29 May 2008 - 2.28 pm

The Queenstown Lakes District Council has issued a challenge to its communities to take part in a ten part challenge on World Environment Day, June 5, 2008.

"We have developed a very do-able challenge that not only gets people to think about sustainability at home and in their place of work, it gets them to begin to take action," QLDC Mayor Clive Geddes said.

The challenge was for families, and work colleagues, to 'tick off' each of the 10 challenges on June 5 and then go on to implement five of the challenges on a daily basis.

Not only would those taking part in the challenge contribute in a small way in our community, to our country and globally, but they would also reap the benefit of saving money on their power bill.

"In addition to issuing the challenge, which I urge every member of our community to accept, we will be gifting each and every school in the district a tree and all pre-schools a shrub to plant on World Environment Day, which also marks Arbor Day," Mr Geddes said.

Every tree planted is estimated to offset around 730kg of CO2 emission over its lifetime.

"Reducing our carbon footprint is not an issue this community or any community in the world can afford to ignore. Raising awareness with our children is critical," Mr Geddes said.

The challenge was available by clicking here and would be widely circulated through various organisations and schools throughout the district.

The council also congratulated the community for all other initiatives to mark the day including: the Wakatipu Trails Trust and the Queenstown Youth Council tree planting project; and the Sustainable Business Seminar on June 6 at Queenstown.

ENDS

For further information please contact Clive Geddes or QLDC communications manager Meaghan Miller. 03 441 0499

Below is a thought provoking extract from The Last Generation by Fred Pearce

Socolows wedges

Technological changes that would each cut 50 yr global emissions by 25 b t

1. universally adopt efficient lighting and heating appliances
2. double the efficiency opf the global vehicle fleet
3. halve future car use by compacting urban growth areas
4. increase wind power generation 50 times to 2m 1mw turbines
5. global programme of building insulation
6. cover an area the size of new jersey with solar panels
7. quadruple electricity generation from natural gas by converting from coal
8. capture and store carbon dioxide from 1600 gigawatts of natural gas power plants halt global deforestation and plant an area the size of India with new forest
9. double nuclear power generation capacity
10. increase tenfold the use of low tillage farming systems to increase soil storage of carbon

By: Tamah