Category Archives: Enterprise

Eb and Sparrow and Dan Mikkleson – bicycles and music

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bicycle-junction-650

 

DJ Kelvinator talks to Ebony from Eb and Sparrow about their live gig in Bicycle Junction this Sunday 31st May. Ebony plays a selection of unreleased unheard on the radio b-sides tracks especially for us.

And owner of Bicycle junction Dan Mikkleson talks all things bicycles, and about how the burgeoning bike scene in Wellington is building community.

Thanks to Newswire for the photo.

http://www.ebandsparrow.co.nz/

http://www.bicyclejunction.co.nz/

For more about the event, but sorry it is sold out.

Daniel Kinne – the fair trader

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Daniel Fair Trade FortnightDaniel Kinne is a coffee farmer from the highlands of Papua New Guinea. He is also a founding member and the chairman, of the Highland Organic Agricultural Cooperative (HOAC) which includes 2600 farmers.

He is here to celebrate Fair Trade Fortnight, through and to share his stories on the impact we have on communities like his, when we buy Fair trade.

But what fascinates me, is that this man manages to get the 2600 farmers of this collective to make a decision together on how to spend the premiums ($ from their sales) for their community . Is he learning from us or are we learning from him?

 

Daniels coffee can be drunk at Kokako, available at Common Sense Organics and Esquires.

Wellington was the first Fair Trade City in New Zealand.

In 2013 New Zealanders spent $69.3 Million dollars on Fair Trade goods.

 

Russell Silverwood, Charlie Hanna, Rory Wagner, Ryan O’Connell, Sofia Robinson – The Smart Energy Revolutionists

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Smart energy

Would you consider moving your business goods by bike, using biogas produced by some of the 1 tonne of coffee grinds only 30 of our cafes go through in a week OR taking your friends on a tour of Wellington on an effortless E-bike? Well these are the kinds of ideas that were explored and some kicked into businesses from the Smart Energy Challenge earlier this month.

In these interviews we talk to  Russell Silverwood from No Car Cargo, Charlie Hanna and Rory Wagner from CoffeeCo, Ryan O’ O’Connell and Sofia Robinson from  about where they are at with their city changing, energy reducing  ventures.

And just so you know we are not joking; http://www.bio-bean.com

and http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/waste-coffee-grounds-fuel-london

Ryan and Sofia have a pledge me campaign going where you can pre-invest in the E bike experience. help them out to kick start the face of Wellington.

https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/3446-switched-on-bikes-electric-bike-hire-and-guided-tours-of-wellington

Pinaman Owusu – African Fashion Queen

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Pinaman Owusu 2

If you are interested in beautiful clothes or following big dreams then this is an introduction to a striking young Ghanaian Wellingtonian woman .
She is on a mission to connect New Zealand and Africa through fashion and the first ever .
Before I had this interview I wasn’t sure why I would want to wear African fashion but after hearing about why she wants to do this, I do now.

To Donate to the Spark My Potentail by Monday 6th of April http://sparkmypotential.co.nz/project/africafashionfestival

More about the African Fashion Festival here http://www.africafashionfestival.com/

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/charity-shop-cast-offs-are-killing-culture-in-ghana-says-top-historian.24734972

Pinaman’s fav track by Kiwi band Weird Together, filmed in Accra Ghana.

Johanna and Laurie Sanders – here to stay

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The Village Market

Father and daughter team, Laurie and Johanna Sanders, have a pretty big vision for the out in Lower Hutt. Laurie, the self appointed “Artisan Godfather”, insists that the market is the future, as all businesses start small and the Village Market will enable more of this to happen. Many of our unique Wellington businesses started in a market so I am inclined to agree, but in this interview I found Laurie is so convinced, he is going to leave this as his legacy for the Hutt community. The Village Market is here to stay.

The Sew Good Cooperative Mums – a common unity

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SewGood_CUP_20141128_6040These are the Mum’s from The Sew Good Cooperative at Epuni School in Lower Hutt. Of all the stories has done, this one is possibly the most powerful, Why? Because their story is a community led response to the economic and social pressures facing a huge percentage of our country. These women are doing it for themselves.

After founder Julia Milne has taken a few awards this year as the Overall Winner at the Wellington Airport Community Awards and the Sustainable Champion at the NZI Sustainable Business Awards for her work and vision on the project, we thought we’d go and have a chat with the Mums to see what the best things about the year were for them…..and it wasn’t what we thought.

If you think these women were doing an awesome thing please vote here as they are in the running for a grant that will really help their Koha Kitchen come to life.Closes Dec 11 so please do it today. It takes two clicks.

http://mcfgrantsvoting.com.au/

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Thanks to

 

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.