See 'Bats in Hamilton City' on "Campbell Live" tonight 7pm!

Yes we have native long tailed bats in the city.

EECA is now inviting entries for the 2010 EECA Awards.

Backed by EECA’s expertise and knowledge, the EECA Awards provide credible recognition of your organisation’s achievements, acknowledgement of your staff, and the opportunity to learn from and network with other successful organisations.

This year we offer nine different categories:

• Energy Management
  Individuals, project teams or organisations developing and implementing an energy management programme  
• Large Business
  Businesses with an energy spend of over $500K who have completed a successful energy efficiency or renewable energy initiative  
• SME Business
  Businesses with an energy spend of under $500K who have completed a successful energy efficiency or renewable energy initiative  
• Transport
  Transport technologies or behaviour change initiatives that deliver ongoing energy and emissions savings  
• Innovation
  A new and innovative energy efficient or renewable energy product, technology or management process  
• Renewable Energy
  An innovative and effective renewable energy project or technology  
• Public Sector
  Central/local government and Crown-funded organisations which have completed a successful energy efficiency or renewable energy programme   
• Community
  A project or initiative that has helped to improve energy efficiency and/or renewable energy use within a community  
• Outstanding Contribution to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
  An individual who has shown leadership and influenced the development of sustainable energy practices which have benefited New Zealand

Nominations Are Now Open!

 For the first time the Hamilton the Recognyz Youth Awards will have an Enviro Award in 2010 to recognise someone who has made an outstanding contribution to our environment.

The 2010 Recognyz Youth Awards are designed to showcase the amazing contributions young people make to Hamilton. This year's seven categories invite entries from performers, environmentalists, achievers through adversity, inventors, those with leadership qualities and volunteers. Great prizes are on offer with $2,000 dream dollars going to one lucky Supreme Award winner to further their dream!

Individuals or groups who live, work or go to school in Hamilton, aged 12-24 and fit one of the seven categories are eligible to enter. You can nominate someone you know, or you can nominate yourself. You can also enter more than one category, but if you do, one entry form per category is required. Two referees over 18 years of age must also accompany all entries.

Enviro Award is sponsored by Enviroschools Foundation

This is a new award for the Recognyz Youth Awards.
We are looking for young people or groups of young people who are passionate about caring for their environment. Not only this, they inspire others around them to do the same. This award is to recognise the ongoing commitment that young people have to their environment and the projects that they are involved in to make a difference.

For more information or to nominate check out www.hamilton.co.nz/recognyz

Nomination close Friday 13 August.

 Aaron Fleming
Environmental Policy Advisor
City Strategy Team
Hamilton City Council
Private Bag 3010 Hamilton 3240
DDI: (07) 838 6483
Fax: (07) 838 6464
E: aaron.fleming@hcc.govt.nz
www.hamilton.co.nz

OFNZ Training day on July 24th 9.30am

Venue: Greenspace at 60 Te Aroha St Hamilton

Keen to certify all or some of your produce? Got some organic challenges to overcome, or successful techniques to share?
Want to know more about organic growing, certification? Think it’s too expensive? Too Complicated? Unnecessary?
Then come and learn more and/or let us give you a helping
hand with the certification process.
Free for potential new members, existing members and
consumers of organic produce. Limited registrations

Training will be covering the requirements of certification, overview, history and explaining how the standards work and the pod structure.
TRAINING DAY: will be one day followed by a number of field trips.
Peter Downard to be the main presenter.
VENUE: Greenspace 60 Te Aroha St
9.30 Introductions
10.00 History of Organic Certification in NZ
10.30 Cuppa
10.45 How the OFNZ Standard Works
11.30 The certification process
12.30 Lunch Break
1.00 Practical exercise, preparing a property management plan
3.00 Pods and membership options
3.30 Facilitated Q&A
4.30 Finish
To register please email tim@greenfootprint.co.nz
Include name(s), address, phone numbers, and reason for wishing
to attend; are you a grower/producer interested in becoming certified, a retailer, a consumer of organic food etc.

More info see attached pdf.

