Episodes
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This podcast show started with Waveney asking the question, “what is the single most effective thing I can do to save the planet?’ Two years on, and 71 episodes later, both Tim and Waveney take stock of what actions seem to stand out from the rest and declare what their own personal ‘official’ winners. As always, the episode sticks to the show’s guiding kaupapa of focusing on simple solutions that trigger positive change through the whole collection of planetary woes from extinction, to microplastic, to climate change – connecting people with their power to make a difference.
This episode is the last episode for Season 2 and the last for the series. We’d to thank our major funders, (Huckleberry, All Heart, Ethique, Ecotricity, Kokako and the Live Lightly team at Auckland Council); the How to Save the World Team (Brody, Mariel and others who volunteered their time); and our amazing guests, listeners and biggest thanks of all to our partners, Zoe and Matthew.
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Journey into the world of Koia and Robyn, living sustainably in Manurewa, Auckland, with 9 other whānau members in a ‘not much bigger than average’ sized house. The episode starts with Koia leading a pōwhiri to formally welcome Tim and Waveney into their home and bless their time together. After the pōwhiri, Robyn shares her homemade feijoa cake and extraordinary feijoa skin fermented fizzy drink (how to details in episode). The manaaki and aroha flow out of Koia and Robyn, encompassing not just their whānau, but their community, and their environment. They both work professionally supporting others to be their best, Robyn working with tamariki at a kōhanga reo (https://www.kohanga.ac.nz/) ; and Koia working with community members at the ME Family Services centre in Mangere East (http://www.mefsc.org.nz/). Koia shares from the heart about how Whare Tapa Whā transformed his life and about how they got to where they are today as a whānau.
Glossary of terms:
· Whānau / family
· Pōwhiri / welcome ceremony
· Manaaki / to show respect, generosity and care for others
· Aroha / love
· Tamariki / children
· Kōhanga reo / Māori language nest school
· Whare Tapa Whā / a Māori model of health and wellbeing encompassing:
o Taha tinana (physical health)
o Taha wairua (spiritual health)
o Taha whānau (family health)
o Taha hinengaro (mental health)
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The desire to have and love children is one of the strongest, most basic human urges. But studies show that having less kids or no kids is by far the single most impactful action you can take to create a more sustainable tomorrow. So is there any wiggle room in these studies? Or could we justify having a baby on other grounds? Perhaps countries with low birth rates and high consumption rates, (i.e us here in Aotearoa and other wealthy nations), should actually focus the way we consume? We love babies here at How to Save the World and see this episode as a chance to personally reflect on what feels right for you, not as a chance to forward to your prodigiously reproducing friends. It’s a hard topic - so hard in fact that it is usually completely omitted from civic debate or sustainability forums.
Thanks to those who have gone there, notably:
North & South Magazine, Feb 2020, ‘Saving Planet Earth One (Less) Child at a Time’ by Sharon StephensonPopulation Matters (website & Facebook page)8 Billion Angels movieUN Sustainable Development Goals - less population video:University of Lund and University of British Columbia, 2017 Study (cited in N&S article)BIoScience journal, 2019 Report, ‘World scientists’ warning of a climate emergency, (cited in N&S article)Project Drawdown, health & education of womenIf you’d like to take more control of your fertility:
Hooray, in Aotearoa all LARCS (long lasting reversible contraceptives) (i.e. implant and IUDs) are now completely funded. Have a contraception plan: visit any Family Planning Clinic for professional, non judgemental advice and supportHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Buying organic food (food grown without the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides) is crucial to restoring the earth and protecting our biodiversity. But it costs the earth to do the right thing, right? WRONG! In many cases, buying organic food can save you money. In this episode, Waveney explains how.
It all starts with intention, knowing WHY to buy organic and making the decision. According to the UN’s 2014 report on Food and Agriculture, the planet only has 53 harvests left on our current trajectory.
