In July's Sustainability Trust workshop for kids, participants will think about local ecosystems, and how they can give our native birds and insects a helping hand in the backyard. By repurposing 'waste' materials, participants will help reduce waste as they construct their very own bird feeder or bee hotel to take home and put to good use. So join us on Saturday July 25th, 2pm. Cost is $5 per child. Register for this workshop here.

C'mon folks - let's cut the crap! Plastic lasts forever, so July's mission is to refuse all single-use plastic:plastic bags, take away cups, straws, pre-wrapped fruit and veges. Let's push our comfort zones, and do the right thing for, y'know, life on earth.

When you sign up to Plastic Free July you'll be emailed ideas, tips and recipes each week in July. Why not sign up your whole family or workplace?!

If you, or someone you know lives in the Hutt Valley, needs living-room curtains and has a Community Services Card, our Curtain Bank will be based at Great Start Taita from July the 21^st.

As well as living room curtains, we can also provide curtains for the bedrooms of children, the elderly, and people with a housing-related health condition like asthma, eczema, or bronchitis. So download your Window Measurement Form, fill it in, and return it to Great Start Taita by the 3^rd of August. Your lined, properly fitted curtains will be ready to pick up in about 4 weeks.

And if you'd like to support the important work of Wellington Curtain Bank, you can make a donation here, or bring us your pre-loved curtains.

Are you a typical NZer, who only heats one room in the house? Do you set land-speed records for trips to the icy-cold kitchen in the evening? Us stoic New Zealanders often only heat one room in the home, but going from hot to cold environments inside the home isn't fun, and isn't healthy either.

The good news is that central heating technology is getting pretty advanced in New Zealand, and Ducted Heat Pumps offer up to 400% energy efficiency. For every $1 put in, you get 4 x the heat output of many other central heating systems, so having a warm dry home will not break the bank each month. If you want to find out more about central heating options, give our Home Assessment team a call: 0508 78 78 24, or go here.

Our Education Team have developed an exciting new DIY workshop 'Make your own Bee Hotel'.

One third of everything we eat is pollinated by bees. But, bee numbers are declining because of pesticides, pollution, habitat loss, introduced species, and disease. Making a ‘hotel’ for pollinating insects is a great way to help our backyard bees!

If you'd like to make your backyard a thriving haven for New Zealand's native bees (which rarely sting) and other insects make an online workshop enquiry here. 

How can we ensure access to fresh and healthy food for everyone in the region - now and into the future?

Individuals, community organisations, businesses, and local authorities are coming together this year to help create a food resilient Wellington Region.

If you're keen to find out more, and get involved, the Hui has such topics on the agenda as: resilient food systems, access to fresh and healthy food, intro to open space, food for families in need and, um, speed dating for foodies! Find out more, and register here!

Don't like waking up to a cold bedroom? Make getting out of bed a happier occasion with our top-of-the line Tatou radiant heater. All electric heaters (except heat pumps) are equally efficient, but what makes Tatous stand out is their built-in energy usage indicator, a sensitive thermostat, a motion, light, and draft sensor, and pre-set programmes. All these extras mean that you can use them with precise control, which will reduce your energy costs. Tatous come in three sizes and are available now at our EcoShop. We ship nationwide, so you can be toasty wherever you live.