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Your Ideas

This page is a collection point - for ideas of specific actions that could help to establish a sustainable Aotearoa.

 

The great news is that, as a result of the lockdown, we already have a serious head start with our transition to a reduced consumption and travel mindset. 

But our window of opportunity could very quickly close again as lockdown conditions are lifted.  So now is the time to act.  And for quick effective action we need explicit, well-defined campaign ideas

 

So, if you’ve got a great idea to help us transition to a sustainable Aotearoa, whether it be through lobbying government, a gamified campaign to motivate the public or a clever meme, please get in touch.

How To Use This Page

You send your ideas via email

We add your ideas to this page

You (or anyone else) can then grab an idea and put their hand up to lead the project.

Hannah and Liam - Waiheke Island

'Down to Earth'

 

Create a collection of actions for people to take (and share) to help them #staygrounded and generate enthusiasm for maintaining lower levels of flying.  For example:

Commitment/Pledge-based ideas:

  • Create a personal profile on the No Fly Climate Sci website (or encourage your institution to) and share it on social media

  • Join the Fly-Less Kiwis fb group and invite 5 friends/whānau members to as well

Awareness and knowledge raising actions:

  • Document a post-lockdown inter-regional trip where you didn't fly. How did you travel instead and how was it different to flying? Use an online travel calculator to measure the emissions you saved by not flying. Share your story in a blog/social media post.

  • Read Shaun Hendy's short book #NoFly alongside a group of friends/whānau and share your reflections afterwards in a short video, blog or social media post with the hashtag #nofly

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Kristy - Auckland

'Like A Boss'

Create a pre-formatted 'Like a Boss' poster that people can download as a template.

 

Promote the idea that people take a photo of an item they made or repaired (instead of buying it new) and insert it into template whilst filling in text e.g. MADE BREAD...like a boss! ... and that they then share it on social media.

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Ian - Rotorua

'Virtual Politics'

Create a petition to compel the government to continue replacing much of its international travel with virtual conferencing (and suggest the government also pressures other nations to do the same).

 

References to platforms other than Zoom (e.g Wire) recommended for campaign because Zoom's video conferencing is not encrypted end-to-end.

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Philip D - Wellington

'Personal Resource Caps'

Petition the government to create a system to cap natural resource use and CO2 emissions for all citizens.  A quota for each person, per year, with any unused portion of resource being sale-able in a managed market place.

Currently, the amount a person consumes is only limited by how much it costs to extract/produce it and transport it to that person's door.   As a result, the worlds rich consume a staggering (and unsustainable) amount of non-renewable resource, many times their fair share.

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Tofrida Wainwright

'Ecological Action Prioritised '

The government to declare a climate and ecological emergency, explaining to the population through the media (as with Cov19) how and why this is urgent and necessary and how it will be tackled fairly and justly, with no-one left behind.  

 

Identify what are the essential products and services (as we did for essential services for Cov19, and the war effort early last century) for NZ to function.  Continue producing / importing these items, with workers in all other industries redeployed / trained for renewable energy / environmental restoration industries etc

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Rachel - Auckland

'Kiwi Job Swap'

It always seems ridiculous to me that a person could travel so far across the city to do a job that someone living on the other side of the city could do just as well... and vice versa!

 

List an intention on the Kiwi Job Swap site to find a role closer to your home, what the role is and the area. Basic info displayed and private info eg the company itself, salary, details would have to be stored away from the public eye. 

 

Match to other participant looking for a similar role closer to home. Website could contain advice to approach employers with. This would then need to be negotiated privately but would work in everyone's favour and would eliminate a lot of unnecessary mileage in the long run.

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Davian L

'Beyond Consumerism'

A campaign encouraging the government to create an education programme focused on the science of happiness in relation to alternatives to consumption.

This lobbying campaign would use academics and scientists, along with public support, to convince ministers to fund a nationwide programme aimed at highlighting activities outside of consumerist culture that give us equivalent amounts of enjoyment.