If you’re a regular supermarket shopper, it can be as simple as looking for the organic label of the food you’re already getting, which may involve looking in the slightly less obvious bits of the aisle. Getting a food box delivery service that does organic veges like Ooooby is also an easy and cost-effective method of going organic – the meal plans mean you usually wind up with no spoiled ingredients. Farmer’s markets are a great way to source organics from your local area and connect with farmers who can tell you right there and then whether they’re growing organic crops – if you’re buying in season fruit and vege, even their organic prices will often beat the supermarket. Now we even have chains who focus on sustainable products, like Huckleberry, who have a huge range of products under one roof.
Buying organic food in bulk and joining a collective are great ways to save some serious coin. Try looking on Facebook groups for collectives in your area. Or get your own wholesale account from Ceres Organics and Ecostore. Just enquire via the website. Both have a minimum order value and minimum amounts of the product you can buy, so ask a couple of friends to join in.
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One year on from our last discussion with self-described Worm Guy (and Why Waste founder) Leo Murray, he returns to discuss with Tim and Waveney what lessons we've learned from living with COVID for the past 12 months, and what we need to do next to try and protect our planet. We discuss the implications of simpler living during lockdown and the false dichotomy of mitigation vs. adaptation when it comes to responding to the climate crisis. We also chat about how we, as a species, may need change our thinking from relying on technology to connecting with each other.
We also celebrate the incredible change that we're seeing in ourselves and those around us, including tremendous uplift in the amount of shared understanding that change is coming and we need to address the climate and protect our environment. We also talk about Aotearoa New Zealand's unique gift in the form of te ao Māori and what we can learn from our tangata whenua’s world perspective.
Check out Leo’s worm farm rental business WhyWaste here: (Hire a wormfarm — Why Waste | Worm Farm Memberships)
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Many countries including the UK, Sweden, France, Norway and the Netherlands are phasing out combustion engine vehicles in favour of EV vehicles. Here in Aotearoa, while there isn’t any comparable government declarations (yet), demand for electric vehicles, bikes, scooters etc is growing. This episode explores how EVs compare to fossil fuel cars in environmental terms as well as in terms of price, user experience and convenience. It’s a broad analysis covering the ‘old favourite’ pros and cons of EVs, new technological advancements and a peek into what our near ‘EV future’ could look like.
Special thanks to Theo Gibson from NZ EV podcast, Robyn Parkinson, an EV salesperson; and Matthew - EV enthusiast, EV driver and investor – who all generously gave me their time.
Resources
Lithium-ion battery recycling drop off in West Auckland: EcoMattersE World Expo: 6 - 8 May 2021, The Trusts Arena, AucklandEV NZ calculators and buyers guidesEcotricity Buyer's GuideLeading the ChargeFlip the FleetRobyn has kindly allowed us to share her EV buyers seminar ppt with you all, which is some of the clearest info I’ve seen overviewing the considerations (Google Slides)2017 video on cobalt minesSources
Green House Gases
NZ’s GHG emission sourcesEVs EECA Life Cycle Assessment of Electric Vehicles in Aotearoa (warning: PDF)EVs v Fossil cars stuff reportLithium
How does Lithium mining work, 2018McKinsey &; Company Lithium and Cobalt: A tale of two commodities, 2018Cobalt
Amnesty’s 2016 Cobalt Child Labour videoGuardian’s 2020 updateBattery tech
Tesla’s Battery Day announcement, 2020, YouTube -
The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is the New Zealand government's most powerful tool in reducing the amount of carbon we put into the atmosphere. But what exactly is an ETS? Tim sat down with Hon James Shaw, Minister for Climate Change (and co-leader of The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand) to get some questions answered.
If you've ever wondered HOW scientists measure the carbon capturing abilities of different trees, wanted to know whether native New Zealand trees are treated differently in the ETS or if the Government recognises the immense carbon capturing abilities of soil - you're in luck! James Shaw also shares some challenges he's had in his personal journey in reducing his carbon footprint at home.
