from here

Canterbury & South Island news:

ECan warning: to all Canterbury river users and dog owners - Potentially toxic algal growths. (27 November, ECan media statement).

Aorangi school takes fight to court, after decision to close it down. (25 November, Stuff).

ECan councillors challenged again about their independence on water issues. (26 November, Stuff/The Press).

Users to pay up to three times more for adult classes. Only three schools in Christchurch will get money to fund adult and community education courses next year. (25 November, Stuff/The Press).

Russley: Toxic soil new hurdle for holiday park project. Records show it to be one of the city's most contaminated sites. (25 November, Stuff/The Press).

Submissions wanted: Work has started on a new strategy to manage Canterbury’s transport system - the Canterbury Regional Land Transport Strategy 2011–2041. Community views welcomed. Until 9 December. (20 November, ECan).

Inaugural award: University of Canterbury PhD student named Young Engineer of the Year - in recognition of his work on the development of an innovative timber construction technique. Aside from the sustainability elements ...has the potential to establish a new industry and add value to the forestry industry. (26 November, University of Canterbury).

Two UC academics honoured for outstanding contributions to science. (24 November, University of Canterbury).

Kaikoura: Tourism company wins long battle to extend dolphin-watching area. (24 November, Stuff).

South Canterbury: Irrigation on priority list, says English. (20 November, Timaru Herald/Stuff).

Timaru: ECan opposes quarry consent. Application to quarry a 66ha site for the next 20 years has led to a significant public outcry - largest response to any planning issue in the council's history. (20 November, Timaru Herald/Stuff).

Timaru: Recycling hope as dumping fees rise - the person taking a load of domestic rubbish to the transfer station will actually pay less if they remove recyclable and compostable material before the trailer is weighed. (25 November, Timaru Herald/Stuff).

Timaru: Plastic recycling trials show success. (25 November, Timaru Herald/Stuff).

Waitaki River celebration: Kurow Island, Saturday, 28 November. (23 November, ECan).

Washdyke: South Canterbury gets $14m steam energy centre. (21 November, Timaru Herald/Stuff).

Mackenzie Basin: Dairy firms defend plans: 25,000 hectares of additional irrigation, 17,000 cows. (25 November, Timaru Herald/ Stuff).
Also:
Concern over Upper Waitaki dairy plans. "These areas are very fragile ... I would like to know how much actual field research, as opposed to modelling, has been done on the effects such intensified farming would have on the region." (24 November, Timaru Herald/Stuff).

Central Otago: Meridian still considering whether to appeal decision on Project Hayes wind farm. (26 November, Otago Daily Times).

West Coast: $100,000 cost to 'loopy' move over wetlands. (25 November, Stuff/The Press).

Kowhitirangi, West Coast: Teenagers find moa bones. (26 November, Stuff/ The Press).

Mataura: Hunter's family in 1080 battle - want his death publicly acknowledged. (26 November, Stuff/The Press).

Otago Peninsula: Papanui Inlet treasures revealed. Find highlights the area's significance for Maori, who can be traced in the area back to the 14th century. (25 November, Otago Daily Times).

Queenstown: Australian cane toad catches ride to Queenstown. Gets clean through biosecurity. (26 November, Southland Times/Stuff).
Also:
Cane toad the third to reach NZ this year. (27 November, Southland Times/Stuff).

Invercargill: Govt cycleway 'backdown' under fire. (26 November, Stuff/Southland Times).

South of the South Island: Australians plan iceberg party. (26 November, Stuff).

North Island & national:

Maori Party rift widens over ETS. Grassroots members questioning support for the measures. (26 November, Stuff).

Environmental Defence Society calls for clarity on use of Conservation land for ETS forest sinks. (24 November, EDS press release).

Down in the forest something stirs. The Govt has set a target of reducing NZ's GHG emissions to 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050 - not a credible target for a developed country; the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says 80 to 95 per cent is required. .... The cost of adjustment is being pushed out on to a younger, and browner, generation. Brian Fallow. (26 November, NZ Herald).

Sustainability perceptions bigger concern than border tax. Already at risk from countries imposing penal "carbon" taxes at the border, a greater threat to NZ exporters could lie in the perceptions of overseas consumers about the sustainability of NZ goods - NZIER. (23 November, NBR).

