Presenters
Holger Kahl – Organics Aotearoa New Zealand
Discussion of WWOOFing (Willing Workers On Organic Farms), Organics Aotearoa New Zealand (OANZ), sustainability, self sufficiency, consumer power, slow food, zero waste, zero carbon all mixed together into a journey to give life a meaning of working with the Anima Mundi. Respecting, honouring and cooperating with the soul of the earth (the anima mundi).
Ian Spellerberg – Te Ara Kakariki (Canterbury Greenway Trust)
A presentation on Te Ara Kakariki (Canterbury Greenway Trust), followed by a discussion about how students can get involved in similar projects and the role of native plants in sustainability.
Keith Morrison – Sustainable Community Development Research Institute
Sustainability has to become an integral part of the lifestyle of
people. What this means and how to ensure its emergence and development
is the work of the Sustainable Community Development Research
Institute. What is required is multifaceted, which the SCDRI thematises
as: Wilderness retreats and meditation; alternative economic and
governance structures; community development; ecological engineering
and sustainable technology. What holds these themes together is the need
for communities of practice to emerge to be able to sustain their own
critical and creative learning and innovation.
Simon Kingham - UC Associate Professor Air Pollution and Transportation
What you can do to be a more sustainable traveller. Trip training and planning.
Waveney Warth – Rubbish Free Year
So you buy fair trade coffee, but what about the rest? Any Westerner attempting to live ethically certainly has the odds stacked against them but during 2008 Waveney and her husband Matthew are attempting to do just that. They have taken a one year challenge to screen their every consumption decision with this question: 'Will this item, packaging included contribute to the landfill?' If the answer is yes, they don't buy it. They have found that this simple question has channelled them into an alternative world of shopping habits like buying local, unprocessed goods, bulk, fair trade and eco-friendly. They have also enjoyed health and lifestyle benefits, such as eating delicious additive-free home baking and knowing the guy that sells them the fish. This workshop will introduce you to the rubbish free ethos and provide plenty of easy, practical information about how your household can also live without a rubbish bin. Bring all your 'what do you do with toothbrushes, light bulbs, tinfoil' questions and see if can stump Waveney.
Carl Pickens - Sustainable Home and Property Design
A talk outlining how to create a more sustainable home garden, with examples on rainwater and greywater harvesting, native planting techniques, food growing tips, timber selection, natural swimming pools, aggregate use, herbal leys and orchard management, swales and green roofs.
Annemarie Banchy – Composting with Worms
Using Worms to recycle Organic Waste is Easy, good for the garden, and
Reduces our Carbon Footprint! In this presentation, local worm farmer and
recycling magician will wax lyrical on the many benefits of recycling
organic waste with worms. From waste to wonderful to global worming, you
will learn about worms and the many different styles of worms farms that
make worm composting easy!
Anthony Raizis – The Ecological Efficiency of Food
The 21st century brings dramatic new challenges with nearly 9 billion mouths to feed by 2030. However, arable land, chemical fertilisers and fresh water resources continue to diminish. Added to these worries are the issues of climate change and declining biodiversity. Agriculture remains the most land, energy, fresh water, energy and resource intensive human activity. Current agricultural practices not only produce significant greenhouse gas emissions, but are also responsible for erosion, nutrient depletion of topsoils, soil compaction, and run-off pollution. Human impacts could be dramatically reduced by an understanding of the ecological efficiency of food production and the widespread benefits of sustainable soil management practices.
Jim O'Gorman - the "Dirt Doctor"
Jim has a certified organic bio-intensive horticulture unit at Kakanui. His garden is dedicated to bio-remediation of agricultural chemical damaged soils using weeds and local resources. He is a southern regional co-ordinator for the Koanga Institute heritage seed programme and is a member of Tahuri Whenua, the national Maori vegetable growing collective.
Known as the Dirt Doctor, Jim’s focus is on the soil. He experiments with compost and micro-organism technology to establish and maintain soil fertility and high quality multiple organic crops to maximise output from a small area. He will present his research results to date supported by a discussion on micro-organism applications; followed by a garden walk and demonstration of compost making. He has a degree in business, has tutored at Otago University and Otago Polytechnic and teaches a Agriculture NZ Organic Horticulture course.
Hamuera Kahi – Aotahi: UC School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
Traditional environmental knowledge, indigenous conservation ethic, Nga Rakau Hua o te Wao Tapu - Edible Plants
Field Trip: Ti Kouka Eco Lane
Ti kouka Eco Lane is a distinctive residential development, fostering a permaculture environment, which supports the development of an ecologically sustainable living eco village.
Ants Field - Electric vehicles
Do it yourself car and bike conversion will be the main focus, with a demonstration of my working e-bike. Also exploring off the shelf options with plenty of time for questions and test riding at the end.
Ken Graham - Green Party
"Sustainability: What Individuals can do to Benefit the Planet and Themselves." Sustainability has become the central concept for human society in the 21st century. But what does it mean, how does it affect you, and is there a 'crisis'? Dr Kennedy Graham reviews the past and present 'human condition', and looks ahead at what the UN, governments and individual are, and ought to be, doing to address the issue.
Dan Marrow - Greenpeace
A general talk on Greenpeace. An explanation of consumer guides such as GE Free food, clean energy and a 5 min video.
Amnesty International
Letter writing workshop. Learn how to write urgent actions to human rights abusers around the globe. This workshop will be hands on and teach the skills and knowledge needed to keep up to date and support Amnesty International's latest campaigns.
Kate Hewson - Community Garden tour
Come and explore the campus community garden with Kate Hewson, UC Sustainability Advocate. Kate was involved with the community garden from the very start and has knowledge about the permaculture principles used during its creation. Great opportunity to learn what is possible in your back yard.
Jo Bind - Ya Ya Tea House
The importance of small decisions. 'Sustainability' can be seen as a modern umbrella term for a whole range of issues that societies around the globe are facing today. Sustainability starts at home but affects the whole planet. Using tea as an example of an everyday consumer item, Jo will show how you - with your decisions as a consumer - can assume social and environmental responsibility as well as improve your health & well-being.