LINKS
Ministry for the Environment’s ETS explainer
Stuff's 'Climate explained: How emissions trading schemes work and can they help us shift to a zero carbon future'
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Seafood New Zealand and our Ministry for Primary Industries tell us that we have a sustainable fishery, but many hapū, marine scientists and ANYONE trying to catch fish without commercial fishing equipment say it’s getting harder and harder to catch and eat fish, crays, and shellfish around the coast of Aotearoa. Join TIm and Waveney as they explore who’s right and how to make sure the fish you eat is not leading to the extinction of Maui’s dolphins or our unique seabirds or trawling through and destroying the seafloor ecosystem. Dig deeper with the associated how to Save the World blog: https://www.howtosavetheworld.nz/blog/is-it-ok-to-eat-fish-in-new-zealand.
Links and resources:
Rescue Fish petition: https://rescuefish.co.nz/ (from LegaSea)Zero By Catch pledge: https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/campaigns/zero-bycatchThe Price of Fish Documentary, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIQNDYoymMU (from LegaSea). Best Fish Guide, http://bestfishguide.org.nz/ (from Forest & Bird)LegaSea (New Zealand Sport Fishing Council)www.legasea.co.nzManifesto for inshore fisheries: https://legasea.co.nz/about-us/what-is-legasea/manifesto/Forest & BirdOcean landing page: https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/what-we-do/oceansBriefing for incoming ministers (Forest & Bird’s most succinct summary of the issues and proposition for change) https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/sites/default/files/2021-02/Forest%20%26%20Bird%20Briefing%20to%20the%20Incoming%20Government%202021.pdfPhoto credit: Rachel Mataira / Our Auckland https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/articles/news/2021/02/waiheke-local-board-gives-support-for-rahui-to-protect-the-island-s-kaimoana/
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Production Note: Some of this conversation was featured in our last episode. This episode contains the conversations with Jacqui, in its entirety.
Waveney chats to Jacqui Forbes (Ngāruahine), the Kaihautū Matua (General Manager) for the Māori zero waste organisation Para Kore. Starting with Poihakena Marae in Raglan/Whaingāroa, Para Kore now has now touch almost half a million participants at wananga, events and presentations.
Jacqui is sharing knowledge with and between marae throughout Aotearoa to reduce waste and pass on methods to work with the environment. Her philosophy is steeply grounded in a Te Ao Māori perspective and using mythology like the Māori creation story - borne of the separation of Papatūānuku and Ranginui, we can look at we humans as being the youngest creatures inhabiting the land. Respecting that we are part of nature and thus need to protect our fellow living beings felt very normal to Jacqui from a young age and she shares stories from her upbringing which still inform her approach today.
Links
Collapse by Jared Diamond
Para Kore's website
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Join Tim and Waveney on a road trip to legendary surf town Raglan (Whāingaroa) to uncover the stories behind the town’s long history of ground breaking successes in sustainability.
In this second episode we explore:
Para Kore
Para Kore means Zero Waste in te reo. It is also a for Maori by Maori programme that came out of Whāingaroa / Raglan in 2009 and now has national impact. It’s goal is to support all marae to be working toward zero waste by 2025. Incredibly 449 marae have joined and over 500 tonnes of waste that would have gone to landfill has been completely avoided. Interview with Jacqui Forbes, Para Kore cofounder and General Manager.
Local food resilience
Growing and eating local food is arguably one of the most important things we can do to secure a regenerative future. We investigate a cluster of local projects led by different groups in Whaingaroa / Raglan including a government sponsored food resilience project, seed saving, ‘crop swap’ and an extraordinary group collecting food waste from each and every Raglan home to create a high grade compost (that can be used to grow more local food!) Interview with Liz Stanway, Whāingaroa Environment Centre committee member and Organics Team Leader at Xtreme Zero Waste.
xtremezerowaste.org.nz/foodwaste-collection-service (Food Waste Collection)
whaingaroa.org.nz/projects (Environment Centre)
facebook.com/groups/178142569374566 (Crop swap)
A household’s role in a sustainable region
Our hosts during our Raglan stay were Clare and David Whimmer, a household of adept perma-culturalists, 20 mins out of town. They kindly agreed to let us interview them as we were blown away by how they lived and inspired to see a tangible example of people living in and enjoying a thriving, sustainable region.
