May 3, 2010
· Filed under Events, Grey Lynn 2030, Waste, Waste Away Group
S#!T happens – deal with it!
This month the Waste Away group present an informative and entertaining meeting of ideas, tips and practical advice on dealing with waste.
Guest Presenters
Sunshine Yates “Household Waste & Recycling in Auckland City”
Dorte Wray “Towards Zero Waste – Food Waste”
With updates from the Wasters on a range of exciting new initiatives.
Be in to win the Waste Away raffle with a fabulous range of goodies including Bokashi Bucket and Zing donated by the Waste Away group; Solar Monkey – portable solar charger for sml digital devices donated by PLANIT EcoStore; String bags and produce bags donated by ReThinkNZ; NiMH fast charger + rechargable batteries donated by EcoBatteries; KeepCup & Jute Bag donated by Ripe Deli.
Wednesday 12th May
7.30pm – 9.30pm
Grey Lynn Community Centre
Why not bring a long a friend to the meeting? All welcome
February 22, 2010
· Filed under Events, Waste
This event was a big hit last year with 30 tonnes of appliances taken to the Auckland F&P centre for recycling with a total of 48 tonnes nationwide. This was approx. 800 appliances from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Many of these items would have ended up in landfill.
The event enables the public to bring along their appliances for recycling at no cost.
Items accepted are any brand of :
Refrigerator, Freezer, Washer, Dryer, Dishwasher, Overn, Cooktop, Rangehood, Waste Disposal Unit, Microwave.
www.fisherpaykel.co.nz
September 7, 2009
· Filed under Waste
After just one month of introducing a 5 cent charge for plastic bags Foodstuffs have announced a 60% reduction in plastic bag numbers compared to the same time last year. In the same week both Wellington and Auckland supermarkets, despite the success, backed down on the charge in response to customer feedback.
In the same week the NZ Packaging council announced they had achieved, in fact exceeded, their five year 20% target for plastic bag reduction. 22% in five years with the Packaging Council’s voluntary scheme or 60% in four weeks; not hard to see which scheme is more effective. NZ22% pure, doesn’t quite have the same ring to it…
Needless to say environmental groups and campaigners across the country were extremely disappointed with the back down. Well done to Foodstuffs South Island for sticking to their guns and for South Island shoppers for showing such strong support for the initiative. Don’t forget to pass on your support to our local New World and Four Square supermarkets!
The debate about plastic bags has raged strongly in the last week – Are they really a big problem? Surely there are bigger issues? Why don’t you campaign against plastic containers for olives at the deli counter? Plastic bags are great I use them for my rubbish? Don’t landfills need plastic bags? etc etc….
In the words of Sue Coutts, GetReal spokesperson and Wanaka Wastebusters manager
“It’s the Harry Potter theory; it’s your choices that make you who you are. Taking your own bags to the shops is not so much about how many micrograms of plastic are in a bag that you are not taking. The real issue is that you are marking yourself as someone who gives a shit. You are saying I actually care and I’m going to do something about it.…If we can’t sort out these little tiny problems like plastic bags we haven’t got a hope of sorting out some of the bigger things”.
From interview with Paul Henry (plastic bag lover) on
TVNZ breakfast show. Click here to listen to the whole interview
September 3, 2009
· Filed under Waste
Dear all,
We fight for long to make giant supermarket take social responsibility and start a charging on plastic bags and it works! 12 millions of bags are saved over only 1 month.
We cannot let it fall back and we need to tell people Wellington guys are not selfish nor irresponsible for environment, we consume what we need and treasure every natural resources.
Please echo our call and simply use 3 mins to write a email/talk to shop manager of supermarket when you shopping.
Please help spread the word and take action in this critical moment.
1. Tell your local Foodstuff supermarkets (New World/PaknSave/4-Square) to keep the charging by email/comment card or in person. Give them more support!
http://www.foodstuffs.co.nz/about-foodstuffs/contact-us
2. Send a letter of support for charging and reduce plastic bag usage to Foodstuff on your organisation behalf.
Foodstuffs New Zealand Ltd
Level 8, 45 Johnston Street, Lambton Quay, PO Box 5401, Wellington
Fax: +64 4 472 6412
Attention: Foodstuffs Wellington managing director Tony McNeil
Foodstuffs (Auckland) Ltd is led by Managing Director Tony Carter
Foodstuffs South Island Ltd is led by CEO Steve Anderson
3. Progressive Enterprises have NO plan to start charging. Make sure they know what you want as a customer, email: customerinfo@progressive.co.nz
4. Letter to Minister for the Environment, tell him you want government to have legislation to reduce plastic bags which create a fair situation to supermarket who care our environment.
