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Wednesday, February 8th, 2012 by Admin
 Waste separation schemes help to minimize the amount of useable waste going to landfills As wheelie bins allocated to different types of waste are appearing throughout the country, it is becoming increasingly obvious that separating and treating our various types of waste correctly could have a major impact on the amount of waste that is, well, wasted instead of used constructively.
In Canterbury, we now have three bins dedicated to separating waste and enabling more efficient waste collection , and Auckland has just got the ‘yellow’ recycling bin, which means for the most part we can effectively separate our waste. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: CCC, christchurch, diverting waste from landfill, food waste, landfill, recycle, recycling, sustainable living, Waste Management
Posted in Friday favourites, Waste Management | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010 by Admin
 Photo Canterbury Biodiversity website  Photo Canterbury Biodiversity Following the September 4th 2010 earthquake, many sites within the city which used to be home to large buildings, have been reduced to vacant lots – empty or occupied by rubble. Many of these sites have been turned into car-parking lots, but ECan’s Regional Biodiversity Coordinator, Wayne McCallum, has fronted an initiative which is avoiding the default car parking trend– turning vacant lots into native plant pocket-parks – Greening the Rubble. The initiative is largely community based, not only transforming vacant spaces into eco-friendly areas, but getting local businesses, schools and organizations, involved and channelling post-quake energy. Currently the vacant Asko area on Victoria Street and the old Para Rubber site on Manchester Street have been selected as pilot projects. Mr McCallum states that not only are the projects an eco-friendly venture, but they also are a good way to “Show community resolve” post-quake.
Keep up to date with the project progress here.
Tags: Asko, CCC, Christchurch earthquake, ECan, Greening the Rubble, native plant, pocket-parks, sustainable living
Posted in Business & Sustainability, Events, Sustainability in Action | No Comments »
Monday, August 2nd, 2010 by Admin
 Total ChCh Rubbish Sent to Landfill 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010 Have you seen the new Waste Statistics page on the Christchurch City Council website?
The web page shows the following for the 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010 year*:
- Organics collected from kerbside green bins – that’s a mix of garden waste and kitchen waste – approx 8kg per person per month (average) or approx 47,000 tonnes. It all goes here.
- Mixed recyclables collected from kerbside yellow bins – an average of approx 4kg paper and cardboard per person per month, approx 0.25kg of metals per person per month, approx 3kg of glass per person per month and approx 500g of plastic per person per month (on average). That’s a total of approx 41,000 tonnes of mixed recyclables collected for the year to June 30 2010. Mixed recyclables get processed here.
- The amount of rubbish collected from the red kerbside bins was approx 8kg per person per month or approx 37,000 tonnes total for the year.
- Both the amount of organics and recyclables are up but so is rubbish (from kerbside) – we are still producing more rubbish that is not recovered.
- But the total amount of total rubbish sent to Kate Valley Landfill (from kerbside wheelie bins, transfer stations and private and commercial waste operators) has dropped again this year to approx 170,000 tonnes down from 220,000 tonnes in 2009. This is great new but means we will need to update the waste counter on our website!
- Another important point to note from the waste statistics page is that it states that the Council will be carrying out a survey into the specifics of the waste still being disposed of as rubbish at transfer stations or going into the red wheelie bin. This will be important information as the more we now about what people are throwing away the more education can be tailored or new solutions found.
If you live outside of Christchurch in any of the other Canterbury districts contact your local district council for more information on the waste produced and going to landfill from your area or check out their websites:
- Timaru District’s waste here.
- Selwyn District’s waste here.
- Waimakariri District’s waste here.
- Ashburton District’s waste here.
- Hurunui District’s waste here.
- MacKenzie District’s waste here.
- Kaikoura Districts’ waste here.
*All numbers are approximations based on reading the CCC graphs from the webpage not actual numbers.
Tags: CCC, Christchurch City Council, district councils, Kate Valley Landfill, organics, recycling, rubbish, waste
Posted in Waste Management | No Comments »
Friday, June 25th, 2010 by Admin
 Source: Twig & Thistle Sárah Goldschadt Garden Flags Reusing egg cartons SIFT has had a big week this week. I attended the Philanthropy NZ Regional Funders Forum on Tuesday and learnt about how to create a learning organisation from Fiona Ellis, who is the ex-Director of the Northern Rock Foundation in the UK, and what it means to be a social lender from Laura Benedict, a social lending practioner from the US. Laura is in New Zealand at the moment to write a paper on social lending in New Zealand as part of the Ian Axford (New Zealand) Public Policy Fellowship and is the head of the commercial lending department of Self Help, the US’s largest non-profit community development financial institution. Lots of great and useful information from both speakers that I am still digesting.
