Monthly Archives: November 2014

Oliver Vetter – love your coast

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Oliver_Sus_Coast_lines

have had a massive impact on New Zealand beaches by educating nearly 110 000 of us about caring for our coasts, as well us getting 35 000 of us to pick up over 1,000,000 million litres of rubbish. Now Welly has our own Sustainable Coastlines representative, a big welcome to Oliver Vetter, who is already very busy leading the  campaign through schools, a harbour dive clean up this Saturday and a beach clean up at Makara next Saturday.

In this interview Oliver shares his take on why we have so much rubbish on our beaches, how you can start your own beach clean up through Sustainable Coastlines and even though he has alot of dirty work to do,why  he loves his job.

http://www.loveyourcoast.org/Events/cleanup/2587

Mandy Coleman – the life of a Sea Shepherd

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Mandy Coleman Sea Shepherd

Mandy Coleman is the Wellington coordinator for  and the  crew, who are back in town with the ocean defender, the Sam Simon. The Sam Simon is docked at the Taranaki St. wharf, preparing for it’s next Antarctic campaign. In this interview we talk with Mandy and her husband Micheal about why they have been so dedicated to the Sea Shepherd Movement for 6 years, the big issues our oceans are facing and what simple actions we can do to help this potentially very fragile situation.

Mandy and Michael also spend a lot of their weekends picking up rubbish from around Wellington’s beaches and do a monthly clean up at Evans Bay beach. Find out more here https://www.facebook.com/events/310566425809314/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming


For more on the fundraiser at Bar Bodega on Saturday the 29thhttp://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2014/sea-shepherd-antarctic-fundraiser/wellington

Sea Shepherd Antarctic Fundraiser

Here is a link to the Forest and Bird Nest Fish Guide http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/best-fish-guide-13-14

 

Angela McLeod – UN Women helping Solomon Sisters

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Angela Mcleod cropped 1

Angela McLeod has been advocating for women for a very long time and is now president of UN Women Aotearoa New Zealand.

To commemorate International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, yes that is White Ribbon Day coming up next Tuesday the 25th, UN Women Aotearoa are holding an event called Journey to Justice, to launch a project that aims to reduce violence against women in the Solomon Islands.

In this interview Angela explains what the UN Women NC Aotearoa do, why it is important for us to support our Pacific Sisters in the Solomon’s and a small but effective thing we can do in everyday life to shift our attitudes toward equality for women.

And if you want to know how to get involved with this event http://www.unwomen.org.nz/?p=2407

  • Did you know there are 600 000 people located across 9 provinces and over 100 languages in the Solomon Islands.
  • Approximately 2/3 of women in the Solomon Islands have reported experiencing physical or sexual violence ( according to  2009 study).
  • 37% of sexual violence happens before the age of 15.
  • Violence against women is widely accepted by both men and women.
  • There are relatively little support services or other forms of assistance for women who have experienced this abuse.

UN Women Wrkshp in Honiara Mphoto Marni Gilbert

 

Thanks to Marni Gilbert for this shot of  the Transformational Leadership Workshop in Honiara, 2013

Darren Hoskins – our Welly waste

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Darren and laurie Southern Landfill.

I don’t think there are too many landfills that can boast a trout farm, an electricity generation plant as well as their own Bio Grow certified Capital Compost. And I wouldn’t have called the landfill a place I’d want to hang out at for long, but on my quest to find out what happens to my rubbish I met Darren Hoskin’s, our Southern Landfill Operations Manager, who has been working (well hanging out) at our Southern landfill for 21 years. Something in the water?

And you’ll never guess what the biggest resource that could be the next major opportunity for us is….actually you’ll never guess. You’ll have to listen. And it’s not the tyres.

 

Matthew Luxon – a rubbish free year

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Matthew LuxonIf you are on a mission to cut down your waste like I am, then this interview with Matthew Luxon, maybe right up your alley. Matthew and his wife Waveney, did a Rubbish Free Challenge in 2008 and produced only two supermarket bags of rubbish …..Jeepers.

Matthew talks about how they arrived at the decision to do this waste free challenge, offers some great tips and reveals how they are going now.

For more on tips on their journey check out their website. http://www.rubbishfree.co.nz/

WWF – a new innovation for conservation

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Gian and the Drone

To celebrate Conservation Week,  kicked off their first ever Conservation Innovation Awards in Welly.  According to WWF crew member, Lee Barry, imported pests are still one of the biggest challenge’s we face and we’re not winning. Which is why innovative ideas that ramped up the mission on pest control were highly favoured. Like Gian Badrauns Trap Minder, ( pictured) a GPS drone system that will fly into a predator area, alerted by heat sensors with poisonous bait.  And Hiedy Kikkilus’s Cat tracker that aims to turn cat owners into researchers, with a GPS tracking system that will help us better understand where cats go, what they get up to and how owners can manage pet cats to reduce their impact on wildlife.

Another exciting winner was the community collective, Energise Otaki, which is tackling the impacts of climate change through a range of projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, supply clean energy to the townspeople and creates jobs. Best of all listen to Otaki College Principal, Andy Fraser on the effect the involvement with Energise Otaki is having on their kids.

Nice work WWF. And everybody get ready to enter next year.

For more info on the winners: http://www.wwf.org.nz/?12321/conservationawardwinners

Myfanwy Emeny – our urban ecology

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Myfanwy Emeny Cropped

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know that we have an Urban Ecologist at the Wellington City Council? Neither did I. But I do now, as I wanted to know what Conservation Week means for Wellington city. So in this interview Myfanwy Emeny, that Urban Ecologist, talks about the native communities that share our fair city, as well as the 90 volunteer community groups doing a good job replanting and helping our diverse environment thrive. She also bought in 2 local native superstars into the studio, although they were not that confident on the radio.

More on the pest fest at Waitangi Park to celebrate Conservation Week, this sunday.http://www.doc.govt.nz/getting-involved/events-and-awards/regional-events/family-pest-fest/