Welcome

Hi & welcome to the webpage version of NZAEE's (Christchurch Branch) ecoNet Newsletter.

Feel free to pass on news of ecoNet Newsletter and our subscription address: eventdiary@environment.org.nz to others you think may find it interesting/useful.
To supplement the diary here's a selection of news and articles and bits and pieces of interest from around and about, and here and there, e.g:

from here

Canterbury & South Island:

Reining in Christchurch energy use. Presently energy costs $1.6 billion a year. (6 April, CCC).

ECan supports Commissioner for the Environment's concerns in relation to protecting water quality in the Canterbury high country. (7 April, ECan).

Survey: Christchurch residents happier, healthier, more satisfied. (6 April, CCC).

Organics wheelie bins on the way. First collection 17 April. (7 April, CCC).

Riccarton area Transition Initiative: Mik Dale, postgraduate student at the University of Canterbury (studying Energy Supply Systems), also has a keen interest in sustainability and Transition issues. Mik wants to meet like-minded people to help set up a Transition Initiative in the Riccarton area. Contact for Mik is mikdale@gmail.com.
(What's Transition about? See here: www.transitiontowns.org.nz and/or: www.transitiontowns.org.nz/christchurch).

Winners announced: Canterbury and Lincoln University students' 2009 eco-my-flat competition. Eco-friendly sponsors so keen to be involved more than half the entrants won prizes. Also: Students not the only winners. (3 April, Infonews.co.nz).

Cycling: 1200 expected for Around Brunner. (It's not too late to enter - see diary of events). (9 April, InfoNews).

The number of cyclists in Christchurch has increased 10% in the last year. In the last five years commuter cyclists have increased 25%, but in the same period school cyclists have dropped 16%. (CCC cycle counts). More here. (January, spokes.org.nz).

Future of Canterbury's water in our hands. Consultation goes public next month. (9 April, Timaru Herald/Stuff).

CPW scheme's cost to rise without high dam. (9 April, Stuff/The Press).

North Canterbury: No to proposed Mt Cass windfarm. (3 April, The Press/Stuff).

Marlborough: Move to scrap funding for coastal shipping policy - a backward step. (From $36 million to $4m over the next four years). (2 April, The Marlborough Express/Stuff).

Marlborough: Cod law suit withdrawn. (7 April, Marlborough Express/Stuff).

Motueka: Eco-village gets approved. (4 April, The Nelson Mail/Stuff).

Timaru's Metro review open to consultation. (6 April, ECan).

Central Otago: Roxburgh hydro-power scheme gets final consent. (3 April, Southland Times/Stuff).

Cromwell district: DOC denies secret deal with Pioneer Generation. (8 April, Otago Daily Times).

North Otago: Waitaha clash with Ngai Tahu over new cement plant proposal. (4 April, Otago Daily Times).

Lake Benmore: Water quality studied in depth. To set parameters for future irrigation and land development in Omarama & Mackenzie Basins. (4 April, Otago Daily Times).

Otago: Library attendance up 30% as recession bites. (8 April, Otago Daily Times).

Southland: Councils argue the toss over who pays for water. (4 April, Southland Times/SStuff).

North Island & national:

Environmental watchdog left out of parliamentary discussions. (9 April, Stuff/The Press).

Forest & Bird slates report on high country tenure review - out of touch, riddled with inaccuracies and poorly argued. (7 April, Forest & Bird).

Govt and Greens get closer together. House insulation. (9 April, NZ Herald).

Environment Ministry spokesman: Regional councils 'safe' - their demise is not under consideration. (4 April, Otago Daily Times).

Meridian Energy confident there has been enough investment in new electricity generation projects. (4 April, tvnz.co.nz).

Sustainability Council Report: Farmers can cut gas emissions by over 13% and still profit. (2 April, NZ Herald).

Science research: Does long term vision have a future? (2 April, Dominion Post/Stuff).

The increasing use of heat pumps as air-conditioners has left national grid with unexpected power demand spikes during summer. (3 April, NZ Herald).

Engineers for Social Responsibility & Sustainable Energy Forum: Joint submission on Land Transport Funding 2009 - 2019. (30 March, esr.org.nz).

