Kia ora koutou,

You ask, and we deliver. Many visitors to the Sustainable Backyards Trail this year expressed an interest in composting and gardening workshops, so we are making that happen this November and December. There is a whole range of workshops and upcoming events to stimulate your sustainable journey, so we hope you will take up the opportunity. Composting, worm farming, growing kai the traditional and/or organic way, connecting global methods of growing, webinars on food resilience, Crop swap, Community Garden, Seedsaver and Timebank gatherings…the list goes on and into the new year. So stay with us!

Organic Gardening Workshop

We haven’t offered one of these workshops in a while! This is your chance to get inspired and make a world of difference in your own backyard. Learn from Sustainable Backyards Trail host, Mieke Veschoor, at Korito, the garden of well-known permaculture expert and Garden Festival host, Dee Turner. A range of topics will be covered to inspire and get you going.

Maara Kai Workshop

As a way to invite our migrant community on a sustainable journey with us, the Kiwi Sustainable Way program is offering a Maara Kai workshop to introduce the traditional Māori approach to growing food in our region. All are welcome, and spaces are limited.

Be a Host on the 2022 Taranaki Sustainable Backyards Trail!

JOIN OUR FAMILY OF BACKYARD HOSTS!

Friday 28th Oct - Sunday 6th Nov 2022 If you have an interesting sustainable backyard, and you are interested in sharing your positive story with others, then the Taranaki Sustainable Backyards Trail may be for you! It's not just about growing great kai, but also about sustainable energy, construction, waste reduction, upcycling, you name it! If it's sustainable and inspiring we'd love to know about it! Please submit your expression of interest to be considered for next year’s Trail no later than the end of February 2022.

Talking Taiao Podcasts

Talking Taiao has gone from strength to strength in the last few months with over 15 episodes already online and available from various platforms such as Access Radio Taranaki, Sustainable Taranaki websites, Access Media, Apple podcasts, Soundcloud and Spotify!

Every conversation has something enlightening to teach our listeners about sustainability, conservation and community, and we are so excited to be able to share the voices of our local champions doing some inspiring mahi for our communities and environment.  One of our recent guests has been Hohepa from the Best Siiide podcast. Hohepa shares his journey in learning how Te Ao Māori encompasses sustainability through intergenerational connection with te taiao and highlights the direction some big corporations are moving in regards to indigenous economic sovereignty.

Waitara High School - Te Kano/the Seed

Contributed by Lauree Jones and the Taranaki Enviroschools tīma

This kura (school) is a relatively new addition to Taranaki Enviroschools, but has already taken ownership of the Guiding Principles that underpin the kaupapa. The sustainable journey that the students are traveling is organic in principle, with the boundaries of learning fluid and responsive to youth-inspired change.

In connection to this journey, the students and teachers were keen to participate in the 2021 Taranaki Sustainable Backyards Trail and they led ongoing tours of the food-producing area, and also ran the following workshops: candle making, working with sourdough, and calf/lamb rearing on a budget. Read on to learn more and hear from the students.

Single and Ready to Mingle for the Environment

Taranaki Conservationists successfully brought together 15 single strangers to clean up Ngāmotu Beach on a busy sunny Saturday afternoon in October. Participants employed the traffic light system, wearing green if they were single and ready to mingle or red if they were just there to help the environment and make new friends. A number of volunteers returned to base with their buckets full of beach litter, recycled what they could, and headed over to Shining Peak for a few relaxing beverages. Even for those who walked away with nothing less than a few new friends, Ngāmotu beach certainly looked a lot more attractive at the end of the day!

Integrating Solar Energy in Taranaki

Survey and Research Project conducted by WITT intern, Marsha Khoo

Solar energy is a cleaner and more sustainable way to produce energy as compared to fossil fuels that emit toxic greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Despite this, solar energy accounted for only 0.3% of the total electricity generation in New Zealand in 2019.

Even as little as one hour of sunlight around the world is equivalent to one year’s worth of energy for our planet!

Read on to view the barriers, buyback rates, local solar panel providers, and behavioural changes and habits to maximise the use of solar energy in our region.

Let’s Compost Workshop

FREE Composting workshop on Sunday 28th November 1:30 pm - 4 pm at the Inglewood Mamaku Centre

Learn about how to compost and the different systems you can use in your backyard. After completing a workshop, your household will receive $40 off your choice of one of three easy-to-use compost systems. This workshop is open to anyone who resides in the New Plymouth District. Spaces are limited so please register below.

Free Junction Low Waste Christmas Pop-up

Make your own upcycled Christmas tree with Steve Bates from Upcycle Taranaki. Watch demonstrations of zero-waste wrapping techniques and get inspired by other ideas for gift-giving this season. Bring the kids for a craft day out! Everyone is welcome, no tickets are required, please just turn up on the day between 10 am and 1 pm.

Sustainable Business Champion - Tapuae Spring Water

With the heat of summer coming, you’ll want to keep your whānau hydrated, and how lucky are we with close access to fresh spring water from the snowy peaks of our Taranaki Maunga? What’s more is the behavioural change movement behind Tapuae Spring Water’s refill station, located at 905 South Road RD4, Ōmata, and that using their refill station offers a solution to single-use plastics. Read founder, Crystal Smithers’ inspiring story to learn more.

We are hiring a Youth Facilitator / Zero Waste Educator

We are seeking an energetic and passionate individual who is keen to share their knowledge with youth, schools and organisations to promote positive environmental change and waste minimisation. Please submit your expression of interest no later than Monday 6th December.

Events Calendar

Local environmentally and community-focused events, all in one place!

Are you passionate about sustainability and supporting our growing community? Follow us on Facebook, join our Sustainable Taranaki Community Facebook Group, and get involved in local events and educational opportunities!.