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'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ......

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"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me Lyn Pearson I have been an environmentalist ever since I started participating in Forest & Bird activities with my Dad, aged 10. I’m proud to live in Whanganui and very involved in both Sustainable Whanganui and Castlecliff Coast Care. I’m keen on my permaculture garden. I’ve been married to Graham for almost 45 years. I have concerns about the world my two grandkids, two great-nieces and one nephew (aged 12 years to 4 months) will grow into.
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Page 1: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness"

A bit about me – Lyn Pearson

I have been an environmentalist ever since I started participating in Forest & Bird activities with my Dad, aged 10.

I’m proud to live in Whanganui and very involved in both Sustainable Whanganui and Castlecliff Coast Care.

I’m keen on my permaculture garden.

I’ve been married to Graham for almost 45 years.

I have concerns about the world my two grandkids, two great-nieces and one nephew (aged 12 years to 4 months) will grow into.

Page 2: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

Intro

Page 3: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

Whanganui stats

Page 4: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

• Opera School

• Masters Games

• Artists Open Studios

• Vintage Weekend/Caboodle

• Tira Hoe Waka

• River Week

• Observatory

• Permiculture Weekend

• Tangata Tiaki

• River Traders & Farmers Markets (Sat am)

• Summer Programme (walks & talks)

• La Fiesta (coinciding with International Women’s Day)

Whanganui happenings

Page 5: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

• Environment Base (WhEB) - info source, hub, office, meeting room, planning centre

• Re-Use Academy - donations of project and craft materials, etc

stored and given for donation – upcycle for repurposing

• Lending library - gardening, beekeeping, insulation and climate

change, etc

• Fruit Trees in Schools - in 2014 planted 53 fruiting plants in

11 school/kura/ECC. Pruning and herbal ley. Local support

• Adopt-a-Plot - supported community gardens

• Education on recycling, waste reduction, repurposing, working

towards zero waste & gardening

[email protected]

sustainablewhanganui.org.nz

Page 6: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

• Helps people learn bike

maintenance skills

• Always looking for donations of

bikes to reassemble and sell to

those who need cheap

serviceable bikes

• Happy to repair used bikes

• Open to the public each Friday

Page 7: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

Green Bikes could

offer some positive

ways to solve

these dilemmas!

Page 8: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

• Charitable Trust – collaboration between WDC and Te Runanga o Tupoho in a community partnership.

• First waste minimisation project where Iwi actively involved from concept to implementation and are equal partners with their local council and community.

• Significant milestone for the Whanganui Community; adversaries now in an environmental partnership.

• Flagship for future growth of products diverted from landfill.

• 500 vehicles a day on average and handles over 2150 tonnes/annum of product that would normally go to landfill.

• Includes new waste stream “products” of waste oil, green waste, scrap metal, 2nd hand goods, e-waste, tyres and batteries.

• Education Room – space available for workshops, meetings and courses. Low rent. Being upgraded as is possible.

• Visited by schools and other groups to learn about nude lunch boxes, etc.

wrr

c.c

o.n

z

Page 9: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

Mark -

passion for

research,

wanting to grow

the best food for

human

health

Treelife Organic

Nursery

Melinda & Murray Jones.

Grafting & budding

specialists,

for fruit trees

Bristol Plants &

Seeds

Frank & Joy Bristol.

Seed producers, grow

seedlings for market, etc.

Expertise & facilities local

community funders

& philanthropists

(only outside organisation

require funding)

Whanganui Health

Network

Sharon Duff,

Distribution of trees, seeds

and plants throughout

community and region

Volunteers and

mentor gardeners

Research

advisors Money for

research

heritagefoodcrops.org.nz | [email protected]

Shane McCulloch

Market Gardener

Mark Christensen - Research Director

Page 10: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

To create a similar structure you need • People – with motivation, passion and trust

• Land

• Start by doing and trying. If it doesn’t work think, and try slightly differently

• Hunt for the old varieties of food growing in your district.

Start with second hand goods and gifted seeds • Develop skills to work with nature

• Listen to older gardeners in your community

• Learn how to save seeds - start your own Seed Savers Group

• Record what you and others do, and how

• Start with what is easiest for you and what you are interested in

• Don’t try F1 hybrids - find heirloom varieties

• Heirlooms will be better for you and more disease resistant too!

• Work towards self sufficiency and food security

• Buy and sell plants, seeds and produce locally: Farmers Markets

Mark’s Heritage Food Crops has been developing for about 19 years.

Now know healthiest apples and tomato varieties

Working with beans, yams, kumera, dark potatoes, carrots and capsicum now

Mark believes GE is as big a problem as climate change and it will destroy some of the most fertile land on the planet.

Remember supermarkets need to truck in deliveries every three days –

and what happens if they don’t arrive!

Page 11: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

is a green co-housing project forming in Whanganui 66 Delhi Ave, Aramoho, Whanganui | delhivillage.org.nz

• Delhi Village - a peaceful 13ha of land on the western side of the Whanganui River.

• Started about six years ago and houses now appearing.

• Each family owns 800sqm of land, plus 1/10th of the communal land. Building sites clustered together.

• Developed community grey-water system and every house to have a composting toilet.

• Rest of the land for orchards, gardens, firewood growing and grazing sheep and chickens. Steepest land re-clad in native forest.

• A large woolshed is a meeting space and dry storage for materials and produce.

• Water for stock from a bore, also available for households needing more water than the rain off their roof.

• Community decisions made by consensus, usually at the Delhi Village monthly meeting. Delhi Village people know residents of Quaker Acres www.quakersettlement.co.nz : "They have been a big inspiration for us.”