Climate change survey: Young Kiwis back transport changes: 96 percent are in favour of some changes to the country's transport system, with the majority voting for substantial change. (24 November, Stuff).

Kiwis still have water that's not fit to drink. Drinking water in many rural schools and hospitals is failing to meet minimum safety standards - some record high levels of faecal contamination and heavy metals. (26 November, Stuff/Dominion Post).

Power meters considered not so smart. (25 November, Stuff).

Fishers fear expansion of marine farms. Proposed rules revamp may threaten public rights. (23 November, NZ Herald).

High demand for Govt's home insulation grants scheme has led Energy Minister to bring funding forward to keep work going. (23 November, Stuff).

Councils fill cash gap for Enviroschools. (20 November, NZ Herald).

New educational standards will fail, academics say. Their doubts join those of teachers and parents. (25 November, NZ Herald).

Deeper ozone hole fails to faze experts. (26 November, Stuff/The Press).

NIWA: NZ glaciers continuing to shrink. (23 November, Stuff).
Also:
Shrinking glaciers curtail climbing trips. (24 November, Timaru Herald/Stuff).

Wellington: Trains on track to $2.5m blowout - significant slump in passengers after a year of delays, breakdowns and cancellations. (24 November, Dominion Post/Stuff).

Hamilton/Auckland: Commuter rail plan a train wreck - derailed after cost escalation. (25 November, Waikato Times/Stuff).

Tokanui: Research farm aims to lower carbon emissions. (23 November, Stuff/Dominion Post).

Manawatu River: One of the most polluted in the Western world. Tops a new pollution measurement of 300 rivers and streams across North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. (26 November, Dominion Post/Stuff).

Lessons for keen whale rescuers. The movie Whale Rider didn't do stranded whales any favours. (25 November, Stuff).

Birdlife explosion as possum numbers slashed. (27 November, Dominion Post/Stuff).

Orcas swim with divers - Moko steals surfboard. (26 November, NZ Herald).

Gannets 'divorce', study suggests. About 40% a year. Previously thought monogamous. (24 November, Nz Herald).

Hauraki Gulf: Man charged after dogs kill 14 weka. (26 November, Stuff/Dominion Post).

Nominations now open: for the Prime Minister's Science Teacher Prize - given in recognition of an outstanding teacher of Science in a New Zealand primary or secondary school. The prize is worth $150,000 - the recipient receives $50,000 & the recipient's school $100,000. Nominations close 4pm Friday, 18 December.
More information: www.pmscienceprizes.org.nz.

Winners announced: RSNZ Manhire prize for creative science writing. (18 November, RSNZ).

Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge: event record likely. More than 11,000 entrants so far. (26 November, Waikato Times/Stuff).

Cycle maniacs: Passionate pedallers seek wild challenges to raise funds for Forest & Bird. (November, Forest & Bird).

Re-linked awards, submissions, consultations etc:

• Public consultation: DOC wants public input for planning and managing recreation in the Ō Tū Wharekai project area (Ashburton Lakes and upper Rangitata River). The area includes two conservation parks - Hakatere and Te Kahui Kaupeka.The focus of Ō Tū Wharekai is to protect and restore the wetlands - one of three wetlands projects in the national Arawai Kākāriki wetland programme. More here. Till 30 November.

• Help improve DOC's website: DOC is redeveloping the 'Getting Involved' section of its website to include more information for individuals and community groups who want to get involved/are involved in conservation work. They want your ideas for this section. There's an online exercise (15 minutes max).  Participants go in a draw for a prize. To participate: click here.
  

• 'Living Streams: A guide to restoring rural waterways': free, newly released 3 part series of handbooks to assist people and groups improve and maintain the health of the region's waterways. (ECan).
  
  
• CCC's new cycling website www.seasonofcycling.co.nz.
  
  
• Lincoln Envirotown Trust 2010 native biodiversity calendar. $10.00 for a good cause. Produced jointly by LET & Lincoln University. Profits go to LET. Available from Lincoln township library, LET caravan (Sat. mornings), Lincoln University book shop and many other outlets in Lincoln or from Sue 03 329 5858, or sue.jarvis@orcon.net.nz.
  