NZ research and education study praised. (9 April, InfoNews).

Wellington's export of recyclable waste to China a load of rubbish? (4 April, Dominion Post).

Dannevirke: Contact's wind farm plans blown away. (2 April, National Business Review).
Also: They were partying on the Puketois last night. (3 April, Manawatu Standard/Stuff).

Palmerston North: Windfarm guidelines put on hold to await decision on Mighty River Power's Turitea proposal. (7 April, Manawatu Standard/Stuff).

Natural world:
Otago Peninsula mystery: What's been killing threatened yellow-eyed penguin chicks during the past breeding season? (3 April, Otago Daily Times).

Otago: Why are Otago sea-lions so much bigger and healthier than Auckland Island ones. (3 April, Otago Daily Times).

Golden Bay: Te Waikoropupu Springs management plan now in place. (6 April, DOC).

BOC Where There's Water community environmental grants scheme aims to help communities understand, maintain, protect and improve their water environment. Grants are open to all non-profit community groups and schools. The fund is administerd by Water New Zealand. Next round of applications due by Friday, 15 May. More information and project examples at: www.waternz.org.nz

Re-linked awards, submissions, consultations etc:

• Education vacancy: Enviroschools Canterbury want a facilitator for their programme in Christchurch City & Kaikoura districts. The position is part-time, fixed-term (12 months), 0.8 FTE. For more information contact Enviroschools Canterbury Regional Coordinator: andrea.creighton@ecan.govt.nz Applications to: Regional Coordinator, Enviroschools Canterbury, PO Box 345 Christchurch. Further information at www.enviroschools.org.nz. Applications close Sunday, 19 April.
  
  
• Support the Get Real campaign against free and profligate plastic bags usage in NZ. (1 billion bags a year). "We also looking for many volunteers to help on the Action towards Foodstuffs on 20 April in Christchurch". (see under diary of events: coming up). Contact: Angus@wanakawastebusters.co.nz.
  
  
• Heat pump water heaters: New funding pilot programme for efficient water heating - same grant as for solar. (26 March, EECA).
  
  
• Call for further submissions: on the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management. Further submissions close 14 April 2009. (Ministry for the Environment).
  
  
• For science students (year 1 - 10) : NZ International Science online project. Ten weeks, 27 April - 3 July. (DOC).
  
  
• New Canterbury Home Energy Advice Centre open - free, independent, professional advice to help reduce your energy consumption. (17 March, sustainability.govt.nz).
  
  
• Enviroschools eco-hut challenge: for school-age students to design and build an ecological habitat on their school grounds that enhances all living things around it. March 2009 - March 2010. (3 March, Enviroschools.org).
  
  
• CCC's draft Long Term Council Community Plan available for comment (till April 16). The plan, background info and public meeting times see here. (CCC).
  
  
• ECan's long term plan open for submissions until 28 April. (1 April, ECan).
  
  
• Free, research-based advice on sustainably renovating your home. HomeSmart delivers warmer, healthier homes that are more affordable to run and kinder to the environment. Further details: www.beaconpathway.co.nz. (Homesmart Renovations).
  
  

& from there

• UK: Hopes for climate treaty set back by G20's weasel words. (5 April, The Independent).
  
  
• Americas: On alert for sea level rise. (8 April, BBC).
  
  
• Australia: Warming takes centre stage as drought worsens. (2 April, Yale Environment 360).
  
  
• Australia: Wasting away in the outback. (Argument over storing nuclear waste). (1 April, BBC).
  
  
• Kenya: Rainwater harvesting seen as solution for drought and flood control. (6 April, Alternet).
  
  
• Kenya: Slum cooker protects environment, helps poor. (2 April, Reuters).
  
  
• India's leading environmental activist Vandana Shiva: economic salvation may be as close as the dirt under our feet. (April, Urbanite Baltimore).
  
  Financial scene:
  
• US: Strange Days. The banking fiasco has introduced so much noise into the system that world leadership can't think straight. (6 April, James Kunstler, Clusterfuck Nation).
  
  
• US: The vanishing shopping mall. (3 April, The Week.com).
  
  
• US: New gold rush hits California - due to the price of gold, the poor economy, and a 10.5% statewide unemployment rate. (c3 April, USA Today).
  