CHECK OUT THE BLOG ON THIS TOPIC at the How to Save the World blog. Raglan: New Zealand’s most eco-friendly town?
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Join Tim and Waveney on a road trip to legendary surf town Raglan (Whaingaroa) to uncover the stories behind the town’s long history of ground breaking successes in sustainability.
In this episode we meet four locals. Two who have been part of rebuilding the standard small town economic model of shipping energy and food in / waste and profits out out; And two who have mobilised hundreds of community members to turn around collapsing fish stocks and seabird populations to thriving ecosystems heaving with life. All of the projects are ground breaking in timing or scale, with relevance internationally for anyone wanting to understand more about creating sustainable futures beyond the confines of consumer choice and citizen advocacy.
We would like to mihi Ngāti Tahinga of Tainui, the mana whenua (hapu with territorial rights and authority in the area) kaitiakitanga (gaurdians) of Waingaroa. Their whare tupuna is Tainui a Whiro. Their marae connects to the Tainui waka, the moana Whaingāroa, the awa Wainui and the maunga Karioi. Leaders from this hapu, notably whaea Eva Rickard, have led the way in envisioning, advocating, transforming and enabling. “Don’t wait for permission to do something about it.” Tautoko koutou. (We were unable to interview representative of Ngāti Tahinga of Tainui).
In this episode we cover:
Raglan Naturally
The community led town plan that was 20 years in the making and recently adopted by the Waikato District Council as the town’s official long term plan. Interview with Gabrielle Parson, Raglan Naturally coordinator and Raglan Community Board member.
Xtreme Zero Waste
The community owned resource recovery centre that prevents 75-80% of Raglan’s “rubbish” (read “resources”) from going to landfill. Interview with Rick Thorpe Xtreme cofounder and Innovations Manager.
Raglan Community Energy
A community enterprise that has Whaingaroa on its way to be Aotearoa’s first energy independent town. Interview with Rick Thorpe, also Coordinator of ‘Raglan Local Energy.’
Whaingaroa Harbour Care
The riparian planting project has had one of the most successful engagement rates with farmers and fishers in the country. Interview with Fiona Edwards, Whaingaroa Harbour Care Project manager
Kari-oi Maunga ki te Moana
A community led epic trapping project with 350 volunteers regularly checking 2048 traps. Interview with Kristel van Houte, Kari-oi Maunga ki te Moana Project Manager.
If you are inspired to make a difference in your local community, these organisations might be a good place to start:
zerowaste.co.nzcommunityenergy.org.nz.forestandbird.org.nz/branches pf2050.co.nz/the-predator-free-movementHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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We’re bidding farewell to 2020 and a big, hopeful hello to 2021 so time for some intention-setting and New Year’s resolutions.
Waveney’s found a study scientifically proving we put more stock into the goals we set at the start of a New Year and have more success keeping them vs goals set at other times of the year. We discuss the tips for successful goal-setting, including making them Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. It’s also important to make resolutions and goals as simple as possible, link them to your personal values, and don’t be unrealistically ambitious with behaviour change. So what can we do for sustainability in the next 12 months?
Waveney has decided to avoid op-shop clothes shopping to avoid buying a surplus of stuff she won’t wear. Tim has decided, sort of, the opposite! He’s only buying second-hand clothes for the entire year (excluding socks and undies) taking inspiration from the HTSTW Six Items Challenge episode. He’s also buying a second-hand bike to throw his personal weight behind building a more bikable city in Auckland.
There’s got loads of suggestions for sustainable new year’s resolutions drawing inspiration from previous HTSTW episodes, from the painfully easy, like moving your kiwisaver to a sustainable fund (see Climate Action w/ Erica Finnie from 350.org) to going meat-free on Mondays/doing vegan meals once a week, to the more challenging like knocking out Palm Oil or starting a worm farm or reducing your carbon footprint using FutureFit.nz.
As always, this is a great opportunity to start eating more locally, more organically and more environmentally minded.