And yesterday we had our yearly SIFT Strategic Planning Afternoon. We reviewed why we are here, what we want SIFT to be and do, the values, vision, mission and critical outcomes for the next year. One of those is to continue to grow SIFT as a learning organisation specifically to find waste minimisation/avoidance solutions.
We are ready for a New Year full of new projects and new ways of operating.
But for today here are the favourite links from around the world and locally:
Have a great waste free weekend.
Tags: CCC, CO2, garden, GE Lighting, Keep NZ Beautiful, KR Connect, landfill, Paul Stametse, PhilanthropyNZ, Re-nest, Self Help, SIFT, Southland, spring, strategy, waste
Posted in Friday favourites | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 by Admin
 CCC Organics Ever wondered where your waste actually goes? If you live in Christchurch you can now watch two online videos of the organic and recycling facilities in Christchurch.
A press release from the City Council’s Mark Christison states that due to the new three bin recycling system and the organic and recycling facilties Christchurch is on track to meet its target of “diverting an additional 42,000 tonnes of rubbish from going to landfill.”
“Watch the five minute Organics Processing Plant [movie] to follow the journey of your green wheelie bin organic waste, such as household food scraps and vegetation, takes when it’s collected from your home. Giant tunnel like ovens convert thousands of tonnes of material into compost and huge tractor-like machines, called scarabs, turn the compost when it’s outside.” says Mark Christison.
 CCC Recycling You can also see what happens to all the cardboard, paper, glass, steel tins, aluminium cans and plastic containers in the movie that follows the yellow wheelie bin for recycling. Mark Christison says “It is truly a fascinating insight into the inner workings of Christchurch City Council’s Materials Recovery Facility.”
Both movies are simple and easy to follow – a great visual for where our waste goes.
The movies are here on the Love Your Rubbish website.
Tags: bins, CCC, compost, landfill, Mark Christison, movies, organic, recycling, waste
Posted in Sustainability in Action, Waste Management | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 by Admin
 City Councillor Sally Buck enjoying some Coolangata surf. Local City Councillor and Community Board member Sally Buck is this week’s Green Collar Job Q&A person. Sally has a strong focus on environmental issues such as waste minimisation, sustainable transport and green business as well as being a wonderful local artist.
1. What do you do to live more sustainably (with a low impact) in your life?
I walk everywhere now because we live near the city. We have a vegetable garden and I compost our garden waste and organics at home. I have always been a great recycler. We only have one car and if I use it then I try to do several things in one trip. We installed solar water heating on our house. We try to eat fruits and vegetables in season.
2. What do you think is the biggest environmental issue we need to deal with in Christchurch/New Zealand?
WATER – quality and quantity.
3. What makes you smile?
This would take me all day to list all the things that make me smile. Maybe the question should be – what are the 20 things that make you smile in the first 30 minutes after you get out of bed.
4. What is your biggest pet peeve?
I don’t have any as I try and forget any annoyances that occur.
5. What is your favourite colour and why?
I am an artist in my spare time – I love all the colours but I like wearing red.
6. Do you have a favourite place in the world? Describe why?
The place where I am at any given time. If you believe that certain places are great and others aren’t then it stops you enjoying the place where you are at the present time.
7. What do you want to leave behind?
A planet that people can live on.
8. What is your connection to SIFT?
I was on the Trust that set this organisation up.
9. Do you remember your favourite teacher and why they were your favourite?
Yes, I remember we had a wonderful teacher at Girl’s High in 1966 and she made history come alive for me.
10. What do you think the future will bring?
Major clean tech, changes which will lead to a low carbon economy.
11. Who is someone you really admire and why?
There are so many people I admire. Everyday I meet people who I admire and there is always something in everyone which is admirable.
12. What is your favourite breakfast?
Bananas on toast.
13. What is the best piece of advice you can give us?
As organisations we should always be looking at how we operate and if the organisation is serving the needs of the people or just the needs of the organisation itself. I would like to think that you did an audit of what has been achieved by the organisation, how much diversion from landfill has been achieved and at what cost.
