Tag Archives: sustainability

Community Notices, Events, Sustainability, Wellbeing

Biketober is coming to Ōtautahi next month!

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Biketober (=Bike + October) is Christchurch’s annual festival of cycling, and is all about giving cycling a go. Whether you ride a bike already, would like to try, or just want to join the fun, there will be cycling events and activities for you and your whānau to enjoy almost every day this October!

Curious? Check out the website & event calendar here.

Some of the Sustainability Office’s top event picks this year are:

So grab a bike, check out the entire month’s event calendar here and have fun!

Biketober 2021 events are being run according to MOH guidelines to keep everyone safe. Please refer to the Biketober website here for event specific updates.

Community Notices, Events, Sustainability

Go Plastic Free this July!

Be part of the solution to plastic pollution

Plastic Free July is officially here! PFJ is a global movement that encourages, inspires, educates and supports millions of people around the world to choose to refuse single-use plastics for an entire month. Want to get involved?  The good news is, anyone can take part! The Plastic Free July website has heaps of ideas, tips and resources to help you get started. See here for the different types of plastics and situations where you can #choosetorefuse single-use (and other problematic) plastics, no matter where you are on your journey.

Keen to take part in Plastic Free July?

Here’s a few ways you can get involved at UC: UC Sustainability is running weekly online challenges for you to participate in, with epic prizes up for grabs each week. From low-waste recipes to bulk-bin buying, they want to see how you are showing your love for Papatūānuku and reducing plastics in your life.  We’ll be sharing some student ideas each week too! Keep an eye out on their Facebook and Instagram for the first weekly challenge coming on Friday 2 July (or check out this sneak peak for a head start!)    

 

Pipiri Ki A Papatūānuku 

Matariki in Aotearoa is a time of rejuvenation and reset for both people and planet.  Pipiri Ki A Papatūānuku encourages individuals, whānau and other groups from both Aotearoa and around the world to dedicate just one lunar cycle to our taiao (environment).

This year, this falls from June 25 – July 24 2021.

Te Akatoki Māori Students’ Association is planning some activities to celebrate Pipiri Ki A Papatūānuku, so keep an eye out on their social media for ways you can be involved!
 

EnviroPAST: Plastic and Sustainability Talks

EnviroPAST is a by-youth-for-youth conference held at UC on 16 – 17 July, with an aim to inspire, educate, connect, and challenge young people to make positive environmental change, with a focus on plastic pollution.

The 2021 programme draws inspiration from the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and seeks to break down the scientific basis of plastic pollution issues and solutions in ways that are relatable and engaging for students. The programme comprises five talks by experts in the field, four interactive workshops, and a beach clean-up and litter audit.

The organising team consists of four student volunteers: Zac Baker (UC),  E Wen Wong (UC), Emma Burton (Massey University), and William Wray (Burnside High School). Check out the details of this incredible student-led event here.

Are you taking part in Plastic Free July, either at home or at work? Send us an email, or be in touch over our social media channels so we can share and celebrate your mahi!  

Events, Sustainability, UC Strategic Vision

CREATE YOUR PATHWAY FOR ACTION

How can we collaborate for systemic change, and together, develop clear pathways for urgent action?

Be a part of the next steps in the Aotearoa Sustainable Development Goals Summit Series journey, and discover some of the answers with us!

Online SDG Hui #3: Working Together for Change, Thursday 24 June

 

Online SDG Hui #3 is focused towards “working together for change” and by bringing together experts from academia, community organisations, business and government agencies, aims to investigate opportunities for action across different sectors.

Two incredible UC academics, Professor Steven Ratuva (Director, Director of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies) and Professor Bronwyn Hayward, will be facilitating conversations on ‘Aotearoa, the Pacific and the SDGs’ and ‘Intergenerational Conversations’ respectively. Through these panel sessions, participants will have space to dive deeply into topics of justice, power, climate, communities and young people and will unpack the importance of participatory, inclusive decision making across all levels.

 

Join the kōrero on Thursday 24 June from 7pm – 9pm, online via Zoom. Tickets are just $5 for Youth and $10 for General. Ticketing and more details are available here.

