Dear Members,
I didn’t make it, but I hear that the Octagon came alive with people celebrating Saturday night’s WWF Earth Hour. A fabulous photo by SDC committee member Mark Jackson can be found on the WWF website - http://www.wwf.org.nz/earth_hour/, plus you can find out how to ‘make every hour earth hour’ by following this link http://www.wwf.org.nz/earth_hour/earth_hour__every_hour/
Read on!
1. Upcoming Sustainability Events and Courses
- ENROL NOW - April - Sustainable Living Classes Coming Up
- Wednesday April 14, 11am at the Octagon - Our Wheels for the World Rally
- Coming in May – Cultivating Sustainability Workshop – locations to be confirmed
- November 12 & 13, 2010 - Signs of Change Conference, Christchurch
2. Dunedin Sustainability in Action!
- Have Your Say on the Draft Annual Plan for Dunedin City
- Good on the Dunedin City Council on the opening of five new housing units in St Kilda
- Time to reward our environmental heroes – Green Ribbon Awards – Nominations close April 16
3. Food for Thought
- Bought Nestle products recently? I know I have, but may not again after receiving the information below from Greenpeace.
- Good home heating cuts school absences for children with asthma
1. Upcoming Sustainability Events and Courses
Another good calendar for sustainability-related events around Dunedin can be found at http://dect.org.nz/modules/extcal/calendar.php. We’d love to advertise your sustainability-related event or course - please send contributions in to dk.sk@xtra.co.nz.
i) ENROL NOW - April - Sustainable Living Classes Coming Up
The Sustainable Living Course is an interactive nine-week course will assist you to learn and share practical tips that make a difference and can save you money, meet others in your local community who are interested in living more sustainably, and gain support for introducing lifestyle changes you want to make.
Facilitated by Maureen Howard, c/o Water and Waste Services, Dunedin City Council.
* Sustainable Living for Tertiary Students - short 6 week course run through Clubs and Socs. Please contact them to enrol.
* Adult community courses coming up for all of the community (EVENING course and a DAYTIME depending on interest).
* Adult community course for the Pacific Island Community (please contact facilitator for details).
COURSE DETAILS
Adult Community City Evening Course (for wider community)
Start Date: Wednesday 21st April, Each Wednesday: 7-9pm for 9 weeks, Venue: Space 2B (corner Filluel and St Andrews).
Student Flatting - Sustainably and Economically, Start Date: Tuesday 20th April, Each Tuesday: 7-9pm - for 6 weeks, Venue: Clubs and Socs, Albany St
Adult community courses are free but a Koha/Donation is requested ($30 recommended). Student Flatting course fee TBC. Courses are restricted to a maximum of 14 people. REGISTRATION IS ESSENTIAL. Registration or enquiries to Maureen, Phone 4739967, Email mhoward@slingshot.co.nz.
The Sustainable Living Programme is brought to you locally by the Dunedin City Council
ii) Wednesday April 14, 11am at the Octagon - Our Wheels for the World Rally
As part of their Annual Healthy Lifestyles Week, OUSA is holding an Our Wheels for the World Rally down George Street. Imagine a 100 or more students positively parading down George Street to Uni. Music, Bikes, Skateboards… Lots of fun and a party with crazy bikes, giveaways and bike and skateboard workshops on the OUSA Lawn at the end of the ride! Even if you’re not a student, what a neat way to get out there and support active, low carbon transport in the city - let’s make it massive!
iii) Coming in May – Cultivating Sustainability Workshop – locations to be confirmed
Cultivating Sustainability is a 1-day workshop which provides sustainability advocates with insights, models and practical tools to support their behaviour change efforts. Anybody who has taken on the challenge of influencing others to live and work more sustainably will find this workshop a valuable addition to their skills.
Cost: For-profits $250pp
Not-for-profit/Government $200pp
Individuals/Community Groups $120pp
For more information about the Cultivating Sustainability workshop, see www.awake.com.au/cultivating.html
To register interest for workshops in New Zealand or Australia, please email timc@awake.com.au
iv) November 12 & 13, 2010 - Signs of Change Conference, Christchurch
Presented by Engineers for Social Responsibility jointly with Sustainable Energy Forum, NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities, Institute for a Sustainable Society, Transition Aotearoa
Please see attached material for more information, or go to http://www.aemslab.org.nz/abode/getCategoryProducts.do/_siteId__711/method__getCategoryProducts/_categoryId__4335
2. Dunedin Sustainability in Action!
This section is about some of the inspirational things happening in our community, as well as ’sustainability’ volunteer opportunities in and around Dunedin. If you’ve got a project you need more hands for (or even a project that needs hands to get started!), or a group you think our members may like to join, send me a paragraph…and don’t forget your contact details. And if you’re doing something inspirational, or know of someone that is, let me know (dk.sk@xtra.co.nz).