Tags: CCC, community, Green Business, Sally Buck, sustainability, waste
Posted in Green Collar Jobs Q&A, Sustainability in Action | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 by Admin
 Solray Energy Algae to Bio-crude oil plant Last Friday we had the pleasure of attending the official opening of the Solray Energy Algae to Bio-Crude Oil plant at the Bromley Waste Water Treatment plant. It was a lovely warm spring day with not much of a smell, thankfully.
SIFT funded the early stage proof of concept mini trials at the Bromley Sewage Treatment plant (run by CCC) over the past three years plus the business case for algae and financial due diligence.
It was a great turn out with lots of cameras, all stakeholders, local iwi Ngai Tahu and local Councillors as well as the Hon. Gerry Brownlee (who is the Minister for Economic Development and the Minster for Energy and Resources), who officially opened the plant.
 Solray Energy's Chris Bathurst with SIFT Board Member Prof. Emeritus Arthur Williamson Chris Bathurst, the brains behind the project, said that it has taken 9 years to get to where they are today. They have successfully made crude oil from algae grown at the ponds (and started a lawn mower for Hon. Gerry Brownlee to use to prove it, see below for photo).
This project is a great example of public-private partnership in action with Solray Energy, NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) and the Christchurch City Council working together to make the project a success. Algae to biofuels at this scale is apparently the first in the world. The project uses NIWA’s 5ha demonstration high rate algae pond that gets CO2 pumped into it, which gets trapped and encourages algae to grow. The algae is constantly mixed so it grows in colonies and is then pumped across the road to Solray where it is heated to above 300 degrees celsius in a super critical water reactor (SCWR), which mimics the natural process of turning it into crude oil (very similified explanation!). To remove the algae from the bio-crude oil they use a solvent which is then recycled and the algae residue is used as fertiliser. The bio-crude oil is then separated into petrol (20%), diesel (45%) and bitumen (20%) plus a few others. The whole lifecycle is all on one site making it easier to manage and monitor.
The super critical water reactor (SCWR) is very innovative and inventive. It was designed and built in New Zealand by Solray Energy, which means NZ can reap the benefits of the technology. As well as providing a possible new way to make fuel (instead of using fossil fuels – Hon. Gerry Brownlee stated NZ uses 183,000 barrels of oil equivalent a year) this technology could also allow for small scale carbon capture and localised use of the technology. It is also a cheap and simple way to harvest the algae. NIWA Chief Executive John Morgan happily presented two vials (one of green water algae and the other bio-crude oil) to Hon. Gerry Brownlee to give to New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key.
 Algae and Bio-crude oil vials for PM John Key  Hon. Gerry Browlee with the lawnmower & NIWA's John Morgan After getting the lawn mower to start for the cameras and Hon. Gerry Brownlee to mow some scrub on the banks of the pond the opening was formally closed by a karakia from an iwi representative from Ngai Tahu.
You can find more information about our involvement in the project here.
 Bio-crude oil and fuel  Hon. Gerry Brownlee being presented the vials by NIWA's John Morgan  Solray Energy Algae to Bio-crude oil plant
Tags: algae, bio-crude oil, bitumen, CCC, climate change, community, diesel, diverting waste from landfill, environmental sustainability, fuel, petrol, reuse, sewage, Solray Energy, Waste Management, waste water
Posted in Events, SIFT Projects, Sustainability in Action, Waste Management | No Comments »
Thursday, October 29th, 2009 by Admin
 Source: Flickr Simon Cox The practical waste reduction action for this week is to print two to a page and double sided (sounds like a hoedown!)…and only print when you need to. Printing two sheets to a page (which is still readable) instantly halves the amount of printing and then printing double sided will halve it again. If two to a page is too small stick with double sided and if you have a printer that can’t do this look to upgrade to one that can. The next step is to print on 100% recycled paper and reuse any paper printed on one side. At SIFT we are conscious about printing and paper use and only print when we really need to.
The Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry Annual Pulp, Paper and Production statistics state that in the year to March 31 2009 New Zealand consumed 945, 499 tonnes of paper which is 221kg per person.
In Christchurch alone we sent 53,337 tonnes (of paper and card) to Kate Valley Landfill in the year to June 2009.
Here is a lovely way to recycle paper we found while looking through Flickr. Haru’s Paper Celebration!s makes some lovely wreaths which you can check out here.