  
• Sign on: There's no planet B. Sign On (More than 170,000 NZers so far). (www.signon.org.nz).
  
  
• Have your say: current CCC consultations.

& from there

• UK: Countdown to Copenhagen: A change in the political climate on emissions - a new atmosphere which suggests that a significant agreement can still be achieved. Michael McCarthy. (23 November, The Independent).
  
  
• Copenhagen: Barack Obama to attend climate summit. Right city, wrong date? (25 November, The Guardian).
  
  
• China: Calls for 'serious soul searching' on climate. Ambassador Yu Qingtai said the major responsibility for reaching a deal lay with world’s developed countries. (25 November, Times Online).
  Also:
  
• China sets targets to cut world's largest carbon footprint. Up to 45% of 2005 levels by 2020. (26 November, The Guardian).
  
  
• Germany: Climatologists baffled by global warming time-out. (19 November, Spiegel Online).
  
  
• UK report: 'Organic farming may counter climate change'. Soil is a major store of carbon, containing three times as much as the atmosphere and five times as much as forests. (26 November, The Independent).
  
  
• Denmark: The little island and its big, green victory - one of the world's first industrialised places to become energy self-sufficient. (26 November, The Independent).
  
  
• Canada: Documentary preview: H2Oil. Alberta sits on one of the largest oil patches in the world, second only to Saudi Arabia. (http://h2oil.com/home).
  
  
• US: Searching for a miracle: Contrary to the hopes of many, there is no clear practical scenario by which we can replace the energy from today’s conventional sources with sufficient energy from alternative sources to sustain industrial society at its present scale of operations. (13 November, Post Carbon Institute).
  
  
• US: The war on soy: Why the 'miracle food' may be a health risk and an environmental nightmare. (21 November, Alternet).
  
  
• UK: War of words over weeds could modify the verdict on GM crops. American farmers are having to spend more and more money and chemicals fighting "superweeds" created by the rush into genetically modified crops, according to a new report which promises to re-ignite the debate over GM. (24 November, Yorkshire Post).
  
  
• Middle East: Turning desert into a garden/food forest. In Jordan, about 2 km from the Dead Sea and 2 from where Jesus was christened, Geoff Lawton of the Permaculture Research Institute and his crew created a near miracle, turning desert into a lush permaculture garden. Also: Behind Greening the Desert. (8.41 min Youtube clip). (14 November, ecoworldly).
  
  
• Kenya: Interview with Gathuru Mburu: Kenya already has had a green revolution. Forget trying to grow hybrid maize - Africa already has all the crops, storage systems and knowledge that it needs to grow itself out of poverty. (23 November, The Ecologist).
  
  
• UK: Self sufficiency: possibility or pipe dream? (11 November, Channel 4.com).
  
  
• US: Toilets. Brief history - to mark World Toilet Day. Also: Is it time to kill off the flush toilet? (19 November, Time).
  
  
• UK: How do Brits like to be green, and what green behaviours do they still avoid? (24 November, ecoWorldly).
  

Technology:

• China: Harnesses mountain windpower. "In terms of the scale and the pace of the build-up of the Chinese wind industry, it's without parallel anywhere in the world ever." (21 November, AFP).
  
  
• US: Researchers develop machine to recycle CO2 into fuel. (23 November, Yale 360).
  
  
• Norway: World's first osmotic power plant opens. (24 November, Clean Technica).
  
  
• Spain: Transport system that runs on super-strong magnetic fields. (24 November, Inhabitat).
  
  
• Germany: Ascending green-roofed staircase office building. (23 November, Inhabitat).
  
  
• Holland: Build your own lego dress. Felted wool. No sewing, reduces textile waste and introduces cradle to cradle principles for clothing. (12 November, ecouterre).

Natural world:

• Exotic life in ocean depths: "The abyss is not the dark hole any more." A total of 17,650 species of animals identified in frigid, sunless waters down to about 5 km deep. (23 November, Stuff/Reuters).
  