Delivered through billboards, social media, and possibly even through the school curriculum, this education programme would be designed to make the public more mindful about the different ways people get unnecessarily drawn in by consumerism, and how that consumerism affects our environment.

(If this programme were to succeed, changes in our social welfare, job re-training and taxation systems would be necessary, at least initially, in order to adapt to the labour market disruption.)

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Judith B - Wellington

'Clothing Library'

During level 4, and to some degree level 3, we are not buying new clothes and we have gotten used to relying on what we already have available. This idea embraces this situation.

 

Clothing libraries allowing people to lend clothes instead of buying them.  For a monthly fee, people can easily renew their wardrobe without owning the clothes.
The clothing library is a walk-in wardrobe that provides an answer to over-consumption and buying of clothes that are hardly ever worn before being discarded.


While there are already some examples in New Zealand, this concept could be implemented in all cities to help deal with waste but also provide access to fashion items for a fraction of the cost.

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Genevieve - Glen Eden

'Neighbourhood Safaris'

Customised Google map that reveals local spots of quirky historical significance to entice people to explore their own towns and cities instead of travelling further afield for their holidays.

This map would be totally interactive and would allow anybody to add locations/stories of worthy cultural significance.

Check out this Google map of public fruit trees as an example.

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Jo Brunskill - Masterton

'Workplace Flexibility'

A website to support workers wanting to request more 'work-from-home' and 'flexible hours' options from their employers.

As well as including information on the benefits of remote working, job sharing etc., the site would also include: letter templates to help employees approach their bosses about changing their work arrangement; a petition template for staff to approach their employer as a group; and a showcase of other workplaces that have already embraced these alternatives.

 

The lockdown has shown us that remote working is  possible for many companies and that it, of course, significantly lowers fuel emissions and makes our roads less congested.  I’d also love to see options that include more flexible hours (for better family time) and part- time work options.

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'Traffic Reduction Trio'

Lobby Ministry of Transport to enact the following changes:

 

Introduce a new 30km/h zone policy to slow traffic in residential areas where we want to encourage higher numbers of pedestrians / bikes e.g. near parks and through town centres.

 

'Car-Free Days' - everyone that owns a car should have at least one car-free day a week.

Provide free neighbourhood / village working hubs to reduce need for commuting (and build stronger community networks).  And all public transport free, funded by road user charges on all cars.

Ben B - Wellington

Melissa W

Mike Joy - 

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Amy C - Mt Albert

'Slow down Sundays'

Remember when we were young, living here in New Zealand, and the shops were closed on a Sunday.  Genius!!

I would love to go back to this... to slow down consumerism and travel, encourage more family / friend time, time outdoors and to just be.

And maybe petitioning the government would be a good way to start getting wheels in motion for this.

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D H Lorson - Auckland

'Lightfoot'

Directory website for TV industry freelancers with the purpose of encouraging employers to hire workers based close to location, rather than flying familiar contractors, living where the company is based, across the country.    

 

TV industry contractors create a profile for themselves on the site. Reviews are then added to that profile by past employers.  Like builderscrack.co.nz, but for the TV industry.

Creating trust in unfamiliar contractors, living in the regions, would reduce production costs, and of course, reduce the travel-based carbon footprint of the industry.

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Geraldine T - Auckland

'Zero Waste Makerspace Franchise'

Zero Waste Makerspaces (repair cafes) - spaces in which volunteers come together and use existing resources to repair and create items for the public, to prevent the need for new items to be bought. These initiatives utilise shared technology and the sharing of specialised skills from different members of the community.

 

In order to help facilitate the creation of new ZWMs, an umbrella franchising system could be set-up, which, guided by the experiences of individuals who have helped to start-up a previous space, provides new start-ups with all the resources and advice needed to get things off the ground much more easily.

 

This could also, ideally, involve the establishment of a funding pool, via local or central government, to make it easier for potential new ZWMs start-ups to get funding.

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