24julyTraining day.pdf

1 - 3 July
THEATRE GOES GREEN FOR EXTREME ANTARCTIC TALE
Ice Floe Productions in association with STAMP at THE EDGE presents

HEAT

By Lynda Chanwai-Earle
Directed by David O’Donnell
Sound designer and composer Gareth Farr

Echoing the restrictions of life in the Antarctic, award winning theatre show Heat brings its own alternative energy source to power up an original love story between a woman, a man and a penguin.
“exciting and intriguing … a gripping and moving tale of magical realism.” Laurie Atkinson, Dominion Post
It’s 1999 and a husband and wife scientific team hunker down inside a tiny, tightly packed survival capsule on the Ross Ice Shelf, wintering over in the vast frozen Antarctic, accompanied by only web-cam, sporadic radio contact, the amazing Aurora Australis, and a colony of male penguins. Struggling to maintain a failing relationship, Stella (Kate Prior) observes breeding patterns among Emperor penguins, while John (Simon Vincent) monitors climate change – until the untimely introduction of a third character (Byron Coll) blows their fragile world apart.
Unlike other conventional theatre shows Heat uses self-sustainable energy means - powered off-grid with lights, sound and electronics from low drain and/or renewable energy. This unique Spacewise energy installation on site at the theatre is a world first. The production will look, as the Antarctic stations are increasingly doing, to partnerships with companies developing sustainable, renewable power sources.
With a powerful script written by the acclaimed Lynda Chanwai Earle (Ka Shue, Alchemy, BoxRoleDream), music by CNZ Antarctic Fellow Gareth Farr, lighting by Marcus McShane and design features by Brian King and Afterburner’s Marty Roberts, Heat opens a rare glimpse into the extraordinary isolated experience of being an Antarctic scientist, being a human pushed to the extremes, and of the sheer beauty of a winter in the Antarctic.
Heat was nominated in its premiere Wellington season for two Chapman Tripp Awards in 2008, winning the coveted Actor of the Year Award for the role of the penguin.

The 2010 national tour of Heat includes seasons in Hamilton (1-3 July), Auckland (12-17 July), Christchurch (6-9 October), Dunedin (13-16 October), Nelson (20-23 October) and a return Wellington season (28 October – 20 November).

 HEAT contains adult content and full male nudity.
Recommended for mature audiences.

 HEAT plays Hamilton
1-3 July, 8.00pm
The Meteor Theatre, 1 Victoria S
Tickets: $32/22
Bookings: 0800 BUY TICKETS or www.buytickets.co.nz

Sunday July 4th

Tamahere Community Nursery

Learn about propogating ecosourced plants.

The next workshop session at the Tamahere Community Nursery in Devine Road will be held this coming Sunday, 4 July, starting at 1.30 pm. We will continue with the potting of seedlings for next year's planting.

There is a selection of plants ready for planting now so if anyone is interested in acquiring ecosourced native plants for gully restoration come along to the nursery on Sunday afternoon.

 Hope to see you there.
Jan Simmons
on behalf of Tamahere Gully Care/Ecosourced Waikato.
Ph 856 8995

Monday 19th July Hamilton

Organic Group - seed swap and film

Hi everyone - bring along your hoarded seeds to swap with other gardeners at our July meeting, and get a head start with your spring garden plans! We’ll be trialling an “alternative currency” for the seed/ plant table, but if you don’t have anything to swap don’t worry, you can still bring along a few coins to get started. And we’re also planning to watch a short-ish film with a gardening theme.

Meeting will be 7.30pm at the Environment Centre.

July 10th - 13th

Permaculture courses at Solscape

Last opportunity to enrol - only  a few places left - contact Nelson Lebo    nfl2@waikato.ac.nz  to enrol.
$50 per day plus accommodation

Saturday 12:30 - 6:30 pm
Advanced permaculture design: Maximizing beneficial relationships

Sunday 10 -12 & 2 - 6
The essentials of green home design

 Monday 10 - 12 & 2 - 6
|Human-scale swales, rain gardens and plumbing basics
Retaining water on the landscape in times of excess is like money in the bank for times of drought.

