Archive for September, 2009

Regional eco-warrior

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Cityhop, NZ’s first car share loves sharing stories of eco-warriors around the country. This blog shares the story of Nathaniel Benefield, the sustainable transport co-ordinator at New Plymouth District Council, winner of the best and most liveable community in 2008

Says Nathaniel, “Not many jobs require a bike to be a pre-requisite, but I want to walk the talk so my bike is my main mode of transport.” So how did he end up encouraging New Plymouth people to change their driving habits?

“I thought science looked interesting and studied botany at Massey and then ecology at Otago,” says Nathaniel. “Then I went overseas, for 12 years, in that time I developed an interest in photojournalism and got work for a boradhseet paper in the UK.”

“The defining hallmarks of our present global society are to me, out of control consumerism and rampant materialism and it really is  concerns me . It was one of the reasons I bought my family back to NZ.

“Since then, I have gone back to extramural study in ecology and conservation. My present job gives me a great opportunity to apply the key principles of conservation in generating practical transport solutions for our district.”
So what do I do?

“My job is about reducing the number of vehicle trips made around New Plymouth. In the absence of strong decisive government action to address our national car addiction my role is to encourage behaviour change by providing incentives for sustainable travel. This can be done through travel planning for schools and business; community based sustainable transport projects and programmes, community events and so on.

“I actually think my job is one that involve a team. To re-sort the hierachy of our streets we need a dedicated team of travel planners, engineers, urban designers and more working together for a common outcome – civilised shared road spaces for all users.

Nathaniel has been instrumental in bringing car share to New Plymouth. Imagine if more cities had people like Nathaniel, enthusiastically encouraging a change of thinking and driving behaviour.

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3 eco-friendly tips anyone can try

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

Recycling, reusing, re-thinking how we might conserve makes some people yawn. We have all got to start somewhere. Cityhop car share has written a lot of blogs full of ideas on how to be more eco-friendly.  Of course, our members are already conserving by driving less and walking more.

This blog we thought we would suggeast 3 REALLY EASY things for readers to think about doing which will make a difference. We’ve already suggested how to start a worm farm, how to make a simple vege garden and much more.

So the first easy tip – conserve water. Boring you yawn, but here’s a simple tip. Okay, some of you might jump straight into the shower and enjoy the freezing cold while it heats up. But most of don’t! So why not keep a  bucket in the bathroom when you  on turn the shower and all that cold water goes down the drain as you wait for the water, can go into the bucket. Then you can use it for watering the house plants or the garden.

Number 2 tip – all that mail you get and let’s face it charities can be the some of the worst, do you really want it? If you don’t then tell them. Ask the charities to either email you or only send you a begging letter once a year. let them know you care about how many trees get cut down.

The average American gets 300 catalogues a year. Cityhop founder and CEO, Victoria Carter reckons she gets at least 50 – but when she read this idea on Earth cycle eco logics  she thought good idea, I’m going to do this! What is it – tell them you don’t want their catalogues or ask them to email the details. Think of the paper you would save. Even if you recycle them like we do at Cityhop, it’s not the point, let’s stop them even needing to be printed!

Third idea – wrapping paper. The average American spends $2.9 billion on wrapping paper -and uses enough to wrap up 7 suburbs of New York!  Yes, no doubt you are already saving good wrapping paper and re-using it but just stop buying it! Use tea towels instead, newspaper wrapped up with ribbons, or other think about the gift you are buying and whether it can be wrapped in a useful container or box? Keep smart bags and use these for your presents. They will look great under the tree and if you need more colour glue some pictures from magazines on the outside to brighten them up or get rid of the Tiffanys brand in case the recipiant gets too excited!!

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New Plymouth gets car share

Monday, September 21st, 2009

 Pictured are Mayor Peter Tennent and Nathaniel Benefield in the Taranaki Daily News 19/9/09

Cityhop, NZ’s first car share company, is delighted to launch its first car share spot in New Plymouth coinciding with Car Free Day September 22. 

Mayor, Peter Tennent says, “We’re delighted to be the first provincial city in New Zealand to get on board with Cityhop. We’re starting with one car and we’ll see how it goes. The success of our recent eDay showed that we’re an environmentally conscious bunch here in New Plymouth, so we’re hopeful people will take advantage of this great new service.”

 Says Victoria Carter, CEO of Cityhop, “A city like New Plymouth getting into the concept of car share sets a wonderful example for the rest of the country that wants to create more liveable cities. “We have had a lot of interest from individuals in New Plymouth since cityhop launched 3 years ago.  However we wanted to get established in congested cities first. To acknowledge the city’s progressive efforts Cityhop is offering a discount for 2 weeks.  Instead of $75 per individual to join the company is offering membership at $50. “This is a progressive city recognizing that they can improve the quality of their city by reducing the impact of cars. Between 1996 and 2006 the population of Taranaki increased by 100 people yet the number of cars on the road increased by 4800! 

