Letter from Dunedin
Action in Dunedin over the past two months has mostly revolved around making two verbal submissions (with Rosemary Penwarden) to local government authorities. The first was to the Dunedin City Council (DCC) and the second was to the Otago Regional Council (ORC).
The purpose of the submissions was to gauge and garner local government authority support for the objectives of the Our Climate Declaration. Based on the first goal of gauging potential support, the fact that questions were asked following the submission is always a positive sign. While it is always nice to see heads nodding in affirmation, which there were, it is invariably a bad sign if no questions are asked. This is the good news. The bad news is that one of the questions I was asked about my call for the DCC to help lead the more than 30 schools in Dunedin that are burning coal to more sustainable practices was “Why come to us and not the ORC?” The ORC, this person went on to say, is responsible for air quality in Dunedin. I explained that our group was looking not simply for legislative action, but for broader leadership aimed at creating a better, more sustainable city. I suggested that our council could help provide the needed inspiration and technical expertise for our schools, as an example, to overcome the obstacles they perceive. I mentioned how the DCC’s finance team’s expertise in capital budgeting evaluation (especially life-cycle cost analysis), purchasing (especially achieving economies of scale through bulk purchasing, which is something the 30 plus schools could naturally benefit from), and general project management would be of invaluable help to schools as they navigate what is sure to be a unique undertaking. At the ORC, I was asked, or more specifically told, “Isn’t the substance of my submission an issue for central government?”
In terms of garnering support, I am meeting with the Finance team leader at the DCC. This I have arranged at my own instigation. I am also awaiting a meeting with the DCC’s CEO. I do note, with some disappointment, that in spite of my call for the two local authorities’ councillors to become signatories to the Our Climate Declaration as individuals and as councils, only two DCC councillors appear to have done so.
An airing of the film The Bentley Effect will occur at Knox Church’s Stuart Hall on 7 November at 7pm. This inspiring documentary tells the story of a community’s heroic stand against unconventional gas mining in the Northern Rivers region of Australia. The film’s director, Brendan Shoebridge, and two of the main characters will be present at the film’s showing.
I am in the midst of penning what I have titled “The tale of two schools.” This story contrasts two primary schools. Both are on the South Island and both are Green-Gold Enviroschools. But other than sharing a similar island and a similar Enviroschool award status, the two are remarkably different when it comes to their environmental impacts. One (Ngatimoti School) offers hope, serving as a beacon for other schools to learn from and possibly emulate. The other (Opoho Primary School) appears to be an example of greenwash. One of the important lessons I plan to accentuate is the critical role of champions for bringing about genuine change and keeping the momentum going. Ngatimoti School displays champions who, as Joanna reports, are always looking for ways to improve. In contrast, Opoho Primary School has lost its champions since becoming a Green-Gold Enviroschool. Whereas it used to incorporate environmental-thinking into all its practices, it no longer does so. I note, for example, how 10 years ago the school would have included in its job advertisements its preference for teachers with a commitment to environmental sustainability. Today the school is advertising for a teacher, but its advert makes no reference to this commitment. In fact, the school seems to have no true commitment to the environment. The school chooses to use coal as its main heat source, refuses to commit to any timeline for phasing out its use of coal, and is uninterested in the fact that the majority of its students are driven the relatively short distances between their homes and school. Yet, all the while, a sign sits outside the school’s office that says the school cares for the environment, and the school regularly advises all those who will listen that it is a Green-Gold Enviroschool.
Featured News
See all news >Newsletter April 2024 - Can you help?
16 April 2024
Ngā mihi nui! Our Climate Declaration needs a new convenor Can you help? We are now in our s...
Read more >
A new way to fund climate action? | Webinar Recording
12 April 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa! This webinar picked up important threads from our previous webinar - on b...
Read more >
Building Alternatives: Are Efforts to Reform the System Misplaced? | Webinar Recording
11 April 2024
We were pleased to co-sponsor this webinar. Ted Trainer Ph.D. is a retired Australian academ...
Read more >
A Degrowth Approach to Climate Change | Webinar Recording
29 March 2024
We were proud to present this webinar, along with the Nelson Tasman Climate Forum:
Read more >
The Behavioural Crisis Driving Ecological Overshoot (2nd Presentation) | Webinar Recording
08 March 2024
We decided to open this year’s webinar series with a second presentation of last year’s “The...
Read more >
Newsletter February 2024
14 February 2024
Kia ora katoa! Ngā mihi nui mō enei rā mahana rawa! We decided to open this year’s webinar s...
Read more >
Newsletter January 2024
28 January 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa. Ngā mihi nui mō tēnei tau hou. Another year and a new government – and he...
Read more >
When the heat rises, we all suffer | Newsroom
15 January 2024
Credit Matthias Zomer on Pexels for thumbnail
Read more >
Take the Jump | Webinar Recording
07 December 2023
We ended 2023 with our final webinar of the year, on Wednesday 6th December: Take the Jump ...
Read more >
Newsletter November 2023
24 November 2023
Kia ora katoa! This newsletter focuses on activities undertaken in local communities for the...
Read more >