Grey Lynn 2030 Transition Community

The world is on the brink of runaway climate change and it’s time to get serious. That’s why this year, Greenpeace is launching the most urgent, ambitious and important campaign we’ve ever undertaken.

It’s called Sign On.

We’re asking John Key to Sign On for urgent action on climate change when he meets with other world leaders in Copenhagen this December, for what could be the most important meeting in history.

As a leader of a developed country, John Key needs to Sign On to a 40 percent by 2020 emissions reduction target*.  This is what must happen if we are to save the climate.

(*Interested in the fine print? Developed countries must make cuts of 40 per cent on their 1990 emissions by 2020)

From Lucy Lawless, Cliff Curtis and Keisha Castle-Hughes through to Stephen Tindall, Geoff Ross and Jim Salinger, Kiwis are uniting in this call to action.

By December, we need hundreds of thousands of other New Zealanders to have joined them, which is where you come in.

We’ve set up an interactive campaign website, and automatically set you up with a Sign On account and username.

Your support has helped us to achieve much for the environment.  Yet, in our long history of campaigning, there has never been a moment where we needed you to get involved as we do now.

We need you to do one simple, but hugely important thing: Click here to get your password or paste this URL into your browser

http://www.signon.org.nz/user/reset/44102/1243016228/a599324cd55f0093c39170acd5371986

Log in now and use the invitation form to invite as many of your family, friends and colleagues as you can to Sign On and get behind this campaign.  It’s only by building a huge groundswell of support that we can win.

Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be keeping you updated, and providing you with more opportunities to make a difference to this campaign.

Together we can provide John Key with a strong mandate to do the right thing in Copenhagen.  It’s now or never.

Thank you for your support,

Nick Young
Greenpeace NZ

Hi All,

A massive thank you to everyone who helped organise and promote the Sunday’s demonstration.    Here’s the plan from here..

- We intend meeting with the NZTA’s CEO to see if they will re-open the walk/cycle way study

- We will ask the PM to consider making the walk/cycle a “Road of National Significance”, which means it is entitled to a share of the recently announced $1 billion of extra funding for State Highway projects.

- We are staging a short protest outside the NZTA’s “Bridges Linking Communities” Conference on Wednesday, 8:30 to 9:30am outside the Sky City, please contact Andy for details:  andysmith@clear.net.nz or  021-474 740. A draft of our media release is attached

- We have lodged a complaint with the Auditor-General’s office over the NZTA’s conduct relating to the walk/cycle way study, see:
http://www.fast.gen.nz/page/walking(and)biking-on-the-bridge/auditor-general-investigation/

Bevan Woodward

Here is the video of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Capt. Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation first discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — an endless floating waste of plastic trash. Now he’s drawing attention to the growing, choking problem of plastic debris in our seas.

Rated Informative, jaw dropping and persuasive on TED so far.

Go here for the video page. if you can’t see the embedded video below.

GetReal is only a month old and we have already made a real change.

Campaign #1: Plastic bag success!

Campaign #1 got massive on-the-ground support and media attention. And it got a result!

Foodstuffs announced on 17 April that all their supermarkets, New World and Pak’n Save, would charge for plastic bags from the beginning of August.

Thanks to everyone who supported us on the plastic bag campaign.

This campaign is not over. Progressive Enterprises is yet to announce their decision and we urge you to email them and let your opinion be known.

The rolling maul – Campaign #2 – Packaging is a Priority.

GetReal is moving to focus on the role of packaging in the wider waste issue with the launch of Campaign #2 : Packaging is a Priority.

With the Waste Minimisation Act we have the legislation to do it, The Government is seeking submissions on how to enact it. We just need to give it some teeth.

Are we whining bleeding heart eco-whackos?

Last week Leighton Smith laid into us on his talk back show labeling us “eco-whackos” and frothing at the mouth over our activities. We emailed him an invite to the Wastebusters smoko to talk things over but got no reply.

We challenge anybody who thinks our campaigns are not worthy to contact us with their concerns and start a conversation.

Plastic bags? Packaging? Get a life?

If you think this issue is not of immediate concern we encourage you to watch the TED Talk on the Pacifc Gyre.

Much of our packaging is ending up doing tangible harm in areas we do not see and re-designing and re-engineering our waste stream is a challenge we should embrace as an opportunity to do good, fun, challenging work.

Individually wrapped apricots? Eco-whackos? If that is what it takes,

GetReal!!

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More info:

- Our open letter

- Read about how to make a submission

Mt Albert Green Party have asked Pt Chev Transition Town to host a discussion with Russel Norman.

The Greens are setting up a series of ‘cottage meetings’ where people can ask Russell questions about the Green campaign, and find out more about the Green party’s policy and response to current events, like the supercity.

You are all invited to attend, whether or not you are considering voting Green

It is at Niki and Keith’s house – n.harre at auckland.ac.nz for details , Weds May 20th from 7.30-9pm.

Grey Lynn 2030 is invited to the 2009 Wai Care Expo.

Saturday 23 May 2009 from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm at the Red Lecture Theatre, Unitec Mt Albert Campus, Auckland.

Wai Care is a community-based water quality monitoring, education and action programme. The Wai Care programme includes member councils from Rodney District, North Shore City, Auckland City, Waitakere City, Manukau City and the Papakura District working together to promote the protection and enhancement of the Auckland Region’s fresh water resources.

The Wai Care Annual Event for 2009 is the Wai Care Expo! This event includes:

Mix and Mingle – Wai Care volunteers and others interested in promoting healthy waterways from all corners of the region

Learn – Keynote Speaker: Mel Galbraith, Senior Lecturer, Natural Sciences at the Unitec of New Zealand. Mel is a Council member of the New Zealand Ecological Society and the Auckland Regional Recorder for the Ornithological Society of New Zealand. With twenty years of experience in biology and science education Mel was awarded a Royal Society of New Zealand Science and Mathematics Teacher Fellowship in 1997.

Celebrate – 2009 Wai Care Annual Awards

Learn – Workshop sessions: Stream bugs and native fish; riparian restoration; and Low Impact Design.

Share and Show – Wai Care groups and partners projects and displays

Please RSVP to Tiere Jackson-Riki on telephone (09) 366 2000 extension 8171 or email Tiere.Jackson-Riki@arc.govt.nz no later than 4:00 pm on Wednesday 06 May 2009.