- Have Your Say on the Draft Annual Plan for Dunedin City
The 2010/11 Draft Annual Plan contains information about what the Council plans to do in 2010/11 and across the next ten years to 2019/20. It describes the proposed projects and activities, how much they will cost and when they will happen.
If you wish to make comments on any of the proposals in the Draft Annual Plan 2010/11 please see the details below.
http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/your-council/draft-annual-plan/have-your-say-the-submission-process
- Good on the Dunedin City Council on the opening of five new housing units in St Kilda
The new brick units are designed to be energy efficient, with double-glazing, solar-assisted hot water and full insulation, and were built with accessibility in mind. Each unit has flat access, wet-area showers and facilities such as external power points for motorised mobility scooters.
All sites have been landscaped with paved areas, maintained lawns and low-maintenance gardens and some units have a raised garden bed for easy gardening. You can find out more at
http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/news/march-2010/council-opens-five-new-housing-units
- Time to reward our environmental heroes – Green Ribbon Awards – Nominations close April 16
Environment Minister Nick Smith is calling for nominations for the 2010 Green Ribbon Awards which honour New Zealand’s environmental champions.
“The Green Ribbon Awards acknowledge the outstanding contributions that many New Zealanders make in caring for our environment,” Dr Smith said.
“Nominations are open to all individuals, businesses, community organisations, media and public sector initiatives which demonstrate visible results from their commitment to the environment.
“This year marks the 20th year of these awards and they have been refreshed with a stronger focus on practical environmental initiatives that will make a positive difference to the New Zealand environment. There are six categories covering different environmental challenges from land to sea and six categories for different contributions from individuals to large organisations.”
The 12 categories this year are:
* Protecting our biodiversity
* Reducing our carbon emissions
* Caring for our water
* Managing our waste
* Improving our air quality
* Protecting our coasts and oceans
* Community action for the environment: Young people
* Community action for the environment: Volunteers and not-for-profit organisations
* Environment in the media
* Small businesses making a difference
* Environmentally responsible large organisations
* Public sector stepping up
“It takes initiative, commitment and dedication to tackle environmental issues. The Green Ribbon Awards recognise the incredible efforts being undertaken at all levels across the country to address some of the environmental challenges and opportunities that New Zealand faces.”
Nominations close on 16 April 2010 with winners announced on 3 June 2010. For more information visit www.mfe.govtnz/withyou or email green.ribbon@mfe.govt.nz
3. Food for Thought
Do you know of an amazing podcast everyone should listen to? An article or a blog or a site that would be of interest to all SDC members? Send me a short explanation and the link (dk.sk@xtra.co.nz), and we’ll add it in here. Links preferable to attachments, because they tend to fill up everyone’s inboxes.
- Nestlé wants you to have a break by having a Kit Kat - but globally Kit Kats contain palm oil from companies that are trashing Indonesian rainforests, speeding up climate change, threatening the livelihoods of local people and pushing orang-utans towards extinction.
Before you take a break watch this video - it exposes the true cost behind having a break the Kit kat way. Warning: Video contains shocking material
Nestlé is the largest food and drink company in the world - but it continues to ignore the worst offenders which supply its palm oil.
Overnight we are launched an international campaign to ask Nestlé to stop buying palm oil that comes from destroyed forests!
Having that care-free break with a Kit Kat bar isn’t so care-free - when it means taking a bite of Indonesia’s precious rainforest…
Take action here
Thank you for your support,
Nick Young
- Good home heating cuts school absences for children with asthma
Improving heating in New Zealand homes with children who suffer from asthma has a significant impact on reducing the number of days children are away from school.
A recently published study by the University of Otago, Wellington shows that installing heat pumps, wood or pellet burners or flued gas heaters is the key to cutting school sick days for children with asthma.
Read more at http://www.otago.ac.nz/news/news/otago007906.html
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Tēnā koutou katoa,
Suze Keith (SDC’s newsletter compiler)
dk.sk@xtra.co.nz
Janet Brady (SDC’s secretary)
secretary@sustainabledunedincity.org.nz
Sustainable Dunedin City Inc.
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