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What's happening at AUT...
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Students focus on sustainable food
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50 students within the School of Sport and Recreation spent semester one thinking, writing and studying food and nutrition. Led by Dr Caryn Zinn, Senior Lecturer, the students in the Lifestyle Nutrition paper were going to work with the the raised vegetable gardens and 20 fruit trees in front of AJ at the North campus. Instead they adapted and switched from face to face practical projects to choosing from a number of virtual projects. These included:
- Creating a fictional menu for A1 café, including a nutrition label for each menu item
- Cost analysis of planting a vegetable garden versus purchasing the same produce at the local supermarket
- Writing an article for a newspaper about the physical and mental benefits of community/vegetable gardens
- Investigation of Maori herbs and their practical use for healing or in cooking
- Identifying suitable fruit, vegetables and herbs to plant, creating recipes using the produce and a nutrition breakdown of each recipe
Zinn says, “we want our students to engage in their learning by doing, and to leave a legacy at AUT by contributing their time and effort to an ongoing food and nutrition sustainability strategy. These engaging experiences will be what they remember when they leave AUT”. Kayla-Anne Lenferna De La Motte, one of the Lifestyle Nutrition students created a fictional menu for A1 cafe, see the recipe below.
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Three bin system spreads through WG
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AUT has a target to reduce waste to landfill by 50% by 2025. Currently 50% of our waste to landfill can actually be composted! Therefore to achieve this goal AUT is spreading the three bin system through the University as resources allow. The three bin system includes recycling, landfill and organic waste bins. Recently this bin system was introduced to levels 1 to 4 of WG.
If you are in an office or hall of residence without organic waste bins on the City campus we can support you with setting up your own organic waste collection by providing a bin and compostable bags. You and your colleagues would then make a roster for taking it to an established organic waste bin in WZ, WG, Newsfeed or Refuel and help reduce waste going to landfill. Email sustainability@aut.ac.nz for support with this.
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Green Impact 2020 has come to a close! Throughout the year, groups of staff and students have been working through a toolkit containing sustainability related actions aimed at making our University and community a more environmentally friendly and socially just place in line with the SDG’s. Participants noted that this program has made an incredible change to both their own lives and to our University. Green Impact is a global program with almost 25,000 people taking part in 190 different countries completing almost 86,000 actions. This program demonstrates that each change we make, no matter how small, adds up to something greater. This is embodied in a quote from Sir David Attenborough “The problems may seem daunting, but together we can change course”. For more information on the program Staff can visit AUTI and Students Student Hub Online
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The Green Impact awards ceremony was held Last week (pictured), MC’d by David Hall, chair of the VC’s Sustainability taskforce and Senior Lecturer, to highlight the fantastic work the teams had done and why action at this time is incredibly important. This year we had 7 teams completing an impressive 153 actions. The Kakariki team from AUT’s Libraries took home the top prize this year and is the first team in Green Impact AUT history to win a gold award! Their team made up of around 20 library staff with as many as 90 at one stage or another, achieved a phenomenal amount. To see a highlight from each team visit here!! Stay tuned to see more from each team.
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Something easy you can do...
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Switch your Kiwi Saver to a more ethical fund! Many KiwiSaver funds are invested in companies producing/facilitating fossil fuels, animal testing, sweatshop labour, weapons, palm oil, human rights violations & more. You can choose to invest responsibly and make sure your hard earned savings aren't being used by these companies.
Switching funds is really easy and quick! Click the link below to see what your fund is investing in and find one that is better!
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What's happening in the wider world...
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Vote for Bird of the Year
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Voting is now open for Bird of the Year! You can choose your top 5 NZ birds to vote for and get to know some new species. Bird of the year is run to raise awareness of our native birds, their habitats and the threats they are facing. Check out the birds and cast your vote before the 15th.
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This free, month-long event runs from the 1st to the 30th of November and aims at getting more people walking in Auckland. There are heaps of prizes to be given away to reward walking, in daily, weekly and monthly prize draws. The more you walk, the more 'BetterTickets' you earn and the greater the chance of winning
You can ‘virtually’ walk the Great Walks of NZ and see how many you can complete in the month. You'll be guided through each of the virtual walks with custom messages and images to make you feel as though you are really there. Reach huts, see scenic lookouts and complete the tracks.
To participate this year you just have to download the BetterPoints app and get walking! For more information visit here!
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The sounds of woodlands and forests from all around the world are being collected, creating a growing soundmap bringing together aural tones and textures from the world’s woodlands.
Check out this beautiful map to listen to what the forest sounds like across the world. Everyone is invited to visit your local forest or woodland, and record one minute of the sounds that you hear. If you already have existing recordings of forests then they’d love to hear those too.
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Kaipātiki Project's upcoming events
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Kaipātiki Project is a environmental group based on the North Shore. They have an awesome range of upcoming events, many of which are free of charge.
Love Food Hate Waste - creative cooking
Learn creative new ideas to use up those forgotten ingredients hiding at the back of your fridge, at this free local workshop. Get inspired to love your leftovers again, with tips and hints including how to create mouth-watering chutneys and advice about how to store your fresh food and leftovers, to help them last longer. - 11/11 Mary Thomas Centre, 3 Gibbons Road, Takapuna
Register Here
This Bath Worm Farm Set Up Talk offers an introduction to worm farming. Come and discover how easy it is! Confirmed participants will receive a $40 discount toward the purchase of a composting system that can be redeemed online. This course is proudly supported by Auckland Council and delivered by the Compost Collective - 12/11 17 Lauderdale Road, Birkdale
Register Here
Eco Market at the Point
This Eco Market invites you to come and find out more about the awesome mix of the local community and council green initiatives. Browse the variety of businesses selling their awesome products with a great green story. Or sign up for one of the workshops being run - 14/11 27 Hudson Bay Road, Hobsonville
Register Here
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Fortnightly Species: Kōura/ freshwater crayfish
We have two species of native crayfish in Aotearoa. One is found in the North Island and north west of the South Island and the other along the eastern side of the South Island. They can be seen in native forest (preferred), exotic forest and pastoral waterways. During the day they hide away in underwater caves and gaps in rocks where they are protected from storms, predators and sunlight. At night they come out to hunt small shellfish, crabs, starfish and kina. Kōura are an important traditional food source for Māori and considered a taonga species.
Facts!
- The Kōura is a crustacean as it has a hard shell like skin
- Their shell gets too small as they grow, it eventually splits open and is left behind while the new skin underneath hardens - this is called molting
- They can grow back limbs they have lost through a series of molts
There are many threats to the two species including the removal of native bush, the drainage of wetlands, the introduction of pests to our waterways and eutrophication. What can we do to help? Fence and plant waterways, help to remove pests, always check clean dry your boats/gear before entering a waterway and follow harvest regulations.
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