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Internet resources

 

Tertiary education and sustainability

• “See Change: Learning and education for sustainability” - NZ Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) report.
• UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014 - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
• New Zealand Association for Environmental Education
• Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability - promoting the integration of ecologically sustainable development in the curricula and operations of Australasian tertiary institutions.
• Higher Education Environmental Performance Improvement - Case studies and best practice guides for campus sustainability in the UK.
• University Leaders Towards a Sustainable Future - US-based secretariat for the Talloires Declaration on sustainability in higher education.
• Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education - association of tertiary institutions in the US and Canada focused on promoting sustainability.
• International Institute for Sustainable Development - campus sustainability (Canada) - an interactive toolkit for campus greening.
• Second Nature - US-based organisation promoting sustainability in higher education.
• Fairtrade Association - Five goals to become a Fairtrade University or College
• Greening Schools - a resource for implementing sustainability into your teaching plans (student teachers may find this valuable)

Transport

Cycling

• Christchurch City Council's cycling website - information about cycling facilities in Christchurch.
• Cycling Advocates' Network (CAN) - information and advocacy for cyclists in New Zealand.
• Cycling Advocacy - international website which brings together key information and resources on subjects related to cycling advocacy.
• Spokes Canterbury - a local cycling advocacy group dedicated to including cycling as an everyday form of transport in local and regional planning.
• Bikewise NZ - for cycling tips from choosing a bike, through cycling in city traffic, to equipment, maintenance, and more.
• How not to get his by cars - an excellent guide to riding in city traffic (Australian site).
• The Bicycle Tutor - Tutorials and video guides on how to perform basic bike repairs and maintenance.
• Mountain Equipment Co-op - Canadian site with information about choosing a bike and road safety tips
• Frocks on Bikes - making sustainability stylish with organised Frocks on Bikes Rides for fashionable ladies and lads
• Cycletrailers.co.nz - Christchurch run, information and supplies regarding cycle trailers

Buses

• Christchurch bus information (Metro-info)

Car

• UC carpooling system
• UC Car parking information
• Fuelsaver - EECA and Landtransport NZ's website that helps you work out motor vehicle running costs by vehicle type, fuel type and price, distance travelled, and driving habits.
• Carpool New Zealand

General

• Victoria (Canada) Transport Policy Institute, Travel Demand Management Encyclopedia includes a section for universities and transport.
• Living Streets Aotearoa is the New Zealand organisation for people on foot, promoting walking-friendly communities.

Recycling and Waste

Christchurch City Council

Recycling - recorded information 24-hours. Tel. 941-6872
Refuse Stations - recorded information 24-hours. Tel. 941-6875

• CCC Rubbish and Recycling homepage
• Environment Canterbury (regional council) waste pages
• CCC 'How to' Composting guide
• AskShareGive resource
  

Other useful sites

• Ministry for the Environment (MfE) waste policy and information site. .
• Target Waste: a Christchurch City Council initiative that helps businesses to improve resource efficiency and minimise waste.
• Zerowaste New Zealand Trust - a charitable trust that supports the activities of community organisations, councils, businesses, schools and individuals involved in waste minimisation and recycling.
• NZ Ministry for the Environment waste pages
• CompostingNZ - composting research and practice in New Zealand and the South Pacific (successor to UC Composting).
• WasteMINZ - not for profit society for sustainable waste minimisation strategy in NZ.
• Christchurch Freecycle - a local network which is part of the Freecycle Network, an international movement of people interested in keeping good stuff out of landfills.
• Recycling 101 - what happens to your recycling? A USA based resource with information about everything to do with recycling (and more!).

Energy

• Environment Canterbury (ECan) energy pages - for information on home energy efficiency and subsidies relevant to Christchurch and Canterbury residents.
• Community Energy Action - practical and low-cost home energy solutions.
• NZ Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment - Recent reports on energy and climate change.
• Ebex 21 - Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research: carbon dioxide emissions calculators.
• Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) - Government authority charged with encouraging and supporting energy .effienciency and conservation measures in NZ.
• Powerswitch - Website for comparing power prices with energy saving tips and a calculator for figuring out how much you use.