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Hui #3 also features a concurrent interactive workshop stream: ‘Future Fit Business: a tool for Organisations’, exploring how organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand can credibly measure their sustainability and contribution to the SDGs using the Future Fit Business Benchmark. This workshop is co-hosted by Sally Wilkins, a sustainability consultant at Proxima Consulting (an accredited Future Fit Partner since 2019) and Roger Robson-Williams, Chief Sustainability Officer at Plant and Food Research (an early adopter of the Benchmark in Aotearoa).

Book here for Online Hui 3#, Working Together for Change, on 24 June, 7pm – 9pm.

The Aotearoa New Zealand Sustainable Development Goals Summit, 2-3 September, University of Canterbury, Ōtautahi Christchurch

 

With workshops, world cafes, panel sessions, kōrerorero, creative stations, activations and small group discussions, plus field trips and a community-style feast, the 2021 Aotearoa SDG Summit ‘Collaboration for Systemic Change’ focuses on connecting, learning, collaborating, and taking real action on the 17 SDGs.

Held across two days and based from the University of Canterbury campus, this is a Summit event like no other!

 See here for ticketing and more details. Early Bird tickets are now available, and all tickets purchased before 24 June receive free access to Online Hui #3!

The 2020-2021 Aotearoa New Zealand Sustainable Development Goals Summit series is co-hosted by UC and Lincoln University, with mana whenua Ngāi Tuahuriri, in partnership with the Christchurch City Council and Ara Institute of Canterbury. The Series is supported by Tourism New Zealand, Te Pokai Tara – Universities New Zealand, ChristchurchNZ,  New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, Seeds Podcast and UC Centre for Entrepreneurship.

Stay connected with the Aotearoa SDG Summit Series via their website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and by signing up to the mailing list here.

 

Community Notices, Sustainability, Wellbeing

Cycle Matariki

Celebrate Matariki and the Winter Solstice with an evening bike ride around Hagley Park on Monday 21 June!

The UC Sustainability Office will be leading a gentle group ride from UC campus to Hagley Park, to join hundreds of other Ōtautahi cyclists celebrating the longest night of the year.

This is the 10th annual Christchurch Matariki Night Light Bike Ride event – and it’s going to be bigger and brighter than ever!

The purpose of the ride is to brightly support safe, healthy and fun cycling for commuters, children riding to school and for all recreational cyclists.

See more details on the Facebook event here.

Want to join the group ride to the event?

Please meet Chloe from the UC Sustainability Office with your bike, helmet and bike lights by the Locke/Logie carpark on Monday 21 June, from 430pm. We will be departing campus at 4.40pm.

Our ride will take us along the Uni-Cycle cycleway, through Riccarton Bush and into Hagley Park. The event officially begins at the Armagh Street Mickle Gates at 5.30pm (with riders encouraged to gather from 5pm). From the meeting point, the ride will take us clockwise around the park, and will finish around 630pm.

Afterwards we will gather at the Pegasus Arms on Oxford Terrace for a drink and a chance to connect with our cycling community. We’ll kick back, relax and discuss how to help make Ōtautahi a world-class safe cycling city!

The Christchurch Matariki Night Light Bike Ride is hosted and organised by Spokes Canterbury, Cycling CHCH, Biketober Christchurch, Avon-Ōtākaro Network and Venduco Ltd.

This message was bought to you by the UC Sustainability Office. Stay connected, and be in touch with us! Follow us on Facebook or Instagram, sign up to our Sustainability Newsletter or check out our website for more information about what we do, and upcoming events.

Community Notices, Events, Sustainability, Wellbeing

Sustainable Living Workshops coming up

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Come along and learn a new skill (or dust off an old one), reduce your food’s carbon footprint, and have some wholesome foodie fun in our upcoming Sustainable Living Workshops!

Te Ngaki o Waiutuutu (Waiutuutu Community Garden) will be the host for three weekly lunch-hour workshops, focused on gaining and learning skills in the art of preserving, brewing and fermenting your own food.

These workshops will be free to attend and will be run by members of the community gardens community in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Space is limited for these workshops, so please email chloe.sutton@canterbury.ac.nz to reserve a spot.

For more details, please see the Facebook events for these workshops below:

Workshop #1: Preserving (organic beetroot chutney)

Workshop #2: Brewing (kombucha and vinegars)

Workshop #3: Fermenting (sauerkraut and kimchi)

This message was bought to you by the UC Sustainability Office. Stay connected, and be in touch with us! Follow us on Facebook or Instagram, sign up to our Sustainability Newsletter or check out our website for more information about what we do, and upcoming events.