Archive for February, 2010

Ignite -enlighten us and make it quick!

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Here’s a cool way to find out new stuff fast. I stumbled on Ignite recently it goes global—from March 1-5, 2010, with 50 Ignites in cities around the world. Best of all, Ignite is also happening in Wellington. Bit short notice to jack it up but what about 2011 Auckland?

Upwards of 10,000 entrepreneurs, technologists, DIYers, creative professionals, and enthusiastic knowledge-seekers will gather  for an evening that is a unique blend of networking, information, and fun, encapsulated in the Ignite motto: “Enlighten us, but make it quick.”

Fast-paced, fun, thought-provoking, social, local, global—Ignite is a high-energy evening of 5-minute talks by people who have an idea—and the guts to get onstage and share it with their hometown crowd. Run by local volunteers who are connected through the global Ignite network, Ignite is a force for raising the collective IQ and building connections in each city.  And, via streaming and archived videos of local talks, local Ignites share all that knowledge and passion with the world

Talks are exactly five minutes long, Ignite presenters share their personal and professional passions, using 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds.

Local Ignites will stream live video during the event, and those videos will be archived on the new Ignite video site that is being launched in conjunction with the event. At least 500 five-minute session videos will be available on the new site when it debuts. See the link above.

 Any cityhopper in Wellingotn interested in igniting the cause for car share? Let us know.

Meanwhile tell us what ignites you!

Top Gear -Environmental suicide?

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

Yes it’s Top Gear time. The noise of the cars burning up around the track while Top Gear was going on inside was deafening from our house less than a kilometre away. It sounded like we had a dragway outside the back door. That was Friday. It continued Saturday and I am hoping today will be the last day. We visited some friends in Remuera down a  posh street and could still hear it over there! So we knew it must have been loud where we lived. I understand people like going to rugby matches, listening to loud music but watching a car  skid and scream around a small circuit is lost on me these days.  Yes I loved going to the Grand Prix as a teenager but back then no one knew the damage cars, their emissions, their brake linings were doing to our environment. What message were all the people watching these stunts getting? It’s cool to drive fast; cool to waste gas; cool to burn tyres, cool to destroy our environment … the smoke and fumes going into the air was irrelevant to them.  It’s like watching people deliberately throw rubbish out of a car window. Someone else can clean it up and sort it out. I know Jeremy Clarkson will say I’m stupid but what if thanks to his encouragement his grandchildren don’t have a beautiful earth to live on and in? 

I did wonder where Greenpeace was as I walked the dog and took this photo of some spectators in a tree who didn’t want to pay to watch the action. The irony of the tree that was doing something good for the environment and providing seating wasn’t lost on me!

I know many people won’t agree with me. That’s okay. I just don’t think it’s smart to deliberately spoil the environment.

Hey great new Tui billboard – something like

Recycle our bottles – we don’t want all want to drive a hybrid!

Noel Leeming group recycles

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Wow, half an hour after contacting Bond & Bond I got an email from their customer service team telling me that the Noel Leeming Group  has big bins out the back of their stores for all the packaging you don’t want.

 Good on you Noel Leeming and Bond and Bond.

I hope you remember to tell customers. Maybe you could add to your receipts and invoices a message if you want to recycle your packaging you can by bringing it back to the store. Broadcast it and it might get you more eco-friendly customers.

I was also reminded that the Noel Leeming Group takes old cell phones, TVs,  and appliances for recycling.

Great stuff.

Recycling polystyrene -pressure suppliers

Friday, February 12th, 2010

If you read our blogs you will know that Victoria, the co-founder of Cityhop writes a bit about waste, rubbish and recycling!

After doing a bunch of research on what can go into a wheelie bin Victoria says,”I found polystyrene was a big no no, yet we all know it can be re-used.”

“If the amount of packaging you have to put into your rubbish bin bugs you then do what I did recently , make contact with the companies who use packaging that can’t be recycled easily and ask them if they have a policy and if not will they get one and preferably will they start taking the packaging and giving it to their suppliers to get them to re-think their packaging.

“There are so many alternatives to plastics and polystyrene,” says Victoria.  With enough consumer pressure more companies will realise it’s important to us.

Victoria first started with Harvey Norman,

http://www.harveynorman.co.nz/includes/contactus.php there is an email link for you to ask them if they would take back packaging. After all it is the supplier’s problem not ours. We have kept them in business and people in jobs by buying the goods but it’s time everyone played their part and recycled.

Each of the links we have highlighted below will take you directly to these company’s websites so that you can ask them if they offer consumers a place to take back materials used in packaging so that they can be recycled  and if not whether they would please consider doing this.

Bond & Bond, Noel Leeming, Farmers, Dick Smith or any other company that sells products that come with polystyrene are worth contacting to ask them if they have a policy and if not would they provide a container for polystyrene and other similar packaging to be recycled.

If supermarkets can do it for plastic bags then surely these big companies can do it and give packaging back to their suppliers so it gets re-used.

I was impressed with the packaging of a new Compaq Pressario – instead of polystyrene it had some kind of recycled cardboard inside the box so it could all go into the paper recycling box. Good on you Compaq and Dick Smith!

Got a comment?

When are those razor companies, electric tooth brush companies and all the others who use that AWFUL hard plastic to seal their goods going to change their packaging! I seem to always end up cutting myself the plastic is so stiff and it can’t be recycled either. Boo hoo. It makes me look for the items in more envrionmentally sound packaging. Remember consumers know what they want!