• Regular working bees held.

Page 12: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

Riri a Te Hori Wetlands & Maara Kai

www.waimaori.maori.nz/research

• 66 acre Maori freehold land reserve, opposite Marybank, SH 3.

• Rich history and archaeological sites.

• Restored wetland to benefit land, tangata, freshwater conservation and community. Horizons established fish ladder so tuna can travel from here to sea and back.

• TPK Maara Kai, re-established as community garden where previously cultivated by Bailey family for 40 years.

• Re-connecting with whenua. Also learning and confidence-building place.

• Wetlands tucked down below and maara kai in high wind zone with clay and gravel soil. Using rainwater only.

• Developing area with tool shed, compost toilet and kitchen.

• Peaceful place to work and visit, progress obvious.

Page 13: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

• Kim has been in Whanganui for about 10 years & running GO Organic for one.

• She enjoys it but still works in a health shop two days a week!

• Likes the people she does business with.

• Feels she is doing something positive and is always learning.

• Because Whanganui’s biggest organic grower retired, now half of her produce grown outside the area. But lots of small new gardens are developing.

• Communication with suppliers and customers by weekly email.

• Fruit and veg are delivered to her on Thursday morning, then packed and delivered to customers.

• Kim is a trained herbalist.

• Kim also writes a monthly health and wellbeing column for one of the free local newspapers.

Page 14: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

Rachel Rose gives the dirt on how to cope with clay ! • Whanganui’s soil mainly old sand BUT southern side of the Awa is clay,

where Rachel block is !

• She harvests rainwater to reduce stormwater.

• She observed & collected ideas from experts - research.

• Rachel uses 7 methods of compost; hugelkulture, free standing heaps, worm farm, sheet mulching, special leaf mould heaps (for seed raising mix) & Bokashi for what won't break down.

• She finds bigger free standing heaps best, soaking dry material in manure slurry 1st.

• Comfrey & tansy = activators. Wood ash, Bokashi, leaves & animal manures added.

• She turns the heap & its ready in 3-8 months.

• What hasn't worked: no-dig sheet composting & compost heaps in situ.

• She trained with Jodi Roebuck in Taranaki, expert in Grow Biointensive method.

• Double digging is hard work but worth it.

• She needed to learn WHEN to dig; don't touch if too wet or too dry; & how to dig !

• She’s happy to share her knowledge. Her section now looks full of life.

Page 15: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

www.ssj.org.nz

• Public Programme – show commitment to Te Tiriti, Whanganui concerns and follow UN themes: social, economic, cultural, political and environmental.

• Centre works towards Zero Waste.

• Sr Noelene knows the air, water and soils are gifts we need to preserve.

• Wetlands - Sr Noelene “reads” the land and transformed what was boggy into a beautiful wetland. Access to an aquifer provides water for the gardens.

• Sr Noelene’s wetlands, gardens, orchard and re-vegetation are now part of Access Walkway. www.walkingaccess.govt.nz

• Sr Noelene created a large worm farm. Sisters use this and compost to develop her permaculture-style garden.

• Sr Makareta lives at Kaiwhaiki. Sisters have helped her create garden, orchard, poultry areas for this community.

Page 16: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

[email protected]

www.greendrinks.org

2nd Tuesday of each month

@ 5:30pm

Usually held at Delicious Cafe & Wine Bar, 132 Victoria Ave (www.deliciouscafe.co.nz)

•Guest Speaker

•Come along to mix, mingle and meet with sustainably-minded individuals and business people in Whanganui - all welcome, no cost to attend.

Previous speakers/themes at Whanganui Green Drinks:

•January: Shared 2015 resolutions

•December: Sixty Second Soapbox

•November: Kritzo Venter, Senior Stormwater Engineer at the Wanganui District Council (www.wanganui.govt.nz) on new rain-gardens along Taupo Quay, swales at the Aramoho Cemetery and green brush wall for stabilisation of banks of Kaikokopu stream. Also Andy Maloney, biked up from Wellington as a pest eradication fundraiser for Henderson Island (near Pitcairn Island)

•October: Pat Garrett, Delicious Cafe & Winebar with behind-the-scenes sustainability biz-tips

•September: Dr Mike Dickison, Curator of Natural History at the Whanganui Regional Museum introduced the Museum's new Moa Gallery exhibition, and Wiki Wednesday

•August: Anton Skipworth, Jill Hobbs and Mark Dyhrberg from Trade Aid

Page 17: 'Sustainable communities developing a resilient community ......"Sustainable communities ... developing a resilient community through positiveness" A bit about me – Lyn Pearson I

In Conclusion - thoughts & images

• Sisters of St Joseph vision statement – “walk together contemplatively with open eyes, attentive to violence and beauty, wonder and heartache, desolation and radiance in ourselves and beyond.”

• WOMAD – now a Zero Waste event and NZ’s only carbon-neutral world music festival. (Unfortunate that it’s sponsored by Shell!)

• Bristol to Bath Bio-Buses run on biomethane, made from sewage!

• The Automobile Assoc is supporting Cycling Trails/Nga Naerenga on its website www.aatravel.co.nc/cycletrail & with its book “NZ Cycle Trail Guide 2015.”

• “There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in” -- Leonard Cohen

• “Knitting Nannas Against Gas” or For our Grandchildren, in Oz (similar groups in Norway, Oxford in England and Canada). Bearing witness to climate change inaction. Some have been arrested for knitting in the wrong places!

(Wonder where my knitting needles are?)


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