Signatory News

Spark – Successful trial of solar-compacting bin in Nelson’s central city

Spark – Successful trial of solar-compacting bin in Nelson’s central city

Results from a Nelson City Council and Spark New Zealand joint trial of a ‘smart’ solar-compacting bin in Nelson’s city centre, shows that collection frequency is reduced by more than 50 per cent.

The trial bin, on loan to Nelson City Council from Bigbelly bins, is equipped with a small solar-powered compactor. A sensor inside the bin activates the compactor, which crushes the rubbish, allowing the bin to hold up to five times more than a standard New Zealand rubbish bin.

Silver Fern Farms – Regenerating the meat industry by taking care of the land

Silver Fern Farms – Regenerating the meat industry by taking care of the land

The red meat industry can regenerate both their land and the relationship they have with their consumers, meat industry experts say.

Speaking at a recent webinar about regenerating the meat industry, Simon Limmer, chief executive of Silver Fern Farms, said the agriculture industry needed to adapt to survive in an environment where consumers have changed the way they approach meat.

Meat was not the centre of the plate any more, with conscious consumers thinking of both the health benefit and the environmental impact of the products they consumed, Limmer said.

SkyCity – Sky Tower switching lights off for Earth Hour

SkyCity – Sky Tower switching lights off for Earth Hour

This Saturday, the Sky Tower lights will be switched off in support of Earth Hour, the global initiative shining its own light on climate change.

The tower will ‘go dark’, with the lights going off from 8.30pm to 9.30pm to raise awareness for the need to grow sustainably as businesses, individuals, and a nation.

3R –  Trash into treasure

3R – Trash into treasure

Hawke’s Bay is one of the country’s biggest food producers, which also means we are one of the biggest creators of food production waste.

But an exciting new project is set to tackle this.

The recently launched initiative – Sustainable is Attainable Hawke’s Bay – is working to change trash into treasure, not only keeping waste from landfill but developing high-value by-products. With around 30 local businesses already committed to the project, it’s off to a strong start.

Kowbucha: Fonterra researching natural ways to stop cows burping

Kowbucha: Fonterra researching natural ways to stop cows burping

Fonterra has been busy researching the answer to the dairy industry’s million-dollar question; how can we stop cows from burping?

The co-op’s research and development (R&D) centre has been looking at natural ways to inhibit cows from producing methane and has come up with something they’re calling Kowbucha.

The aim of Kowbucha is to create new fermentations that switch off the bugs that make methane in cows.

ASB: sustainability – a powerful move

ASB: sustainability – a powerful move

Kiwi businesses that don’t know the level of greenhouse gas emissions they produce are being advised to start “doing the numbers” to work out their footprint.

ASB’s Head of Corporate Responsibility Miranda James says for most small businesses the main source of emissions is likely to be their fuel, gas and electricity bills.

Auckland Council continues to expand sustainable finance initiatives

Auckland Council continues to expand sustainable finance initiatives

As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainable finance initiatives, Auckland Council has converted an existing $200 million standby facility into its first sustainability linked loan.

The council has also executed a sustainability linked derivative for $120 million, making it the first council in New Zealand to do so.

Victoria University of Wellington – The cost of climate change

Victoria University of Wellington – The cost of climate change

Events such as floods, droughts, and storms cause a lot of damage to societies and economies, but can we quantify the role of climate change in the impact of these events?

“The climate crisis is changing the frequency of these events, and they are becoming more intense and more damaging to the economy,” says Professor Ilan Noy, Chair in the Economics of Disasters and Climate Change at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s Wellington School of Business and Government.