  
• Acid rain cut in Northern Hemisphere. Sulfur dioxide - one of the main causes of acid rain - dropped 70 percent in the European Union and 36 percent in the United States between 1990 to 2006. (26 November, Stuff).
  
  
• Charles Darwin: Writing Origin "like confessing a murder". (23 November, New Scientist).
  
  
• Antarctic: World's largest ice sheet melting faster than expected. 57 billion tonnes a year. (22 November, The Gaurdian).
  
  
• Kenya: The last lion in Kenya. Down to 2000. 100 killed each year. (23 November, ecoWorldly).
  
  
  
  
  

PS: Give good gifts this Christmas: www.tradeaid.org.nz.

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

• Public meeting:  Climate Change Action Now: An introduction to Transition Towns.

  How can our communities respond to the challenges arising from climate change, resource depletion and an economy based on growth?
  Speaker: Steve Earnshaw, orthopaedic surgeon, Timaru; head of Timaru Transition Towns group.
  When: 7.30 pm Friday, 27 November.
  Where: St Andrews Church Hall, 107 Marriotts Rd., North New Brighton.
  Hosted by: Lianne Dalziel, MP, Labour.
  
  

• Charity garage sale: Te Whare Roimata.

  (info here).
  When: 9.00 - 12.30 pm Saturday, 28 Nov.
  Where: Te Whare Roimata, 274 Gloucester St.
  Contact: Jenni or Heeni 3795 134.
  
  

• Event: Waitaki River celebration & BYO picnic.

  When: from 12.00 noon, Saturday, 28 November.
  Where: Kurow Island (ie between the two bridges).
  More info: Here. (http://ecan.govt.nz).
  
  

• National Wild Rivers Day:

  To celebrate the beauty & importance of our remaining wild rivers. Ten events around NZ this weekend. (Wild and scenic rivers are a big part of NZ’s heritage yet throughout the country they are under threat from irrigation and hydro development).
  Canterbury: Hurunui River family fun day and BYO picnic.
  -Try out kayaking with White Water NZ.
  -Learn to cast a fly with Fish & Game.
  -Watch endangered birdlife with Forest & Bird.
  -Watch the kayak slalom competition (11am - 2pm)
  -Learn how to check and clean for didymo.
  -DOC information officer on hand.
  -Sausage sizzle.
  -Hot and cold drinks provided.
  When: 10.00 - 3.00 pm Sunday, 29 November.
  Where: Jollie Brook stream, Hurunui River confluence. (map here).
  Bring: Picnic lunch, togs, wetsuit, polyprops if you plan to get wet, sturdy footwear,
  sunhat & sunscreen, binoculars if you want to bird-watch, warm clothing.
  More info/contact: Bruce Coleman (Forest & Bird) 376 4979 or 021 376 807.
  Background: here (www.forestandbird.org.nz).
  & here: www.wildrivers.org.nz.
  Organisers: Eight conservation & recreation organisations including Forest & Bird, Whitewater NZ, Fish & Game, Federated Mountain Clubs.
  
  

• Event: Climate Action Workshop:

  Water Strategy.
  Speaker: Dr Tony Raizis, nutritional scientist, Christchurch Hospital.
  When: 8.00 pm Sunday, 29 November, (vegetarian meal from 7.00 pm).
  Where: Sand Dance Cafe, New Brighton Mall opposite PaperPlus.
  More info: Rik Tindall 332 1069, http://waterforum.us
  
  

• Seminar: To share experiences of Cycling England:

  Working with UK govt to spend more than $450m on cycling development, effective cycling promotions, how the strong economic case for cycling has developed through Cycling England’s work. Also to challenge the assumption that investment in cycling infrastructure alone will increase cycling.
  Speaker: Phillip Darnton, Chairman, Cycling England (funded by UK Dept for Transport); Deputy President, Bicycle Association of Great Britain; businessman (marketing, management, global strategic planning).
  When: 3.00 - 4.30 pm Monday, 30 November. (tea & coffee from 2.30pm).
  Where: Christchurch Art Gallery/Te Puna o Waiwhetu, cnr Worcester Blvd & Montreal St.
  Hosted by:  The Canterbury Regional Transport Committee & the Greater Christchurch Urban Development Strategy.
  
