Posts Tagged ‘resource’

Green Collar Job Post – Maxine Woodhouse

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010 by Admin

Waitaki Resource Co-ordinator Maxine Woodhouse

Waitaki Resource Co-ordinator Maxine Woodhouse

Maxine Woodhouse, Waitaki Resource Exchange’s Co-ordinator is our Green Collar Job interviewee this week. We met Maxine at the WasteMinz workshops in April and although Waitaki is just outside of the Canterbury region we still thought what she does everyday would be of interest to our blog readers. Three days a week Maxine works with businesses, not-for-profits and schools looking at waste as a resource with the aim to divert that waste from their local landfill and to show  people how to utilise waste as a resource within the community.  She has also assisted in the implementation of recycling in local workplaces. Maxine says “Our goal is to create lasting networks between those with excess resources & those seeking them, thus extending the life of usable materials & keeping them out of the landfill”.

When not focussed on waste Maxine is either in her garden or volunteering in other initiatives in the community such as local cycle groups and the Alternative Transport project which is run in conjunction with Sport Waitaki, the Rural PHO (Primary Health Organisation) and the local Transition Town movement. Maxine also writes a fortnightly column in the local Waitaki paper which is read by people from all walks of life in the community.

1. What do you do to live more sustainably (with a low impact) in your life?
There are a number of things: I recycle all my household items, choose wisely when shopping, grow my own Fruit and Veges, I walk to work, ride my bike or car pool to visit business owners and I volunteer for the Transition Town movement to help educate the community on low impact activities to help our environment & promote alternative means of transport for people to get to school, work and around the community.

2. How do you live more sustainably at work?
I work from home. So this means I just have to walk up the back of my house to my office. Sometime I choose to jog or ride my bike. ha-ha

3. What do you think is the biggest environmental issue we need to deal with in Christchurch/New Zealand?
There are a number of environmental issues that I think NZ is going to face in the future & some that are already being shown.
I think we need to be farming smarter (inc Beef, sheep, cows, crops etc) and changing our habits, in order to protect our water ways and soils here in NZ, Genetic Engineering and food labelling.
The amount of people that drive cars.
How we, as consumers, are consuming. We are creating problems that are making our rubbish problems bigger. We need to start taking ownership of our consumer choices, when it comes to quality and the end of line, for our products.

4. What makes you smile?
Interacting with community and seeing people being positive and happy.

5. What is your biggest pet peeve?
People making excuses for their behaviour and not having a consequence for their actions!

6. What is your favorite colour and why?
Ummm, blue at the moment. Representing Water in the world and how precious this is for our survival.

7. Do you have a favorite place in the world? Describe why?
Oamaru of course. It’s centrally located, over looks the ocean, has a great community of supportive people, is the end place for the new cycle way in NZ, great surfing and has big things on the way for the future!

8. What’s your connection to SIFT?
I met the Olivia and Chris [Pickrill, Chairman] at the Waste Minz conference in April and heard all about the great initiatives that they are doing.

9. Do you remember your favorite teacher and why they were your favorite?
Would have to be when I did my Outdoor Education course in Cairns (OZ), my teacher Amanda Smith. She was a great female role model and inspired me to pursuer my career as an Outdoor educator in Victoria, which I did for almost 3 years.

10. What do you want to leave behind?
A world full of people who care and take responsibility for their actions, as human beings and understand that we can’t just keep taking and nothing is going to happen.

11. What do you think the future will bring?
This is the year for change. So hopefully people will make wiser consuming choices, start to recycle better and write more letters to companies to let them know what they think about products and the packaging used.

12. Who is someone you really admire and why?
I don’t have anyone that comes to mind, but in general, people who take risks and give things they may never had done before a good go!

13. What is happening outside your window right now?
It’s really raining. We have flooding and no school today.

14. What is your favorite breakfast?
Organic Clearwater Yoghurt from Peel Forest, with fresh organic strawberries.

15. What is the best piece of advice you can give us?
“Don’t try to convince people to change the way they think. Just focus on how you can work with the positive solutions and the positives examples…” David Holmgren
I love this peace of advice and this is my motto for this year..(It’s working too)

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Green Collar Jobs – SIFT Board Trustee Dixon McIvor

Monday, January 25th, 2010 by Admin

SIFT Trustee Dixon McIvor

SIFT Trustee Dixon McIvor

SIFT Trustee Dixon McIvor is  a long standing member of the recycling industry and the owner of a local commercial recycling operation Resource Recycling Technologies NZ Limited. Here are his answers to our Green Collar Jobs Q & A.