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In many homes the family dog or cat occupies a special place in our hearts. We cry when they die (and we all secretly think puppies and kittens are cuter than babies). But have you ever stopped to wonder if our modern day pet obsession is “eco-friend or foe”? In this episode Waveney and Tim ask ‘what is the environmental pawprint of our pets?’ and explore what it takes to be a sustainable pet owner. They talk about the best food options; eco-friendly flea treatment; how to deal with toilet waste onsite; and the pitfalls of those incredibly cute dog onesies and all the other crazy consumption we do on their behalf - before finishing with a shout out to the very best of the natural vegetarian pets… guess what pet Tim has always secretly wanted but never had?
Plus check out the How to Save the World blog with a special guest writer Alex who shares her ‘cat litter saga’ with us - well worth the read for any pet owners with litter boxes.
Studies and resources mentioned in this episode
General:
2017 US study finding cats and dogs responsible for 25-30% of the environmental impact of all meat consumption in the US Esther Woolfson, “Between Light and Storm” a study of our history of pets & Guardian Longread excerptFood:
Home made dog food recipeThe Raw Dog Food CompanyJimbo’s: minimally processed fresh meat pet food. Available in supermarkets.Home made dog treats from Lauren Singer, Trash is for Tossers: organic whole wheat flour, peanut butter, chicken stockComing soon - In Zect Direct dog treats (cricket protein and spent grain from beer making)Green Elephant online store - dog treat range, (packaging… carbon foot print)Toileting
Enso Pet compost system from Zing Bokashi:DIY subterranean composting with wormsRubbish FreeCompost CollectiveFleas:
Recent UK study ‘waterways to be routinely and chronically contaminated with the active ingredients from cat and dog flea treatments’. Avoid Fipronil and Imidacloprid.How...Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This holiday season, we're trying to be conscious of not buying plastic-y, non-Earth friendly gifts for people that they may not even like! So we've got 10 suggestions for sustainable gifts for everyone you will be gift-giving to this year.
1) Christmas Crackers from KidsCan
They’re only $2.50 each from Countdown, Harvey Norman, The Coffee Club and other retailers. Inside you’ll find a party hat, cheesy joke and the chance to win a spa pool, trampolines, toys, and sweet treats instead of a plastic toy everyone throws in the bin.
Even better, DIY crackers – You can buy the Bang from spotlight, rescue the rest. Creative Junk in Christchurch (who also do gift vouchers) or North Shore Recycling Centre, or wherever is close to you. Whole bag of craft supplies for $10. Hopper in Wellington also have eco-friendly crackers.
2) Ethical, natural cosmetics and skincare from Go Native NZ
Go Native are a premium online seller/supplier of natural, organic and ethical skincare ingredients. Over the almost 20 years the business has been around, they’ve developed a global network of suppliers of essential, carrier and fragrance oils, cosmetic butters, waxes, raw materials, ready-to-go bases, and more. The ingredients must be ethically sourced and where possible they buy direct from the growers, so they can establish a relationship with them. You can buy raw ingredients, made products OR Make Kits which are a really fun gift.
3) Nectar Feeder
A fantastic way to support native birdlife and easy to make yourself (or buy one). Forest and Bird have a great guide on how to make one, the benefits of a nectar feeder and things to remember when you have one.
To make a sugar feeder, take a one-litre milk bottle and attach the lid to a shallow dish or jar lid. Fill the milk bottle with sugar water and make a few small holes about 0.5cm from the bottom of the bottle. Screw it into the lid and turn the dish upside down. Sugar solution will come out of the bottle and fill the dish to the height of the holes.
Banks Peninsular Conservation Trust pamphlet (warning: PDF) on care and concerns. Buy ready-made for about $60 delivered to your door.
4) A Bee House
It’s crucial we start looking after our pollinators and a the most effective in the bee family are solitary bees, which need housing while doing their job all day. The ready-made houses start from $30. You can even make these with recycled materials, using a waterproof container (1.5L fizzy drink bottle), wool, air drying clay, string, holy tubes such as bamboo. Video instructions are here and here.
