There are, it would seem, 2 ways to encourage environmental awareness, and not one reason why the two cannot be applied synchronously.
The first is bottom up, start introducing ideas at the everyday level, e.g. supermarkets stop giving away shopping bags and sell more durable reusable bags, offering incentives to those who bring there own bags.
The second is top down, Making the big changes, large scale, high end retail and commerce instigating the trend of ecologically friendly thought.
I have been sceptical of New Zealands efforts to improve our care for the environment, because we are already seen as a green country, there is little incentive to augment this care. Yet we still hand out those wretched plastic shopping bags (scourge of the earth) willy nilly, this is such a simple thing to change. Though recently I have noticed that NZ is starting to make the big changes.
The big news is of the 10 year moratorium on coal power stations, a government initiated project that will have dramatic positive outcome on New Zealand carbon emissions and sets a brave example for other countries.
I recently sent a nasty email to AirNZ demanding why it was they had no information about what measures the company was taking to reduce carbon emissions not even a link to a carbon offset website. Upon reply the very well mannered manager of something or other pointed out that, actually information about Airnz proposed environmental measures could be found on the website (www.airnz.co.nz > menu item ‘about’ > drop down to ‘environment’ I guess I didn’t look too hard) its worth a read, though some of it is a bit marketing fluff-esq (this sort of statement grates a little “Planes account for 2% of global CO2 emissions and at current rates of growth will account for 3% of global CO2 emissions by 2050*, yet the aviation industry supports 8% of global economic activity. That means that the industry’s impact on the environment is disproportionately small compared to the difference we make” .
Though marketing fluff gripes aside the airline is really doing some very active changing as seen in such Treehugger articles as Jumbos Landing in ‘Idle’ – Saving Fuel Through Gliding Descent and Air New Zealand Biofuelling Through The High Skies .
In the world of fashion ecologically ethical boutiques are appearing for example: Organic EcoWool (and … shhh, Possumdown) and Spangled Ferret – Earth Concious Fashion from New Zealand
Boutique beer takes a stride in the organic direction: Green Man: New Zealand’s Organic, Vegan Beer and Founders organic vegan environmentally conscious beer which is my favourite beer in the whole world.
Lets keep the momentum going, and hope the effect trickles down, seriously , I can’t stand the sight of those plastic shopping bags.
When I looked into it I realised NZ has a pretty bad record on the environment. I’m not really talking about the decimated forests and introduced species, more the use of energy and pollution per head.
The reliance on the car due to lack of density for public transport is a problem. As is building homes with terrible insulation, burning trees for heating (more a South Island thing?), discharging raw sewage into the sea, pesticides and fertilisers getting into the food chain etc…
My dad is convinced the only way NZ can reduce its reliance on non-renewable energy is to go nuclear. Now that would be one hell of a turn-around.