 Source: Flickr Haru's Paper Celebration!s
Tags: CCC, consumption, diverting waste from landfill, environmental sustainability, MAF, paper, recycle, reduce, waste, Waste Management
Posted in Sustainability in Action, Waste Management | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 by Admin
 Green algae On the radio this morning there was a great little story on the Algae to biofuels project over in Bromley, Christchurch. SIFT funded the early stage proof of concept mini trials at the Bromley Sewage Treatment plant (run by CCC) over the past three years plus the business case for algae and financial due diligence.
You can read more about the project here or listen to the Radio New Zealand National news story here.
Tags: algae, algae biofuel, biofuels, CCC, diverting waste from landfill, SIFT, sustainable initiatives, waste, Waste Management
Posted in SIFT Projects | No Comments »
Monday, October 12th, 2009 by Admin
Here is a guest blog post from MiniMonos – all about our favourite environmentalist Melissa Clark-Reynolds and her new project MiniMonos.
An Inconvenient Truth for Canterbury kids.
 Melissa Clark-Reynolds Watching Al Gore’s ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ in a Christchurch movie theatre changed the course of Melissa Clark-Reynolds’ life and led to the creation of MiniMonos, a virtual world for good green kids.
Prior to this, Melissa already had a string of entrepreneurial successes. She established Fusion, a health and safety and ACC consultancy which became New Zealand’s largest private accident compensation insurer. Melissa was the General Manager of Fusion and sold her interest in the Alliance to Southern Cross Healthcare. She had also successfully turned around and scaled previously struggling technology companies.
Deeply moved while watching An Inconvenient Truth, Melissa decided to contact ex-US Vice President Al Gore to offer her help. Having absolutely no idea how she was going to get his attention, she contacted everyone she knew, trusting that somehow six degrees of separation would prevail. After a huge amount of persistence, she remembered that her friend’s husband worked for Mr Gore. Incredibly, when she reached out for an introduction to husband, she found out that her friend was actually Executive Director of The Climate Project, a network of 2,500 climate awareness ambassadors, all personally trained by Mr Gore. In 2007, Melissa became one of only two New Zealanders to be trained to present The Inconvenient Truth, and paved the way for more Kiwi presenters to be trained earlier this year.
 Melissa Clark-Reynolds and Al Gore To date, Melissa’s favourite presentations have been in Geraldine and Lawrence – both organised by the rural communities there. One Geraldine farmer, David Musgrave, approached Melissa after her presentation and was inspired to become a Climate Project Ambassador himself, being selected and trained by Al Gore in Melbourne in July this year.
Melissa’s environmental activism is reflected in her virtual world, MiniMonos (”Little Monkeys” in Spanish). Says Melissa: “We wanted to create a world so that children could have a place of their own, a place that allows them to explore and grow without constant pressure to buy stuff. We also wanted them to have a place that embodies core values like sustainability and generosity, without turning those values into a boring lecture.”
Melissa foresees that global warming will create big issues for Canterbury – especially for its water supply. NIWA predicts that the effects on Canterbury will cause our region to become hotter and drier, which has implications for our dairy industry here. “We have to get really serious about energy use. What if the snow and rainfall doesn’t keep coming to Central and Eastern sides of South Island and mostly falls on the West Coast? This will have a huge impact on energy generation from the hydro lakes. Long term predictions for continued snowfall at Mt Hutt don’t look so good.”
 Melissa Clark Reynolds & Daughter Grace Melissa praises Christchurch initiatives like investigating liquid fuels production and their by-products from the Bromley sewage ponds. “I think ECan (Environment Canterbury) is one of the best Regional Councils in the country, with one of the toughest jobs. They invited me, last month, to talk about implications for Canterbury of climate change – way cool! – the first Regional Council in the country to do so!”
Christchurch City has a Climate Change Change Coordinator, and a real commitment to public transport. Says Melissa: “People need to help their elected officials (i.e. at CCC and ECan) to keep climate change front of mind. If we don’t act sustainably, all the cool stuff we take for granted will be damaged beyond belief. I love the Southern Alps, the lakes and rivers, swimming at Corsair Bay, skiing at Mt Hutt, paddling at Lake Hood. Do we want them there for future generations or do we want to tell our children how Canterbury use to be?”
We’d love you to become part of the MiniMonos community and exlpore MiniMonos Island as it’s being developed – it’s free. Each person who gives MiniMonos feedback in October will give back to a child in need.
Tags: Al Gore, algae biofuel, An Inconvenient Truth, CCC, climate change, consumption, ECan, environmental sustainability, Melissa Clark-Reynolds, sustainable, The Climate Project
Posted in Green Collar Jobs Q&A, Sustainability in Action | No Comments »
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