5) String Art Kit
They’re back in fashion and a beautiful way to provide art and stress relief to someone you care about. All you need is a backing board, nails, wool or string and an image. You tack nails in and provide string. Any wooden...
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Concerned about the environmental impact of dairy milk? Heard unsettling rumours about some of the plant based alternatives? Confused about your plant milk options? In this episode you can find out how to get hold of delicious, fresh, environmentally friendly milks that are affordable and easy; We go behind the scenes of the world’s massive soybean, almond, rice, oat, coconut, cashew, buckwheat, sunflower and pumpkin seed plantations; We consider the importance of packaging and also the importance of how milk ingredients are farmed (regardless of what crop it is). And, especially for kiwi’s wondering if they should ditch dairy, we dig into how Aotearoa’s farming practices compare to the rest of the world and why “buying local” really matters when you live in an isolated country in a far flung corner of the world’s largest ocean.
But let’s be honest, if it is too expensive, tastes weird, etc we aren’t likely to ruin our daily caffeine fix for the planet. So Tim and Waveney weave it all together in a one-stop-plant-milk-shop with taste testing, price information and a DIY plant milk demonstration.
Overall, we pronounce “oat” best in show. It’s one of the only DIY milks that require no soaking (we don’t actually mention on the ep). It is also one of the cheapest options, one of the best for the environment, one of the easiest to buy organically and locally and - rejoice and be glad - it performed very well in the double blind taste tests.
DIY NUT MILK INFO
The recipe used in the episode is:
1/2 cup of seeds / nuts etc of your choice, soaked overnightDiscard the soaking water and put the rest into the whiz/blender/bullet.Add 2 cups of water in total - just a little at first to ensure everything gets cut up well. Use a sieve to strain if you want to. (Most recipes online require you to force it through a cheese cloth, but the faf factor of that was way too high for us). That’s it. Use any strained out bits in dinner - just throw into whatever your making for a bit more bulk, texture, flavour, nutrition...This recipe is the easiest you’ll find online, even easier than popping down the road to buy it. However, for those with the time and desire to create their own award winning plant milks we highly recommend the YumUniverse review of 22 DIY plant milks, (www.yumuniverse.com/plant-powerful-dairy-free-milk) with excellent summaries on taste and nutrition.
SOURCES
The globally relevant statistics and information in this episode come from Consumer.org; Oxford University review, Our World in Data; The Guardian, BBC science and wikipedia. Special thanks for the kiwi stats and info to the Lifecycle Association of New Zealand (www.lcanz.org.nz), Fonterra (www.fonterra.com/nz), the Organic Dairy and Pastoral Group of New Zealand (www.organicpastoral.co.nz) and Oak and Thistle (www.oakandthistle.co.nz).
https://ourworldindata.org/land-useConsumer.org, Issue 589, April 2018Environmental Engineering Science VOL. 35, NO. 11 | ‘Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Milk and Plant-Based Alternatives’, -
Today Tim talks to Danielle, a Sustainability Advocate and Educator from Live Lightly. Live Lightly is a collaboration between community groups, Auckland Council and other partners that began in 2017 and provides advice for people so they can take personal action to tackle the climate crisis and reduce emissions. Their new initiative is New Zealand’s first gamified carbon footprint tool, called FutureFit and that’s what we’re talking about today.
FutureFit.nz is a free tool that uses New Zealand emission standards to measure your carbon footprint and give you personalised tips on how you can reduce it. Users fill out a short quiz, get their footprint, then register for free to choose personalised actions. You even get told how YOUR footprint compares to the national and international averages. It covers areas like Energy use, Transport and Food choices, and gives ready-to-apply tips on how to make positive changes. Some are one-off actions, some are ongoing behaviours.
Tim gets assessed and gets some worrying news about his carbon impact and gets recommended choosing local produce to bring it down. Danielle breaks down what a carbon footprint actually is and we have a discussion on individual and systemic change.
Check out FutureFit.nz right now and register as an individual, a household, a workplace or a group of friends.