Email: nick.smith@national.org.nz
Phone: (04)817 6805 (Parliament)
Fax: (04)817 6805
Thank you very much for your help, use this chance to make a full implementation of plastic bag charging (just like so many other countries do), let everyone stop the wasteful lifestyle and think about using natural resources. Attached is GetReal press release and also Kiwi Plastic Bag Concern one for your reference.
Best Wishes,
Angus Ho
GetReal campaign
Wanaka Wastebusters
Address: PO Box 16, Wanaka
Land: +64 03 443 8606 Ext.5
Cell: +64 021 036 4855
Email: angus@wanakawastebusters.co.nz
Website: www.wanakawastebusters.co.nz
July 3, 2009
· Filed under Community, Food, Grey Lynn, Grey Lynn 2030, Kids, Traffic, Transport, Waste, Water
As some of you may or may not be aware – Enviroschools are going to be loosing their funding this year as the government has decided to cut and focus on core education such as reading, writing and maths.
Many parents are very saddened by this news as we know what a great programme Enviroschools is.
A quarter of New Zealand schools are Enviroschools, reaching 212,870 New Zealand children. The programme is positive, practical, and wildly successful – another 210 schools are on the waiting list to become Enviroschools, including early childhood centres.
Enviroschools relies on the wonderful Education for Sustainability Advisers whose jobs have been cut, and Matauranga Taiao the tikanga Maori Enviroschools programme for kohanga reo and kura kaupapa has also been cut.
Our children learn to respect and value the natural environment, save energy and water, recycle and compost, grow their own food, and understand the connections between their actions and the future of the planet. These are essential skills for young people in today’s world, and to cut what should be core learning in the name of financial belt-tightening is spectacularly narrow and short-term thinking.
http://www.enviroschools.org.nz/
Ruth MacClure who is involved with Pt Chev Transition Town and Pt Chev Primary is looking for people who would be available should a journalist be interested in covering the story. Please leave a comment on this page on what you can offer.
Here is a short video clip made by a school in Dunedin.
Enviroschools
Not surprisingly the Greens are picking up on this issue ( it was a successful Green bid that secured funding for the programme initially) and are asking you to make the following actions:
Take action to save Enviroschools:
- Visit your local National MP, and express your disappointment that this successful programme is no longer supported. Keep it positive and personal – if you have a child at an Enviroschool, talk about what environmental education has meant for your child and your family. Ask that the funding be reinstated.
- Write a letter or email to your local National MP and cc John Key – we need to keep it on the Prime Minister’s radar.
- Write letters to the editor outlining the importance of environmental education in NZ schools and calling for Enviroschools funding to be continued.
Points you might like to include in letters / emails
- A quarter of our schools are Enviroschools, reaching 212,870 New Zealand children. This is a positive, successful and popular programme that it is achieving great things at a low cost to government.
- These days, knowledge and skills in sustainability is not a luxury ‘add on’; it needs to be an integral part of our children’s learning.
- Enviroschools are delivering on the government’s priorities:
- Economic growth and jobs: Sustainability is a major growth area and young people need to be eco-literate to survive in the global economy today.
- Science and innovation: Enviroschool programmes foster children’s interest in environmental science, technology and primary production
- Literacy and numeracy: Enviroschool programmes regularly utilise other learning skills, such as reporting, surveys, and analysis.
- Enviroschools enable children to become in the educator in the home, sharing their new found knowledge and skills with their family.
- Teachers need the curriculum support, professional development and resources to effectively teach environmental education. They cannot adequately deliver this programme without external support from the government.
June 15, 2009
· Filed under Waste
Send a do not Mail request to the NZ Marketing Asscoiation
This month the Waste Away group present an informative and entertaining meeting of ideas, tips and practical advice on dealing with waste.
