun. For the Mail & Guardian article on the Eco-Schools commendation, click on theis link: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-06-04-becoming-part-of-the-solution.