  

• Talk: The Art Instinct- why we evolved to love beauty.
  

  Pleasure in natural and artistic beauty is found across the globe and through history. Darwin's theory of evolution explains why, from Homer of the Iliad to the Homer of The Simpsons, from the Lascaux caves to Carnegie Hall, human beings are enchanted by the arts.
  Speaker: Denis Dutton, Professor of Philosophy, University of Canterbury.
  When: 6.00 - 7.00 Tuesday, 1 December.
  Where: Christchurch Art Gallery.
  Part of 2009 University of Canterbury in the City lecture series (showcasing research from the University's five Colleges and School of Law).
  More here. (www.canterbury.ac.nz).
  
  

• Talk/Seminar: University of Kansas meridian uncrewed air vehicle.

  (Presently being shipped to the Antarctic for trial; developed for carrying ice-penetrating radar to get data on ice thickness and condition at the interface with bedrock - to help predict ice movement and therefore sea level changes - without risking personnel). More here.
  Speaker: Prof Ronald Dougherty, University of Kansas.
  When: 6.30 pm Wednesday, 2 December.
  Where: Com 101, Commerce Building(?), University of Canterbury.
  
  

• Event: Sign On for the next generation.

  A fun, family fair with bouncy castle, games, speakers & spot prizes to support John Key doing the right thing at the Copenhagen climate talks.
  When: 10.30 – 1.30 pm Saturday, Dec 5.
  Where: Hagley Community College, 510 Hagley Avenue.
  
  

• Talk: ComBio 2009 Public Lecture: Energy and Life.

  How life owes its existence to tiny “molecular turbines” in the cell.
  Speaker: Professor Sir John Walker, FRS (Nobel Prize, 1997), director, Dunn Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Cambridge University.
  When: 7.00 pm Sunday, 6 December.
  Where: James Hay Theatre, Christchurch Town Hall.
  More info: here (www.canterbury.ac.nz).
  Sponsored by: University of Canterbury, Royal Society of NZ, & the British Biochemical Society.
  
  

• Work day: Quail Island Restoration Trust.

  When: Sunday, 6 December.
  (Ferry leaves Lyttelton 9.20 am and returns 3.30 pm).
  Booking essential.
  Contact: Ian McLennan ph 384 5338 or id.mclennan@xtra.co.nz.
  Background info: www.quailisland.org.nz
  
  

• EARTHWISE, Plains FM 96.9

  Each Monday & Wednesday at 9.00 pm.
  Conservation, environment and peace with justice.
  Eyewitness in Palestine: Lois and Martin discuss some of their impressions after a   fact-finding educational tour to Israel and Palestine. They met victims of oppression, Palestinians
  whose houses have been repeatedly demolished, and farmers denied access to
  West Bank water. They also met Israeli Jews who oppose their regime at great personal cost, & interview an English solicitor for his
  feelings after completing the same tour.
  Presenters: Martin and Lois Griffiths.
  NB: Listen again to Earthwise programmes on archive.
  

Coming up:

• Wanted: collectors for SAFE Appeal for Animals.

  Wants over 300 collectors in Christchurch
  to hit the streets and collect donations for SAFE to help animals. Everyone who registers to collect goes in the draw for a $500 cruelty
  free hamper.
  When: Friday 18 & Saturday 19 December.
  More info/contact:
  http://safe.org.nz/Street-Appeal/
  
  
  

• DOC wants helpers: Lopping lupins.

  Tree lupin’s nitrogen-fixing ability, height, habit of forming dense shelter are death to native species specially adapted to the harsh weather and mobile sandy dunes of Kaitorete Spit. (Can’t spray because of risk of damage to native species).  A great opportunity to see the largest area of pingao left in NZ and also the prostrate broom in flower.
  When:   Tuesday, 8 December.
  Where: Meet 9.00 am, cnr of SH75 & Birdlings Flat turn-off.
  Bring:  gloves, loppers, secateurs, or pruning saw; drink, lunch, snacks; sunhat/sunscreen, sturdy footwear.
  RSVP: (by 3 Dec) to Joy: jburt@doc.govt.nz or 371 3770.
  