“Car sharing is the realistic alternative to going cold turkey and getting rid of a car. It  encourages us to rely less on the individual car. International research shows that people who car share reduce the amount of driving they often decide against buying another car or sell one car; and they walk or bike more as well as making better use of public transport, ends Victoria”

 A number of locals have lobbied the council to get car share and thanks to the support of the council a joint venture between the council and Cityhop is underway.  Says Nathaniel Benefield, New Plymouth District Council sustainable transport co-ordinator,  “ I hope the car will be encourage people to think about and plan their journeys before leaving home. Instead of bringing a car to town we want to encourage people to walk, cycle, bus then if they need a car to cityhop for $15 an hour, including the fuel and maintenance. To begin, one car will be located in the car park on the corner of Ariki and Egmont Sts, making it easy for people to use public transport and car share when they need too. Cityhop is the only true alternative to car ownership with the convenience and flexibility of being able to hire a private car without owning one. A car sharing modal intended to reduce the need for, or reliance on, individual car ownership, it is based on the same concept as a car hire company except that instead of one depot it has lots of car parks and members can hire by the hour. 

Cityhop has over 30 cars in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and now New Plymouth. Over 350 members ranging from individuals to over 70 businesses with drivers from 5 to 1500 access the cars by the hour.

 

                                                                                                                                   

   

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Car free day coming soon

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Cityhop, is a great fan of initiatives to have fewer cars on the road! We have noticed that so far only New Plymouth and Dunedin seem to be doing much towards car free day. How ironic when its the big cities that should be doing more to reduce congestion!

Anyway, Cycling Advocates Network (CAN) is calling on all cyclists to hit the roads on Tuesday 22nd September 2009 as part of a global event where people take a holiday from their cars. Go by cycle, foot, bus or train instead of driving – just for this one day.

WORLD CARFREE DAY has grown into a massive global celebration of human-centric communities and people-powered transportation.

Says CAN, As the world tunes in to the fact that the climate is heating up, this is the perfect opportunity to take the heat off the planet, and put it on city planners and politicians to give priority to cycling, walking and public transport, instead of oil-hungry automobiles.

Imagine our cities with fewer cars, maybe we would all bike and walk more? It’s ewasy to be car free – especially with car share in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and coming next week New Plymouth.

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7 nominees for design and innovation in green awards

Monday, September 14th, 2009

Sustainable Business Network SBN held its regional awards last week. Cityhop, the winner of the Design and Innovation award last year was invited to present the trophy to this year’s winner. Pictured above is Victoria Carter, CEO of Cityhop, who won the award in 2008 presenting the award to this year’s winner, Lanzatech – receiving the award is Freya Burton of Lanzatech.

Said David Clendon of SBN, “the theme of these awards is REINVENT TO THRIVE, tonight we will celebeate business people who understand that business as usual IS an option but it is an ‘age of stupid’ option. We need to rethink, redesign, reinvent the way we live and do business, taking the best from past and present and being smart and bold enough to change our ways where the need is evident. We need to live differently, but we do not need to live any less well.

This category had the most entrants. Below is the lsit of finalists and what their entry was for:

PGG Wrightson, for its mobile technology system called TRACIT, that collects on site pest control data from horticulturists and inputs it into a centralised database which promotes more careful spraying practices.

Lanzatech, a proprietary system that captures waste Greenhouse gasses from the manufacturing industry and bio mass to create low cost enthanol.

Online Gardener,  an online resource that encourages the development of small gardening businesss and promotes the uptake of sustainable gardening practices.

LOVE Notes, a supercycling scheme that uses non confidential used paper from businesses to produce stationery.

Kokako Organic sustainable packaging for roasted coffee and chocolate consisting of sealed biodegradable bags produced from wood cellulose and packaged in recyclable cardboard.

Paradigm this entry is a range of carry bags designed to be produced from ‘salvaged advertising skins.’

and Methven, for its Satinjet Kiri Shower range, a shower head aimed at the hotel industry that can cut water and energy consumption by up to 50%.

The winner was Lanzatech. The Judges were impressed by the advanced level of technological development and Intellectual Property, and the economic and environmental benefits of this proprietary system that not only captures greenhouse gases but uses them to create low carbon ethanol, reducing the need for fossil fuels.