Additional Links and Resources
futurefit.nz/businesslivelightly.nzReducing Your Carbon Footprint Still Matters article by by Leor Hackel and Gregg SparkmanWays to save the planet Stuff article100 Year Forecast: The Spin Off documentary series on the impact of climate change for New Zealand's future - Part 5: Towards SolutionsNZers’ true climate impact revealed - including imported goods Stuff article and Statistics NZ consumption-based emission dataHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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How could you possibly live sustainably in an apartment? Don’t you need a bit of earth and a bit of space to crack sustainability? To find out, the How to Save the World podcast team is drawn out of the studio for the very first time to visit apartment dweller and advocate Angela Lees.
Angela lives in a 60m2 apartment in Otahuhu, Auckland with two flatmates and two cats. It’s a sunny spot with a sweeping view of the Auckland isthmus, maunga and city. Angela, who works from home and keeps very busy with part time study as well, made a conscious decision to buy something small and central. It’s a choice that more and more urban New Zealanders are making, but the interesting thing is, sustainability was high on Angela’s agenda when she decided against a far flung house and section further out.
In terms of sustainability every lifestyle has its wins and drawbacks, for those living in a compact space in highly populated areas, or perhaps considering it, Angela’s story highlights how apartment dwellers can be part of the solution. She embraces local shopping options, transport hubs and uses no additional energy to heat her home. And she also has thought through how to solve some of the trickier issues, like what to do with food waste.
Angela lifestyle uncovers some surprising bonuses of apartment life and the episode is packed with tips and inspiration for
BokashiComposting in small spacesGardening in pots, balconies and small spacesLife without house maintenanceConnecting with neighboursLow carbon livingDIY yogurt, kombucha and sourdoughVisible mendingClothes swapping (shwapping)Links to the shout outs in this episode:
Bokashi by Zing BokashiSharewaste, an Auckland based initiative for households with or wanting food scraps to directly connect. Will and Able a company selling cleaning products that have a workforce of differently abled people, product stewardship and a social enterprise model. (Fantastic! But HTSTW would encourage you to check the ingredients against the Ecostore ingredient list, for more information) Bin Inn - our old favourite bulk bin store. A great way to reuse containers and avoid plastic. That Perfect Hour, Renee Williams, Visible Mending InstagramerHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Why would we focus on one plant? Because Hemp is absolutely incredible, it has a truly impressive number of applications for us humans and is very environmentally friendly compared to its alternatives across the range of uses.
With a complicated legal, political and social history, it’s important to remember one thing from the outset: HEMP IS NOT A DRUG. Hemp comes from the same plant family as marijuana but you cannot get high from hemp. What you can get is an incredibly strong fibre, textile, food and medicine that humans have been using for over 10,000 years. In fact, hemp was very likely the first crop our species cultivated. It was used extensively on ships for sails and ropes because it’s strong and resistant to salt water and was so critically important that English lords were required by law handed down from King Henry VIII to grow hemp crops. It was that important to the Empire. It’s more modern history is confusing and frankly stupid, with Hemp being incorrectly swept by the War On Drugs and getting an unfair associated with marijuana.
Hemp can be used for textiles, and against cotton it is a MUCH more environmentally friendly alternative because it uses half the amount of water to grow and doesn’t require pesticides or fertilizers to grow. It is also much stronger (three to eight times) and harder-wearing. As a building material, so-called hempcrete has a number of benefits. First it is a carbon negative building. It sucks sequesters carbon when the crop is grown and continues to do sequester carbon while it’s in your house, for decades to come. It removes the need for concrete (which is highly environmentally damaging) and also knocks out the need for insolation like synthetic fiberglass. When it’s time for the house to come down, you can simply bulldoze and bury it.