  
• US: Wall Street's former computer whizz who made the 'bomb' that broke the banks. (5 April, The Telegraph).
  
  
• Estonia: Bank of Happiness - trading in good deeds. (8 April, Times Online).
  
  
• US: Communities print their own currencies to keep cash flowing. (c6 April, USA Today).
  
  
• UK: Malnutrition warning as food prices rocket. (6 April, Daily Express).
  
  
• WHO: Downturn could kill 400,000 children. (14 March, Times Online).
  
  
• ?: The one country that might avoid the recession is... A postideological approach that is equal parts wealth creation for corporations and wealth redistribution for underdogs. (5 March, Time).
  
  
• China: Economic downturn has cleared the air. (7 April, ecoGeek).
  
  
• The killing fields of inequality. Why does inequality matter and what can be done? (6 April, Open Democracy).
  
  
• The startling effects of going vegetarian for just one day. (2 April, Alternet).
  
  
• Australia: Cellphone wake up call. Frying your brains? - if you own a mobile phone you must see this. (12 min video clip & transcript). (3 April, 60 Minutes).
  
  New technology:
  
• US: Virus battery could power cars. (2 April, BBC).
  
  
• China: Vies to be world's leader in electric cars. (2 April, New York Times).
  
  
• Wales: Robot scientists can think for themselves. (2 April, Reuters).
  
  
• Spain: Leads world in new solar energy development. (7 April, ecoworldly/digg.com).
  
  From the natural world:
• BBC: Chimpanzees exchange meat for sex. Candy is dandy but steak is quicker? (7 April, BBC).
  
  
• Borneo: New orangutan population discovered. (8 April, ecoworldly/digg.com).
  
  
• Study: Amazonian reserves have fewer fires. (7 April, Nature News).
  
  

Using ecoNet

Is easy. Just send in to the editor information about an event, activity or submission you want to share and it will go in ecoNet....as long as it's appropriate of course.

ecoNet is put out (Fridays) by Christchurch Branch of NZAEE (NZ Association for Environmental Education), a non-profit, national organisation of people working to promote and support environmental education, lifelong learning and sustainable behaviour throughout New Zealand/Aotearoa.

How do I contribute?

Use the links below to:

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• contact us

 

 

• Grant fund: BOC Where There's Water community grants scheme:

  see under from here.
  
  

• Easter’s Meurky Walk: Detour to Mt Pleasant.

  (in the series of guided botanical walks on the Port Hills).
  Guide: Colin Meurk, Landcare Research/Manaaki Whenua botanist.
  When: 9.00 – c2.00 pm Saturday, 11 April.
  Where: Start (& finish - after 4 km of up, down & around) top of Bridle Path.
  More info/contact/carpooling: Anna-Marie: reesey@xtra.co.nz.
  
  

• New annual event: Festival of Walking.

  More than 39 walks from downtown (level) Lyttelton to the high tops of Mt Herbert.
  When: 11, 12 April.
  Where: In & around Lyttelton Harbour Basin.
  More info: www.lyttelton.net.nz
  
  

• Weekend workshop: The Power of We

  Harnessing community power to shape the future and create collective change.
  With: Margaret Jefferies & Anneleise Hall.
  When: April 11 and 12.
  Where: The Old Vicarage, Governors Bay.
  Cost: $220 (Accommodation, materials and most meals included)
  More info/registration: Anneleise  (03) 328 9317  or email ah@potentiate.co.nz.
  
  

• Event: Around Brunner Cycle Ride 2009.

  When: Saturday, 18 April. Entries close Sunday, 12 April.
  Info/contact/enter: www.aroundbrunner.co.nz
  
  

• Children's holiday programme: Canterbury Museum: New Zealand Heroes.

  Explorers, adventurers, inventors, artists, soldiers, sportspeople... what has made them special?
  When: 10.00 – 11.30 am (3 - 7 years), & 1.00 – 3.00 pm (8 - 10 years), 14 – 17 April (also 20 – 23 April).
  Where: Meet outside Discovery, Canterbury Museum.
  Cost: Discovery Club members $2.50, non-members $5.50 per child. Bookings essential. More info/contact: 366 9429 ext 817 or email discovery@canterburymuseum.com.
  More: www.cantmus.govt.nz
  
  

• Timaru talk: A wake-up call on water.

