News:
Welcome to the first newsletter using Wordjot - a new blog system - you are all subscribed to the newsletter as before - but you will be able to unsubscribe at your whim, and others will be able to subscribe if they so wish. You will also be able to post comments back to me. We will develop other categories as time goes on that you can choose to subscribe to but at present I am keeping it simple. Hope you find the new format an improvement on the old. Any problems let me know - I have a direct line to the developer of the system.
World Environment Day June 5th NZ is hosting World Environment Day. There is funding available from the Ministry for groups wanting to an activity. (see details in Funding below)
Green Events Calendar – the Environment Centre is putting together a green events calendar which will be available online very shortly. If you are running a workshop, or doing anything else that we do not know about please let us know. You will also be able to put a link to the calendar on your website.
New Climate Change website offering all points of view - http://climatedebatedaily.com/
(Put up and edited by
the same person who edits Arts and letters daily – Denis Dutton from Canterbury University, and Douglas Campbell who sounds quite
intelligent too)
“One Waikato, Seven Wonders'
Environment
Waikato is about to launch a campaign called that asks the public to name their
favourite natural wonders in our region.
They hope by encouraging
people to celebrate the special places we have in the Waikato, they might also
provide inspiration to protect our wonders for the future, for example, by
becoming involved with some of our care groups.Sporting stars Colin
Meads and Sarah Ulmer are backing the campaign, along with Prime Minister Helen
Clark who has praised the regional council initiative as “a great way to
highlight the beauty and importance of the region's natural resources, and the
need to protect them for future generations”.Nominations can be made
on the Environment Waikato website, www.ew.govt.nz from Saturday 9 February, or
by using the nomination form in the council's magazine, Envirocare.
Beyond encouraging
people to personally engage with their surroundings, the nomination process
will help identify significant landscapes for possible inclusion in the
Regional Policy Statement, currently under review.
EVENTS:
FEBRUARY
Tuesday 12th February
Sustainable Urban Design
group meeting
The first
Green Building Network meeting for 2008 has been organised at Connell Wagner
Limited Buildings - 19 Kaimiro, Pukete 7pm.
If you plan to attend please RSVP by Monday 5pm to Elizabeth Dobbs
[DobbsE@conwag.com].Amanda
Rogers (Building Scientist) will discuss
GreenStar ratings and relate it to the residential sector also
Open to
anyone who's interested.
The Sustainable
Urban Design group has meetings regularly at a different venue each time to
look at all aspects of ecobuilding. There will also be more workshops coming up
later in the year.
If anyone wants to join the Sustainable Urban
Design Group, please register your interest with Aaron Fleming
Environmental
Policy Advisor at Hamilton City Council
DDI: (07)
838 6483, Fax: (07) 838 6464 E: aaron.fleming at hcc.govt.nz www.hamilton.co.nz
Wednesday 13 February
Sport Waikato and Heart Foundation are running an event on Wednesday
13 February 2008 to support the Heart encouraging you to come down to the lake
and participate in any of the following FREE activities:Sarah
Prowse Hamilton
Active Living Coordinator, sportwaikato I p 07 838 2657 I f 07 838 2655 I m 027
274 6682
Saturday 23 February
Good life Expo – same day as Right Bank Arts Festival at the
Hamilton Gardens,
Get in now and book your stall, going fast, phone Cheryl 834 2249.
The earthoven will be auctioned on site and delivered to some lucky person. Come
and see the alpacas again, plus lots of other interesting environmental stalls,
good food and coffee available.
Here is
the programme:
THE ART OF THE GOOD LIFE EXPO - SPEAKERS PROGRAM
Main site: Green Egg Lawn
10 to 10:30 FAIR
TRADE Trade aid - We can help the world with ethical
shopping
10:30 to 11:30 TRANSITION
TOWNS James Samuel
11:45 to 12:15 THINKING
THE UNTHINKABLE Nandor
Tanczos
12:30 to 1 EARTH BUILDING Paul Peterson
2pm. AUCTION
OF THE PORTABLE EARTH OVEN
2:30 to 4 TRANSITION
TOWNS WORKSHOP James
Samuel
THE
SUSTAINABLE BACKYARD
10:30am. Grafting
of Fruit trees 12:00pm. Curtain
Bank
11:00 Heat your water with solar power 12:30 New
house design
11:30 Composting 1:00 Vermiculture
2:00 Grafting
of fruit trees
THE KITCHEN GARDEN
11:00am. & 2:00pm.
A tour
& talk on the practices in the garden
such as crop rotation & soil conditioning
Thanks to
sponsors: Scottwood Trust and Trust Waikato
Saturday 23rd February
Botanical Society trip - Matarangi
Coastal Wetland
We hope
to explore a large freshwater wetland at Matarangi on the northern shores of Whangapoua Harbour, Coromandel Peninsula. Details to be confirmed.
Meet: 10am at the intersection of Matarangi
drive and Waimaire Ave (in Matarangi itself)....follow
Matarangi road in from SH25 and veer left once you get to the settlement. Waimaire Ave is about 800m along on the right,
the wetland is just opposite.
Contact:
Catherine Beard Catherine.Beard@ew.govt.nz or ph 855 5479 (hm)
Wednesday 27th February
Bike to Work Breakfast in Garden Place, 7am – 8.30am
Bike into Civic Plaza for a free nutritious breakfast,
the chance to participate in bike challenges and win spot prizes. No
registration necessary.