1. What do you do to live more sustainably (with a low impact) in your life?

I sort out the rubbish better at home and recycle more.

2. How do you live more sustainably at work?

Think before printing emails and other online correspondence.

3. What do you think is the biggest environmental issue we need to deal with in Christchurch/New Zealand?

Home Insulation.

4. What makes you smile?

My grandchildren.

5. What is your biggest pet peeve?

Supermarket plastic bags.

6. What is your favourite colour and why?

Blue (like the flag of Scotland)

7. Do you have a favourite place in the world? Describe why?

Marlborough Sounds (you need to go there to understand why).

8. What is your connection to SIFT?

Board of Trustees member.

9. Do you remember your favourite teacher and why they were your favourite?

Mr Thorpe (Standard Four, Linwood Ave Primary School)

10. What do you want to leave behind?

Happy Children.

11. What do you think the future will bring?

More wars and more sadness.

12. Who is someone you really admire and why?

John Key because he is a self-made man.

13. What is happening outside your window right now?

Nothing (it’s lunchtime).

14. What is your favourite breakfast?

Meusli and fruit.

15. What is the best piece of advice you can give us?

Learn to live and respect each other.


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Reduce waste by knowing where your stuff comes from & where it goes

Thursday, October 1st, 2009 by Admin
Annie Leonard's The Story of Stuff

Annie Leonard's The Story of Stuff

For all those parents at home with kids on holiday here is a great video that they can watch about how our products are made and the process of distribution and disposal as well as the impact on the environment the product has from start to finish. Although from an Amercian view point it is still an eye-opener and makes you stop and think about where every single item you buy comes from, where it goes and how we can be less wasteful and more resource efficient.

Annie Leonard spent 10 years travelling the world asking the questions about where does our stuff come from and this culminated in the wonderfully animated video called The Story of Stuff which you can watch here. It is funny, compelling and makes you want to start changing your ways for a better environment.

When you buy an item whether its food, electronics, clothing or books in its finished state a multitude of processes and people handling has occured (and it has normally travelled around the globe to get to you). When you are thinking of purchasing a product here are some questions to ask first: Where was it made? How was it made? What environmental impacts does the production have on the country it was made in? What were the working conditions like? Were there multiple ingredients from multiple suppliers each with their own environmental impact? How was it packaged to get the shop? What happened to that packaging (did the store recycle it or did it go to landfill)? What is the packaging around the item? How far has it come? Where does all the packaging go once you have unwrapped it? How long will it last before you need to get another one? What happens to the product once you have finished with it? Can it be recycled? If not, why not? What happens to it when it sits in landfill? How long does it take to break down – if at all? What are the environmental effects of your local landfill?….

All these questions (and there are probably more) highlight the complex nature of purchasing a product. And it can become quite overwhelming – it happens to the best of us.  Many a time I have stood in the supermarket aisle questioning and comparing products to end up not buying it all or I do buy it and feel guilty because I won’t be able to recycle it or it has a large ecological footprint (you still have to eat).

Here are some ways to get started:

1. Start with one product. Find a good source with reputable social and environmental creditentials who is local and uses recyclable or little packaging and stick with them. Then move on to the next product.

2.Or grow/make/mend your own – much more satisfying than trawling the mall. Scout around the house first for a supplementary item or buy second hand before buying new again.

3. Look for ways to reduce your waste at work or school too.

4. Have a clean out of all your stuff and reduce to what you love, what you use and what you need. Give the rest away or sell on Trademe.

5. Move from valuing stuff to valuing people, your community, your friends and family, your health and the health of the environment. When you are 80 you will remember experiences more than your toaster.

6. Purchase local, organic, sustainable made food and goods.

7. Consume less. Try spending one day a week not buying anything.

By reducing your consumption (and becoming a smarter consumer) you can reduce your waste, reduce your impact on the environment and help to reduce the impact the production of the product has in other countries. Be conscious of what happens to the product to get to the shelves and where it goes when you are finished with it. Start asking questions of your stores and manufacturers. Become informed, question your needs and slowly change your habits for the better. See yesterday’s post for some other great resources.

Let us know what you think of Annie Leonard’s The Story of Stuff.

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