Otago Girls' High School pupils (from left) Lucy Davidson (15), Anya Kardailsky (17), Josephine Frazer (17), Nadya Keniya (15) and Veronique Montalba (16) hold a poster showing how much the school is embedded in the Enviroschools programme. Photo: Gerard O'Brien.

A ''particularly good crop'' of young environmentalists at Otago Girls' High School this year, has helped the school win a Green-Gold Enviroschools Award, making it the first secondary school in Otago to win one.

Assistant principal Bridget Davidson said the school had been part of the Enviroschools programme since 1999, and was delighted to have reached one of the highest echelons of the programme.

''It's been 18 years of work. We're still inspired because we have new students coming through each year.

''This year's team of girls has been a particularly good crop. We've raised them from seeds.''

Mrs Davidson said the Green-Gold award was for proving the school had imbedded environmental sustainability in everything it did.

The school has worked hard to build environmental awareness among staff and pupils, and has developed an environmental care code.

Task forces have also been established to look at the school's waste and recycling, energy use and carbon footprint, and landscape.

''It means environmental practices are integrated across the school.

''It's in the curriculum, it takes in Maori perspectives, it takes in diversity of students and cultures, and it takes in our practices at the school - what we do every day for the environment.''

She said the school's pupils were also heavily involved in community environmental activities such as the Tomahawk Lagoon study, Quarantine Island planting projects and seaweed study, the Healthy Harbour Watch and a kowhai propagation programme at the school.

The school received the award after recently undergoing an intensive Enviroschools green-gold reflection assessment with Enviroschools facilitators.

During the assessment, pupils had to communicate their Enviroschools journey and ethos at the school.

Mrs Davidson said the school was proud of the award because it was difficult to achieve at secondary level.

''It's much harder in a high school because high schools are much bigger and more complex.''

She said there was only one higher stage than green-gold in the Enviroschools programme.

It was called the beyond green-gold stage and it was the next challenge on the school's radar.

john.lewis@odt.co.nz