whakatane newsletter may 2010
FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT may 1st - 16th
BARISTA COURSE - Neville Morgan of Bean Zone Coffee is running a BARISTA COURSE at 6pm on Wed 9th June in Whakatane using a blend of FAIRTRADE beans originating in Colombia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. How cool is that!! Cost $35. Phone 07 308 7642 for more details.
Support Fairtrade and help us out in this nationwide experiment, running all day on Fri 14th May. Just simply buy a Fairtrade coffee at VENDOR Cafe, Richardson Street, Whakatane, but instead of indulging yourself, gift it to the following customer by letting the cashier know. We bet your generosity will be forwarded on by the next person! More...
For this year's Fair Trade Fortnight we're asking you to join us in The Big Swap. For two whole weeks we'll be asking you to swap your usual stuff for Fairtrade stuff. Your usual chocolate for Fairtrade chocolate, your usual cotton t-shirt for a Fairtrade cotton t-shirt, and your usual cuppa for a Fairtrade cuppa. This means that every time you go shopping, you can use your wallet to make a stand. Find out more, watch the excellent clip, and enjoy the African rhythym!
Contact Us if you'd like Pip to visit your workplace with Fairtrade products, information and free samples...
Fairtrade bananas!
NEW at Pak n Save!! All Good Fairtrade BANANAS!!!! YAY!!!
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.
GREEN SCREENING will officially re-launch in July, but The Cove is screening as a fundraiser for our local friendly dolphin, Moko.
THE COVE
7.45 pm
SYNOPSIS: An elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers embark on a covert mission to penetrate a remote and hidden cove in Taiji, Japan. Utilizing state-of-the-art techniques, including hidden microphones and cameras in fake rocks, the team uncovers how this small seaside village serves as a horrifying microcosm of massive ecological crimes happening worldwide. Academy Award® Winner for Best Documentary of 2009. Director: Louie Psihoyos. Documentary.
Using discarded tyres, plastic bottles, old beer cans, rammed earth, rain-harvesting, solar power and on-site food production, culminating in his selfless valuable contribution to rebuilding devastated communities in post-tsunami Andaman Islands and later in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. This outstanding doco has won a number of awards. A review and trailer is HERE.. . More info on 'Earthship' home design and Michael Reynolds HERE.. NZ Earthship website HERE..
SAY NO to Mining of National Parks
Cyber Submissions and Campaign information HERE..
- GREEN Party - "These most treasured places, sacred to tangata whenua and loved by all New Zealanders must not be destroyed. They are the heritage that thousands of New Zealanders have invested countless volunteer hours and dollars into protecting." Submission Guide
- Ministry of Economic Development Online Submission Form - The official Government feedback form.
- GREENPEACE - The Government has asked for feedback on the proposal to allow mining in conservation areas and national parks. The official Government feedback form presumes the mining is going ahead so we've set up this as an alternative. ... Online Submission Form..
- Forest & Bird - Protecting our native plants, animals and wild places, on land and in our oceans. Help us to help nature. Send a submission to stop mining in our national parks and conservation areas: Quick Online Submission Form and Detailed Submission Guide
- Coromandel - 2precious2mine Campaign - The Government is proposing to allow mining in Coromandel conservation land and in National Parks. Online Submission Form..
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?
GATHERINGS:
GREEN LUNCH We are usually 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 event is on Wed 16th June. We'll be back out in the Park at noon, or at Vendor.
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! Next Gardening date Sat 22nd May. If you'd like more information Contact Us or eastbaytimebank@gmail.com. For more information on TimeBank you can download a brochure here.
GREEN DRINKS (SBN) Next on Thur 20th May 5pm - 7pm at Energy Options. Details HERE. Nik Gregg of Energy Options, winner of the Not-for-Profit Award 2009 (BOP Sustainable Business Network Awards) will talk about their experience of assessment and the awards process.
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 June 5th. 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!!
