whakatane newsletter april 2010
SAY NO to Mining of National Parks
There will be a screening of two short films on mining in the Coromandel and in Peru at St. Georges Church lounge on Sunday 12th April at 1.15pm. MP Catherine Delahunty will be speaking on the implications of the proposed changes to the Crown Minerals Act and how this could affect our local treasured places. ALL WELCOME! Cyber Submissions and Campaign information HERE..
New - The Story of Bottled Water
In the US alone, 500,000,000 bottles of water are consumed each week. People in Britain spend an average of £25 a year on bottled water. It's a big waste, environmentally and for your pocket. While 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water worldwide, other people spend billions of dollars on a bottled product that's no cleaner, harms people and the environment and costs up to 2,000 times the price of tap water. The Story of Bottled Water (from Story of Stuff Project) is a new film using simple words and images to explain a complex problem, in this case manufactured demand: how you get people to think they need to spend money on something they don't actually need or already have?
Fairtrade bananas!
NEW at Pak n Save!! All Good Fairtrade BANANAS!!!! YAY!!! Next due in on Sat 3rd April.Excellent comment from Kazel (Opotiki Coast Transition Town) Crazy for All Good Bananas! JUST heard that FT All Good Bananas are now being stocked in Opotiki too.
GATHERINGS
COMMUNITY GARDENING - We have a new plan to meet and work at members gardens on a weekly basis, and all work will be done through EASTBAY TIMEBANK. Earn Time Credits, work and learn! If you'd like more information Contact Us or eastbaytimebank@gmail.com. For more information on TimeBank you can download a brochure here.
INSPIRING COMMUNITIES - Workshop Invitiation - Community-led Development in the Bay of Plenty. Wed 14th April 10am - 2pm, Rotorua. Local people are strengthening their own communities in the Bay of Plenty – through community gardens, neighbourhood events, local environmental projects... This workshop is a chance to share stories of change and learning from across the BoP and from other communities in Aotearoa, and to explore how communities can connect and support each other. To register contact Barbara.MacLennan@inspiringcommunities.org.nz or phone: 07 348 7822 or 027 425 2277. Contact Us if you'd like to car-pool from Whakatane.
GREEN LUNCH We are meeting in Whakatane once a month, in Peace Park, Boon Street if the weather is nice! If your environmentally-friendly future needs connecting to others, then contact us and we'll keep you up to date if we change times or venues. Next lunch Wed 21st April from 12 noon. Head for Vendor Cafe on Richardson Street if the weather is unpleasant.
GREEN DRINKS (SBN) Next on Wed 12th May 5pm - 7pm. Details to follow.
GREENPEACE information on OCEANS and the RED Fish Guide - Greenpeace is asking for urgent action on these species – if retailers and the public care about the state of our oceans, these are the species they should avoid buying. If you would like a RED Fish Guide Contact Us.
FOREST & BIRD - BEST FISH GUIDE - A thorough guide to the sustainability of New Zealand's main commercial fish, and the pocket guide is HERE.. If you would like a copy Contact Us as F&B have sent some here.
FISH for the FUTURE! Department of Conservation is proud to sponsor Seaweek - an annual celebration of New Zealand's precious marine environment. Many LINKS and RESOURCES..
REAF in OPOTIKI is the organisational home of varied Marine ventures. We offer many options for you to get involved in this win-win marine adventure no matter where you might live. Marine Life Tours, Eco-Fishing Trips, Reef Building and Memory Reefs are just some of our ventures. NEW in 2010 - We are now able to offer Marine Life Credits to help offset your marine 'eco-footprint'.
LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS
APANUI SALTMARSH Clean-up - Meet at the bottom of McAlister Street by the river, 8am weather permitting, cancellations are put onto 1XX. Please make sure you have your sun hat, boots or strong shoes and warm clothing during winter. Next clean up on April 10th. Contact rosemarytully@clear.net.nz for more information. Future dates on Regular Links page.
BIRD RESCUE Read Rosemary's Bird Rescue Newsletter from the NZ Birds website.
MOKO at Ohope Beach - Local Marine Mammal permit holders and the Surf Club are keeping an eye on the situation. You can get the latest news from Moko's Ohope Facebook and Blog.
GARDENING NEWS
HOME GROWN MARKET Remember this FREE community initiative to assist locals with buying, trading and selling locally produced food or 'stuff' - keep it fresh, and keep it local!
FRUIT & FOOD SHARE MAP "Tonnes of food around NZ goes to waste every year, as trees produce fruit which is never picked or eaten. Use Michael Brenndorfer's interactive GOOGLE map to highlight fruit/nut trees, and other natural urban food/resource sources. This map is open for editing by anyone. Just sign in with a Google account and you're away. Please list details about the trees you are labeling, giving them a name starting with the city the trees are in, followed by the type of plant/tree. Then, in the details section, please provide more details, exactly where the tree is, when it fruits, whether it is on public or private land etc." WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!
KOANGA INSTITUTE - Upcoming Events, Workshops and PDCs HERE. NEW CATALOGUE out NOW!!