18 February to 2 March
2008 Bikewise Battle
New Zealand organisations (and
departments) are competing against each other to see who can get the highest
percentage of staff to ride a bike. So get your organsation to compete! Enter at
- http://www.bikewise.co.nz/Site/bikewisebattle/default.aspx
So be
healthier, happier workplaces - and win one of the great prizes that are up for
grabs within the five organisation-size categories.
Participants
can ride wherever they feel comfortable for a minimum of 2km or 10 minutes. All
it takes is to ride just once during competition, then log it here on the
website. Have a go! Hop on a bike!
MARCH
Sunday 9th March
Riverside walk and ride Round
- starting from Memorial Park.
Helpers wanted - We are needing more cyclists who will be able to accompany groups
on the bike ride – the rides are not at all arduous! If anyone is able to help,
please contact Philip King at HCC 838 6991 if you can help with the cycling.
Judy MacDonald and Living Streets would like some help with the walkers as
well, and handing out leaflets. contact her on 07 855 2019.
Sunday 2nd March
Waikato Museum River Day 10am to 3.30pm
We are
pitching the programme at families with children as they are our target
audience. To help us plan and promote the programme for the day it would be
great to get from you the following information:
1. A
written description of what your organisation will be doing on the day in a
paragraph.
2.
Details of any special set-up requirements for the day.
The
Museum is committed to managing and marketing this event. We are aware that
your time is valuable and we are willing to support you to ensure that the day
is a successful occasion for all concerned.
Please contact Robyn Johnston if you are interested in having a stall or
display:
Business Activity Manager, Waikato Museum, Hamilton City Council 1 Grantham Street Private Bag 3010,
DDI 07 838 6553 Fax 07 838 6571 Mobile 021 471 930 www.waikatomuseum.co.nz
March 2nd - 9th Seaweek 2008
If your group is interested in doing something please
contact Sam at EW (details below)
The aims of Seaweek include raising
awareness of the coast and ocean and encouraging all New Zealanders to help
look after their local marine areas. Seaweek has become a time when New
Zealanders not only celebrate the sea, but also get involved in activities that
promote the health of our ocean. Seaweek is a national event coordinated by the
New Zealand Association for Environmental Education (NZAEE) and Sir Peter Blake
Trust.
The national Seaweek website can be found
at : http://www.seaweek.org.nz/
Sam Stephens Coastal Community Facilitator Environment Waikato
DDI: (07) 859 0542 Mobile: 021 792 561 Email:
Sam.Stephens at ew.govt.nz www.ew.govt.nz
Starting March 12
Wednesday Organic Gardening courses For 4 weeks total, from 10 – 12, at Waimarie Community House, 53 Wellington St, Phone Cheryl 834 2249 at the Hamilton Permaculture
Trust.
NOTICES
Funding
Envirofund 2008
Got an
idea to make Hamilton more sustainable?
Need
financial support for a community focused project?The
Hamilton City Council Envirofund could provide the financial support your
project needs.
What
types of projects are funded?
· Local environmental restoration projects;
· Environmental seminars and workshops;
· Environmental research that could provide
direct benefits to Hamilton's environment;
· Educational or promotional activities that raise awareness about
environmental issues;
· Practical environmental initiatives that involve community participation
or increase community involvement.
Applications
for the next Envirofund round close 31st March, 4pm. Apply Now! Applications
are easy.
Application
forms and guidelines are available on-line at: http://hamilton.co.nz/Envirofund
For further
information contact: Sustainable Environment Team Hamilton City Council Phone 958 5885
World Environment Day Funding
available
New Zealand is hosting World Environment Day
2008 in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on
June 5. The Ministry for the Environment is the lead government agency
coordinating the event alongside UNEP.
World
Environment Day is an opportunity to raise awareness and promote action on
national environment issues. New Zealand businesses and communities can
tie-in their own environmental and sustainable activities and messages to the
event and take advantage of WED’s status and media focus.
World
Environment Day is a national event in which all New Zealanders can participate
through organising a wide range of community/regional events and activities.
There is
community funding available to financially assist
organisations/groups/schools/early childhood centres who wish to undertake an
event or activity during the week of World Environment Day. These events and
activities need to take place during the week of 2–8 June 2008.
For more information about the applying for
funding you can visit http://www.mfe.govt.nz/withyou/wed/index.html and
download an application form and the 'Guide for Applicants'. Alternatively, if
you wish to receive hardcopies of this information you can email the
WED@mfe.govt.nz and ask for this information to be mailed to you.
Further
resource packs are currently being developed and will be available from our
website in the near future.
Amanda
Turner | Adviser, Projects and Partnerships
Ministry for the Environment - Manatü Mö Te Taiao | PO Box 10362, 23 Kate Sheppard Place, Wellington |P 04 439 7518 |F 04 439 7707 |M 027 636 8920
Trust Waikato
Now has 3 funding rounds per
year.
The next one closes on 22
February, notified early May 08
2nd round closes 13
June, notified and paid early Sept 08
3rd round closes 19
September, notified early Dec 08
Situations Vacant
Environmental Policy Advisor
Are you excited about our city’s future?
Hamilton needs you to help us make it
sustainable. You will be working as part of an enthusiastic team to
improve the environmental sustainability of Hamilton and Council. The job
is varied, including work on strategy and policy development, greening of
events and organisational sustainability.
Ideally you will have sound understanding of local environmental issues
and a flair for communication and empowering others. You will need
experience in facilitating processes and bringing groups together, and a tertiary qualification in resource or environmental management or
environmental engineering.
Join our team and empower others to achieve great results for our city.
Applications close: 17 February 2008
For more information go to http://careers.hamilton.co.nz/jobcentre/search.asp