Links and Resources
Laura Neish’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opotiki.hemp/
Erkhart Construction: https://www.erkhartconstruction.co.nz/
Hemp is not a drug: https://medium.com/cbd-origin/hemp-vs-marijuana-the-difference-explained-a837c51aa8f7
We’ve been using hemp for thousands of years: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5312634/
Until the 1920s, 80% of clothing was made from hemp: https://www.mit.edu/~thistle/v13/2/history.html#:~:text=Hemp%2C%20which%20has%20historically%20had,building%20materials%20still%20remains%20banned
The racist history of the cannabis plant: https://journals.openedition.org/echogeo/17650
Hemp’s advantages over cotton: http://www.howstuffcompares.com/doc/h/hemp-vs-cotton.htm
Hemp uses 50% as much water as cotton:
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Don't go buying Bitcoin as a green-friendly replacement for your traditional banking needs (but hopefully in the future the underlying technology, Blockchain can enable us to do some cool stuff). Check out DeFi for more info.
Liberty Trust is helping people buy a home in New Zealand by providing interest frees loan to people who donate to the Trust. Based on biblical principles of lending, Liberty believes that lending should be interest free. They require members to make their donation over a period of about 8 - 10 years, and after that time they are entitled to an interest-free loan of seven times the value. The donations stay in the lending pool. It’s a very interesting concept especially for parents with young kids and there's no religious requirements to being a member.
Living Economies has set out to solve several problems at once. They see the traditional financial system as exacerbating inequality and environmental issues while weakening community ties. So they provide online information and advice (all advisors volunteer their time) on how to set up Time Banks; alternative currencies and Savings pools (for friends, families or otherwise connected individuals).
Ethical Investment Specialists (such as Mindful Money) help us watch where our money is going. Examples of ethical investors are Care Saver and Money Matters who help you invest responsibly, sustainably and ethically.
Market Forces for our Aussie listeners and 350 Aotearoa for our kiwi audience are great places to check out how to stop your money going to fossil fuels.
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Is your bank doing all that it can to make a difference for good? Banks are one of the most powerful ‘future creators’ in modern society. More or less they get to choose who they invest their millions (and billions) in, empowering some and squeezing others. They can also affect climate through their operational footprints and have significant opportunity to give back to communities through grants and other charitable activities.
In this episode we delve into finding New Zealand’s most sustainable bank. Waveney has done some hard yards on this one! She spoke with financial experts from across the sector to devise a five point criteria and weighting system for assessment and then researched and contacted each bank to see how they performed in each category. Special thanks to Professor David Tripe, (Professor of Banking at Massey University); Barry Coates, (Mindful Money CEO); John Berry, (CareSaver CEO); CEOs and Heads of Sustainability within the banking sector that were happy to speak with me; and to the people seeking finance who shared their stories.
The How to Save the World most sustainable New Zealand bank award (actually it’s just a shout out really, but it’s fun to say award) goes to the bank that was best able to demonstrate its performance across the following five criteria:
Internal sustainability
Looking at the carbon footprint of the operations inside the big five banks including things like electric vehicle take-up in their fleet (shout out Westpac), getting 5 and even 6 Green star buildings (that’s Kiwibank]) sorting out green business procurement (ANZ and Westpac is using Fwd.) and ASB, Westpac and BNZ all getting Toitū Envirocare[https://www.toitu.co.nz/] certification, for being carbon zero (well ASB & Westpac) or enviro mark gold (BNZ - making a start).
Corporate Responsibility
Looking at the social and environmental activity of the banks, how they treat their employers and what they’re doing for the wider communities they’re a part of. Including BNZ’s support of Kauri 2020 Trust and Westpac’s CoGo Partnership – a cool organisation making ethical living clearer and easier.
Investment and Lending Portfolios
Looking into where the bank’s are putting their money. Which banks still ‘fuel’ climate change by providing oil companies with capital? To check on your bank:
Kiwi listeners: 350 Aotearoa (check out graph ‘Does your bank fund climate change?’) Australian listeners: Market ForcesAnd on the positive side, which banks are actively trying to make a positive difference? Some examples include BNZ who, since 2017 have facilitated NZ$2.875 billion of green and sustainable bonds [https://www.bnz.co.nz/about-us/sustainability]; SBS’ affordable housing products; Westpac’s interest free Warm Up Loan scheme to help add insolation and heat pumps and
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