Community

Welcome to the Hawke's Bay Regional Council's web pages for the community. In this part of our website you will find information, links and contacts to support the community in actively protecting our environment.

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There are many ways you can get involved in community projects to make your environment better. Planting days, great events, and learning opportunities.   Get into it!

For more information contact us at Hawke's Bay Regional Council - Environmental Education.

On this page:

• Green Dates
• LEAF - Local Environmental Action Fund
• Sustaining Hawke's Bay Trust
• Seaweek
• World Environment Day 
• World Wetlands Day

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Green Dates

Green Dates are important dates for the environment calendar in New Zealand.

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Sustaining Hawke's Bay Trust

The trust operates a public facility (The Environment Centre, 220 Russell Street, Hastings) that promotes community well-being by actively raising awareness on important issues such as climate change, energy efficiency, safe food, sustainable land management, waste minimisation and water quality.

The Trust also works in partnership with other environmental groups and initiatives in the Hawke’s Bay region.  It aims to provide an essential link between government agencies, local authorities and the community.

The Environment Centre can provide tutors and speakers for a variety of environmental courses, workshops and events. For a full list of courses for 2007 please click here.

For registrations and further information on courses look on their website or contact Environment Centre, 220 Russell Street, Hastings, ph (06) 870 4942 or email Sustaining Hawke's Bay Trust.

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Seaweek

Seaweek (usually held in March) is an annual week-long celebration of our marine environment and a great opportunity for everyday New Zealanders to get involved with projects that help protect and enhance the local marine environment. New Zealand's marine environment covers 430 million hectares, that’s more than 15 times our land area, and more than one per cent of the earth's surface. With New Zealand's coastline stretching over 15,000 kilometres, all New Zealanders live within 140 kilometres of the sea. So it’s no wonder that we spend so much of our time at the beach and in or on the ocean.

And as we all know Hawke’s Bay has some of the best beaches in New Zealand.

To date about 15,000 marine species have been identified in our oceans these include: 61 seabirds, 41 marine mammals, over 1000 fish species, more than 2000 molluscs (snails and shellfish), 1700 arthropods (crabs, lobsters and other crustacea), 440 sponges, 530 echinoderms (kina, starfish) and 690 species of seaweeds.

Seaweek Hawke’s Bay is a very happy collaboration of organisations including Ministry of Fisheries, National Aquarium of NZ, Department of Conservation and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council.

Many other groups and organisations such as Marineland of NZ, the Hawke’s Bay Branch of the Royal Society of NZ Inc., Hawke’s Bay Cultural Trust, Environment Centre Hastings, Creative Napier and Ngati Kahungunu’s Aquatic Specialist support and take part in local activities.

Seaweek Hawke’s Bay is sponsored by Dive HQ Hawke’s Bay.

For more information on Seaweek, contact Emily Rockwell by email or phone her on (06) 833 8036.

 

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World Environment Day

World Environment Day is commemorated each year on 5 June. It’s one of the main ways that the United Nations encourages worldwide awareness of the environment, as well as political attention and action.

In New Zealand many events happen around the country. One main event is the announcement of the Green Ribbon Awards by the Minister for the Environment and each year a number of Hawke’s Bay projects and people are nominated for this.

In 2008 New Zealand hosted the event with the theme ‘Kick the Habit’ (The Carbon Habit).

Here are some energy saving tips to help reduce carbon emissions:

• When you leave a room switch off the light
• Switch off unused electrical equipment at the socket
• Use energy efficient light bulbs
• Car pool, walk, cycle or use public transport
• Set goals to reduce your travel
• Consider telecommuting and video conferencing as options to reduce the need to travel
• Compost food scraps and garden trimmings instead of disposing in a rubbish bag – organic leftovers sent to landfills generate gas, mostly methane.
• Use solar power and other renewable energy
• Buy certified organic produce. Biogrow organic farming practices incorporate organic waste back into the soil. This increases the carbon in the soil and reduces the emission of greenhouse gases.

Calculate your emissions – go to the EBEX21 Website.

AND YOU CAN FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (According to MfE, for every tonne of paper we recycle: 26 trees are saved, 5000 litres of water are saved, 5.4 tonnes of CO2 is not released to the atmosphere)

Remember to think global, act local. Every little bit helps!

 

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World Wetlands Day

World Wetlands Day Internationally

World Wetlands Day is celebrated each year on 2 February. It marks the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention) in Ramsar, Iran, on 2 February 1971. World Wetlands Day was first celebrated in 1997. Since this time government agencies, non-government organisations and community groups have celebrated World Wetlands Day by undertaking actions to raise public awareness of wetland values and benefits and promote the conservation and wise use of wetlands. These activities include seminars, nature walks, festivals, launches of new policies, announcement of new Ramsar sites, newspaper articles, radio interviews and wetland rehabilitation.

For more information about what is happening internationally see www.ramsar.org/.