Lanzatech, has overseas and local investment and is currently employing over 30 people.The system has the potential to create a large scale, internationally competitive business in NZ that will influence the world in the move from fossil fuels to low carbon alternatives.

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Gardening grows

Saturday, September 12th, 2009

Many blogs ago, Victoria Carter, founder of Cityhop, NZ’s first car share, wrote about her Valentine’s Present – a vegetable garden. Here it is at the end of winter – the broccoli has just ended and been pulled out. New lettuces, tomatoes and peas have been planted ready for summer.

What’s the link between car share and vegetable gardens? Many people who car share care about the environment, care about food miles and like to make their footprint smaller. Growing your own veges is one step towards this.

Growing your own vegetables is so easy and enjoyable too. The silverbeet and parsley make a once a week feta and spinach pie – 5 minutes to make and delicious. And anyone can grow silverbeet!

If you want to get some inspiration around gardening. Have a look at a new gardening site  just launched by ecobob, called www.MyGarden.co.nz – it’s an online resource for gardening with loads of info and resources.

There is a prize package of $2000 up for grabs – http://www.mygarden.co.nz/Gardening-Competition.aspxHave a look, load your pix onto the sight and you might win some of the great prizes.

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5 worst plastic things

Saturday, September 5th, 2009

Cityhop, NZ’s first car share company offering cars by the hour, founder, Victoria Carter has a gripe – plastic!

She says, “how sad just as we come to Clean Up NZ week (it starts this weekend)  that the supermarket chain, Progressive Enterprises with its New World (one of the sponsors) and Four Square has bowed to apparant public pressure and stopped charging for plastic bags.

Get real people – how hard is it to carry recyclable bags?

My other pet hate the unnecessary plastic packaging of so many items. What are the plastic things you hate? For Victoria they are:

1. Toothbrushes- why do they need such heavy plastic wrap? It usually takes a knife to break it open!

2. Razors – okay so blades are sharp but surely there is a better way to protect the blade? Many knives are sold without all this packaging! And speaking of knives, ever got into this rigid plastic without a knife or pair of scissors?

3. Please manufacturers – deoes everything have to be plastic wrapped?  How about putting things like mascara or other cosmetics in cardboard containers with a hole for hanging on the shelf? Then we can recycle them and not land fill them.

4. I like buying in bulk -and I sometimes buy packs of sparkling water  -i buy kiwi water rather than French not for price but low food miles BUT why do they need to be wrapped in plastic that is also impossible to break open and not recyclable?

5. Plastic bottles of toilet cleaner, detergent and so on. Can we make the containers bigger? Or reward people for re-using the old bottles. Last week two brands of refill were more expensive than the new bottle with the spray connector. That’s silly. Do manufacturers really not care about the environment. I’ve remembered your brand and when I come up with an alternative I will use it.

6 And finally, why can’t supermarkets provide recyclable cardboard trays for us to put loose veges like tomatoes in rather than plastic wrap. Give consumers a choice. Many of us do want to preserve and not add any more than we already do to landfill!

Do I sound grumpy – I’ve just returned from walking the dog with an armful of McDonalds takeways that someone had let blow through Cornwall Park! Fortunately most of it was recyclable (chip packets, napkins, original bag)  so it went striaght into one of our two wheelie bins for recycling.

What do you think is the worst plastic rubbish?

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First bikes now electric cars for Paris

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

Pictured James Ure Cityhop ops manager,  with the Mitsubishi electric i car, but where can you plug your car in?

Many readers will know about the citywide bike-sharing scheme that Paris is well known for. Now the city is looking at beating Boris to it and is planning another ambitious initiative, electric cars.

Paris already has a car sharing scheme with over 5000 mmebers but it is privately run ( like Cityhop) and uses traditional cars. Autolib from automobile liberte – is a large scale city-backed effort to provide only clean electric vehicles.

Says Businessweek, “Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë, building on the success of the city’s popular  rental bike scheme, is planning to deploy a fleet of 2,000 electric cars that customers can pick up and drop off at rental stands around the city. Another 2,000 vehicles will be offered in two dozen surrounding cities.

“The city hasn’t yet revealed how much Autolib is expected to cost, but French newspaper Le Parisien pegs the price tag at $14 million to build some 1,400 self-service rental and recharging stations around Paris and adjacent suburbs. The government will also reportedly contribute $4 million.

THE SNAG? The lack of mass produced electric cars. This is the same reason that Cityhop won’t be going electric in the short term. It is still too experimental. There are not enough connection points and the technology isn’t proven.  It is way to expensive and the kinks have not been taken out. If Meridian wants to waste money on doing trials let them – or should we as our power bills keep going up?

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