Tuesday 9 -12 & 1 - 3
Maximizing vegetable production while minimizing inputs

Tuesday July 6

Overview workshop
- a bit of each of the green homes topics including Energy, Materials and Toxicity, Water, Site Considerations, and Passive Solar Design.
9:30-4pm

Hamilton - Hukanui School eco classroom, The Living Room
Presented by Ian Mayes, Eco Design Advisor Hamilton City Council
$20

Tuesday July 27

Passive Solar Design
9:30-4pm
Hamilton - Hukanui School eco classroom, The Living Room

Presented by Ian Mayes, Eco Design Advisor Hamilton City Council
$20

For further information and registrations contact Megan Edmeades 021 414 529 or megan@greenme.org.nz

Saturday 26th June

Two plantings this Saturday at Waiwhakareke, Brymer Rd

9.00 -12pm Friends of Waiwhakareke
1.00-3.00pm Kiwi Conservation Corps
Meet at entrance to park by Project sign Brymer Rd, Stage 3 plantings, see attached for location.

WAIWHAKAREKE - Conservation Volunteers - 2010 plantings.pdf

Also Saturday 26th June

HAMMOND BUSH WORKING BEE

1pm to 3pm this Saturday
This month the focus will be on planting native seedlings in the southern part of the reserve.
Meet at the southern (Balfour Cres) end of the boardwalk
Please bring a spade and gardening gloves

All welcome!
Stephen Hamilton
Chairperson
Riverlea Environment Society Inc.
Tel. +64 7 856 8355  www.resi.org.nz

Tuesday 29th June

Transistion Towns meeting in the Environment Centre

7.30pm Time to have another get together, midwinter!

Recap of what is currently happening around the region, and then brainstorm at what else could be happening ie where are the gaps - biofuels, community assisted agriculture, roof gardens, etc etc and how we can progress some of those ideas. RSVP to the Environment Centre 839 4452

Saturday 3rd July

Tree crops plant sale
10 - 1pm
Camellia carpark at Hamilton Gardens - Gate 2

Thursday 1st July

SBN, EW and HCC present
Rainwater Harvesting Seminar

Water is a precious resource and, in many parts of the world, extremely scarce. Flagged as the next oil, its management is already under much debate. New Zealanders rely on a constant supply of water for residential, commercial or industrial use.
The Waikato Sustainable Business Network is partnering with Environment Waikato and Hamilton City Council to bring you this breakfast seminar on rainwater harvesting. Harnessing rainwater by using sustainable design and a lifecycle thinking approach to behaviours and operations can ensure ongoing supply, avoiding possible shortages and increasing costs in the future.
The seminar will give you the opportunity to:
· Understand the drivers for and benefits of rainwater and grey water re-use.
· Hear from businesses that have been there, done it and have the experience!
· Talk with council representatives and national experts during the interactive sessions.
Global and national issues will be discussed as will low impact design (LID), grey water use, compliance and product specifications.
Date: Thursday 1st July
Time: 7am – 10.30am
Venue: McMeekan Centre, Seminar Room, AgResearch, Ruakura Research Centre, East St, Hamilton
Cost: $50 (includes breakfast)
RSVP: essential to jo@sustainable.org.nz by Monday 28th June. Any cancellations received after the RSVP date will be charged at full cost.

Tuesday 27th July

ETS presentation

The Emissions Trading Scheme will be coming into force 1st July. There are many questions surrounding what this means and how it will impact SME’s. In order to support small businesses to be better informed about the ETS, SBN has organised an objective presentation on the what, why and how’s of the system, with a strong focus on voluntary actions, both certified and non-certified.

This 2 hour presentation will provide you with the opportunity to ask all of those questions you have about the ETS. SBN will talk about a few practical ideas to introduce sustainable business practices into your workplace that will help to lessen the impact of the ETS on your business, whilst ensuring ongoing best practice. Please join us for a coffee and note this presentation is not designed to be for nor against the ETS, only informative.
Presentations will be from Ministry for the Environment and SBN.
When: Tuesday 27th July
Time: 8am – 10am
Where: TBC
Cost: FREE TO ALL

RSVP: essential jo@sustainable.org.nz by Wed 21st July – rsvps are essential

Jo Wills
National Events Manager, BOP/WK Manager
Sustainable Business Network
P: 07 577 9355  M: 021 686 645
Smart Business Centre
Level 1, 65 Chapel St
PO Box 14098
Tauranga Mail Centre 3143
www.sustainable.org.nz