  End official stagnation on the fresh-water crisis in our rivers, streams & lakes.
  Speaker: Mike Joy, Senior lecturer, environmental science/ecology, Massey University.
  When: 7.45 pm Thursday, 16 April.
  Where: St John's Hall, Wai-iti Rd, Timaru.
  Info/contact: F&B secretary Margaret McPherson 03 686 1494.
  Organisers: South Canterbury Branch, Forest & Bird.
  
  

• Wellington workshop: Cultural identities in a globalising world.

  Defining the contributions, challenges & reponses of multi-culturalism in Aotearoa.
  When: 9.00 - 5.00 pm, Friday, 17 April.
  Where: Ministry for Social Development, Bowen St building, Bowen St, Wellington.
  More info/contact/registration here. (Registration due now).
  Organised by RSNZ, Social & Human Sciences Sub-commission, NZ National Commission for UNESCO, & BRCSS.
  
  

• Wanganui Conference: Community Currencies Conference 2009.

  Trading through troubled waters & Creating resilient communities.
  When: 17 - 19 April.
  More info here.
  
  

• WEA Open day.

  Free food, Trade Aid tea & coffee, music, & free presentation on climate change/sustainability.
  When: 10.00 - 1.00 pm Saturday, 18 April.
  Where: WEA, 59 Gloucester St.
  More: 366 0285 or at cwea.
  
  

• Event: Asian Cultural Fiesta:

  Acts from China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Asian food for sale.
  When: Saturday, 18 April. (Doors open 5.00 pm for 6.30 pm start).
  Where: Repertory Theatre, 146 Kilmore St.   Cost: $18 adults; school children $5; under 10s free.
  Contact/bookings: Taz 0272 738 815 or (a.h.) 03 960 2477; Msg 03 379 4222.
  Sponsored by the Chinese Poll Tax Fund.
  

• EARTHWISE, Plains FM 96.9

  Each Monday & Wednesday at 9.00 pm.
  Conservation, environment and peace with justice.
  This week: The case of the CUBA 5: Five Cubans jailed for informing the FBI about Cuban exiles living in Florida &  planning terrorism in Cuba.
  Presenters: Martin and Lois Griffiths.
  NB: Listen again to Earthwise programmes on archive.
  
  

Coming up:

• (Many) supporters wanted: for delivery to Foodstuff of banner with anti-supermarket plastic bags signatures.

  When: 10.45 - c12.30 pm Monday, 20 April.
  Where: Foodstuff Head Office, 167 Main North Rd.
  Meet: Carpark, Redwood Park, 341 Main North Road.
  Sign the petition here: Get Real.
  Contact: Angus Ho: Angus@wanakawastebusters.co.nz.
  
  

• Public Meeting: Help save Christchurch's heritage buildings, parks and places.

  When: 7.30 pm, Tuesday 21 April.
  Venue: Sydenham Heritage Church, cnr Colombo and Brougham Streets - parking off Stanley St. (behind church).
  Koha to cover expenses.
  Arranged by a group considering setting up an organisation called Heritage Action Aotearoa.
  
  

• Taranaki event: Camp for Climate Action Aotearoa Gathering.

  Information, discussion & workshops
  on climate chaos and climate justice.
  When: 24 - 26 April.
  Where: Parihaka Pa.
  More info: here.
  Contact: climatecampnz@riseup.net
  

Reminders:

• Free home composting workshops:

  Hot composting of kitchen scraps & garden waste, Bokashi and worm farms. All methods demonstrated.
  At two sites:
  1. Opawa Community Gardens, 176 Opawa Rd (at Aynsley Tce). 1.00 - 2.30 pm each Saturday.
  2. Okeover Community Garden - University of Canterbury, Engineering Road. (Map here). 12.00 - 1.30 pm each Wednesday.
  More info/contact: Annmarie 021 190 4559 or 942 7190 (evenings).
  Supported by CCC.
  
  

• Free bike checks, service and maintenance:

  When: 4.00 -6.00 pm each Monday.
  Where: Latimer Square.