Roberto’s talk from the Orewa Power of Community night back in March. Part One of three.

Check out this composting toilet system. Fairly simple to set up and run with so many benefits to be gained for your garden.

Makes you wonder why we spend millions pumping this great resource into ponds, landfill and out to sea.

Here is a link for a free copy of the Humanure Handbook is you want to find out more.

http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.html

Betsy Kettle explains the City to Farm Composting Project. This is a different method of collection and processing urban food scraps that could potentially supply the farmlands around major cities with an odourless, leachate free compost. The security of the urban food supply may be dependent on growing locally without dependence on petrochemical-based fertilizers and minimal transport. Organic agriculture based on compost may be our future food security and also create a more sustainable agricultural system.

Jude and I met up with Grant Steven while in the Far North to start this new project we had been discussing for a while. Grant is one of the Norths main Peak Oil advocates and had the great idea to go film communities up there as there were many practical lessons to be learned for an oil depleted future. Sort of New Zealand’s answer to “The Greening of Cuba”. This video is the first of many we hope.

Our first stop was the property of Yvonne Steinerman and Wayne Parsonson deep in Honeymoon Valley off the Peria Road.

After a few cups of tea Wayne took us down to the orchard where this video was made. Watching Wayne there was a dignity and honestly in his approach, all the possum gets used and not just left to rot in the bush or die some prolonged death from poison.
Here is a bit of info about 1080 from http://www.stop1080poison.com/

1. Aerial application of 1080 poison is banned in the U.S. due
to “the extreme hazard to human health and to the environment.” (From the United States Environmental Protection Agency.)

2. There is NO ANTIDOTE for 1080 poison. Classified as a “super toxic” poison, it takes 1/500 of an ounce to kill a 68kg man. According to the U.S. EPA, there is insufficient data on the effects of low residual doses of 1080 on human health.

3. After an aerial drop, there is no control over 1080 poison. Minute quantities can be wind-blown or washed downhill. Undegraded sodium fluoroacetate (1080) travels down into the soil & ground water, therefore, it can get into tank water, streams and water supplies.

4. A 1080 pellet can last for up to six months in cool dry conditions.

5. A poisoned possum can travel 5 kilometres or more before it dies.

6. A possum carcass can take six months or more to decompose, depending on where it dies and weather conditions.

7. 1080 poison kills an unacceptable number of non-target species, including dogs, cats, deer, pigs, birds, hedgehogs, bees and other insects.

8. 1080 poison does not break down in the body therefore is a high risk of direct or secondary poisoning to non-target creatures.

9. 1080 kills insects. Sodium monofluoroacetate (1080) was patented as an insecticide in Great Britain in 1927, proving an effective contact & systemic insecticide. However, it was considered too dangerous to use! Also, a New Zealand report for Landcare NZ (Meads June ‘94) recommended further investigation of 1080 impact on invertebrate insect populations was urgently required.

10. 1080 is highly toxic to ALL avian species. U.S. research has proven that this lethal poison is capable of wiping out entire species, ie. Environment Canada and Canadian Wildlife Service states in their National Recovery Programme for Burrowing Owls that “a study by Butts (1973) suggested that the presence of 1080 (sodium fluoracetate) laced grain may have contributed to a 71% reduction in the breeding population of a colony of Burrowing Owls between two consecutive years.

As Wayne says in the video put down your latte and just get out there.

David Holmgren talking in Auckland mid last year. He is perhaps most well known as co-originator of the permaculture concept with Bill Mollison. His vision is for retrofitting the suburbs is an important talk and recommended viewing. This is part 1 and gives you a good taste. The others will follow in the next few days.

This video was not shot by us.

On Saturday I sat in on Ron Sperbers informative workshop on rainwater harvesting. Having a few tanks of my own I was interested to see if I would learn anything new. I am happy to report I did. This workshop started with some theory and then went onto to explain some practical solutions. We ended up outside putting all the theory into practice. If you are thinking of setting up a system or have one and would like more information watch these. There are seven parts to see the whole workshop.

Today I had the pleasure of attending a talk on the renaissance of walking given by Rodney Tolley at the Rodney (I know its a bit confusing) City Council buildings. Rodney Tolley is an Honorary Research Fellow at Staffordshire University where he researches and publishes in the fields of environmental traffic management and walking and bicycle use in integrated travel plans. He is the editor of what has become ‘the bible’ of green mode planning, ‘The Greening of Urban Transport: Planning for Walking and Cycling in Western Countries’ (1997).

Rodney is also the Director of Walk21 - global partnership of experts that focuses on providing conferences, training and consultancy services, with the aim of raising international awareness of walking issues and supporting professionals in the development and delivery of best practice.

After the talk I got to interview Rodney briefly. The results are in two parts both of which are up on YouTube. Thank you to Andrew from RCC for the opportunity.