Sustainable Living

• Sustainable Living - Sustainable living tips and information on courses.
• The Sustainability Trust - a not-for-profit organisation specialising in home sustainability solutions.
• sustainability.govt.nz - Government site on sustainable living.
• WA$TED - Companion site to the TV3 series. Includes an eco-calculator and sustainable living tips.
• The Story of Stuff - 20-minute video examining the hidden effects of our production and consumption patterns (also a new video The Story of Cap and Trade and coming soon The Story of Bottled Water and The Story of Electronics).
• Ecological Footprint calculator - how many planets would we need if everyone in the world lived like you?
• Dumb Eco-Questions you were Afraid to Ask - New Scientist answers your questions.
• Love Food Hate Waste - a UK site with helpful tips, recipes, meal planners to encourage people to cut down on food waste and save money in the process.
• Locavore365.org - a site where you can get in touch with your local food community by buying, selling, swapping or giving away locally grown food in your area
• See also links for Energy and Waste

Sustainable Business

• Target Sustainability - a Christchurch City Council programme to help local businesses improve resource efficiency and save money.
• NZ Sustainable Business Network - Provides advice and support to businesses about sustainability.
• New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development - Promotes business leadership as a catalyst for change toward sustainable development.

Fair Trade

• Fairtrade Association of Australia and New Zealand
• Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO)
• World Fairtrade Organization (WFTO)
• NZ Aid - New Zealands International Aid and Development Agency
• Oxfam New Zealand
• Trade Aid New Zealand
• Global Focus Aotearoa
• Fairtrade Association - Five goals to become a Fairtrade University or College

Gardening

Getting started

• Life on the Balcony - a website all about container gardening

Community Garden sites

• American Community Gardening Association
• Australian Community Gardens Network

Permaculture sites

• Permaculture in NZ
• Australian Permaculture Research Institute
• Permaculture Activist (US)

Organics in New Zealand

• Soil and Health NZ Assn
• Organic Pathways
• The Dirt Doctor - Jim O'Gorman

Biodynamic gardening in New Zealand

• NZ Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Assn

Waterways Restoration

• Recent Publications
• Fresh Water Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury
• Natural Resources Engineering programme, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Canterbury
• Environment and Ecology, Christchurch City Council
• Clean waterways - promoting urban waterway health in Christchurch (Environment Canterbury and others)
• New Zealand Ecological Restoration Network (NZERN) - Other restoration projects around Christchurch and New Zealand.

About Sustainability

• The Natural Step - provides a framework for companies, organisations, individuals and communities to move to an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable way of operating.
• Sustainable Future - New Zealand website with a large library of information on many aspects of sustainability.
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - UN organisation which collates and synthesises scientific research on climate change. See also a popularised version of the fourth assessment report.
• Grist - Environmental news and commentary site with a sense of humour.
• Climate Debate Daily - website edited by UC academics Doug Campbell and Denis Dutton which collects news and research relating to climate change, which both reflects the scientific consensus and the sceptic viewpoint.
• Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Reports - Large-scale research programme involving over 1300 researchers in 95 nations, which assessed the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being. Also available in a popularised version.
• How Our Economy is Killing the Earth - New Scientist feature on the relationship between our economic system and the environment.

Local and National Organisations

• Kakariki - University of Canterbury student environment club.
• GreenPages - directory of non-profit organisations active in the areas of conservation and environmental protection, education, and restoration.
• 350.org - Global grassroots movement for political action on climate change.
• 350.org.nz - New Zealand's 350 site.
• Sustainable Aotearoa New Zealand (SANZ) - a network of practitioners who share a common goal of driving Aotearoa New Zealand towards achieving long term sustainability.
• Sustainable Otautahi Christchurch (SOC) - local organisation which works towards the bold vision of Christchurch people "practicing, living and demonstrating sustainability in all that they do."
• Environment and Conservation Organisations of Aotearoa New Zealand (ECO) - an umbrella group of environment and conservation organisations in New Zealand.
• New Zealand Ecological Restoration Network (NZERN) - a non-profit, community-driven organisation dedicated to sharing knowledge and experiences about native habitat protection, management and ecological restoration.