  

• Event: Enviroschools Summer Jam:

  80+ young people from around NZ (ages 15-25). Come & be a part of the sustainability movement - 5 days of inspiration, action, speakers, workshops, and chillaxing with like minded youth.
  When: 10 -15 January.
  Where: Living Springs, Lyttelton Harbour.
  More information/contact: Jen at Enviroschools Canterbury: Jen.rodgers@enviroschools.org.nz
  or 3746328 (Mon to Thurs).
  
  

• Rolleston Envirotown Market:

  Vegetables, fruit, watercress, herbs, free range eggs, free range pork, Limousin beef, smoked salmon, plants, cards, crafts ... much more.
  When: 10.00 - 1.00 pm Sun., 13 December. Where: Rolleston Square, Rolleston.
  Contact/more info: ph 347 8240 or tonicermu@gmail.com.
  
  

• Wellington event: Camp for climate action: Team up, get trained, take action.

  Seeks to address the real causes of climate change & build a people's movement that can and will stop disastrous climate change.
  When: 16 - 21 December, 2009.
  Where: Wellington.
  More info/contact: www.climatecamp.org.nz.
  
  

• Waihopai spy base protest:

  When: January 22 - 24.
  Where: Waihopai, Blenheim.
  More info/register: www.converge.org.nz.
  Organised by: Anti-Bases Campaign.
  
  

• NZAEE Biennial Conference: Te Ahu Whakamua - Taking the next steps.

  When: 19 - 22 January 2010.
  Where: Hawkes Bay.
  Much more info/contact/registrations: here. (www.nzaeeconference2010.co.nz).
  NZAEE: NZ Association for Environmental Education.

Reminders:

• Free home composting workshops:

  Hot composting of kitchen scraps & garden waste, Bokashi and worm farms. All methods demonstrated.
  1. Seven Oaks Education Centre, 35 Hassals Lane. 1.00 - 2.30 pm each Saturday.
  2. Lyttelton Community Garden, 54A Oxford Street, 10.30 – 12.00 pm each Saturday.
  More info/contact: Annmarie 021 190 4559 or 942 7190 (evenings).
  Supported by CCC.
  
  

• Gardening courses: starting a garden, seed saving, composting, pickling & preserving, etc.

  Where: Strickland Street Community Garden, 188 Strickland Street, Spreydon. 
  When: for times & dates see their website www.sscommunitygardens.net.nz.
  Further info/contact: 942 6630.
  Supported by CCC.
  
  

• Free bike trailer hire:

  Try out a bike trailer for a month for free. See how much fun and how easy it is to carry loads without a car. Groceries, ladders, fruit, kayaks, windsurfers, kite surfers, library books, bikes, musical instruments, pets,  tools, billboards, garage sale treasures, pinecones, white bait nets, firewood, etc.
  Contact: Steven Muir: steve@cycletrailers.co.nz or 365 8238.
  
  

• Exhibition: A-Z of Canterbury Birds – a photographic ornithological odyssey.

  We hear them, sometimes notice them, tend to take them for granted - even common backyard birds are fascinating when captured in detail through discerning lenses.
  Photographs by a group of Christchurch photographers.
  When: 24 November - 9 January. (Hours:  Monday - Saturday, 10.00 – 4.00 pm).
  Where:  Our City O-Tautahi, cnr Oxford Tce & Worcester Blvd.
  Free admission.
  
  

• Exhibition: Finding New Zealand – how maps show the exploration and development of New Zealand.

  18th & early 19th century maps of the whole of New Zealand show how early explorers ‘filled in the gaps’ and increased their accuracy after Cook’s 1772 chart; 19th century maps of Canterbury show the development and settlement of the Plains including early runs.
  Selected maps available for sale.
  When: 24 November - 9 January. (Hours: Monday - Saturday, 10.00 – 4.00 pm).
  Where: Our City O-Tautahi, cnr Oxford Tce & Worcester Blvd.
  Free admission.
  
  

• Exhibition: Contemporary Maori cloaks.

  Colour, texture and pattern.
  Craftsperson: Roka Ngarimu-Cameron.
  When: 21 November – 21 March.
  Where: Special Exhibition Hall, Canterbury museum.