Sustainable Living evening courses
and introductory workshop sessions

A selection of 2008 Sustainable Living study groups and classes, across NZ:

Find out how you can do your bit for the planet and for future generations of New Zealanders.
Become 'part of the solution' with your new practical skills, relevant knowledge and new friends. soon we will also have course information available sorted by region on the Sustainable Living website. The national list of courses below is A-Z by placename.

These community education classes feature discussion, hands-on learning methods, and well-researched notes, with much that is additional to the material available as PDFs on this site. Action leaders or study tutors are helped by a 'facilitators guide' and reference information resources, published for them on CD, plus regional training events, telephone and email support from the national coordinator at 03 960 2656. To make enquiries or register interest in learning or in tutoring if you have elevant experience, email to us from our Registration Page.

AUCKLAND region
Waitakere City hold five session Sustainable Living courses, at two levels. Level 1 courses include eco-gardening, water, energy, waste and shopping. Level 2 includes sustainable building and building materials, composting, water re-use and recycling, transport and travel plans, and more, to suit participants' needs. $45 fee for each of these courses: contact Michelle Dawson michelle.dawson(at)waitakere.govt.nz (a new contact name expected after April 2008). Additional courses offered in Mandarin language. Website: Waitakere workshops
Additional workshops are held on related topics at the Sustainable Living Centre, New Lynn.

Course at Selwyn College starts Wed 30 July, 7 to 9 pm with Melanie Voyce, fee $65 .

Course being planned by Waiheke High School community education for September: Three evening classes and a Saturday field trip to the Awaawaroa eco village.
Contact Lynne Stewart at 09 372 6417 Email: enquiries(at)waihekecommed.co.nz

Auckland Regional Council re-joined the programme as this approach and website information complements their email information service through 'The Big Clean Up', already delivered to 44,000 residents. Regional council staff contact with our programme is Viv Sherwood. Auckland City joined the Programme in July 2008 - your contact there is the EcoBuilding Advisor: Eion Scott.

In North Shore, A daytime course 'Sustainable living: the Concepts' ran in April for five Tuesdays at Kaipatiki Project  17 Lauderdale Road, Birkenhead. This course had a strong permaculture component. For future courses contact Rosie 09 482 1172  secretary(at)kaipatiki.org.nz .  The NS City Council has featured Sustainable Living themes at the Home Show - some quick reference leaflets summarising previous information from the Programme are available on their website.

BAY OF PLENTY region
Weekend programme in Katikati at the Community Resource Centre, 19th-20th April 2008. enquiries to 07 549 0399 ace(at)katikatiresource.co.nz

In Tauranga , from Tuesday 13 May until July 2, for 8 Sustainable Living evening course $45, register early with Rose at the Tauranga Environment Centre, 12 Elizabeth Street: 07 578 6664 tgaec(at)xtra.co.nz Website: www.tgaenvcentre.org.nz
Another series runs in Tauranga from 29 July to September. Full programme of Sustainable Backyard events in Tauranga during March 2008 at their website (download PDF)

Courses run by EastBay REAP in Whakatane and by others at Rotorua: enquiries to Andrea Mills, email Andrea.Mills(at)envbop.govt.nz or phone 0800 368 267 ext.8152.
There's more information available on the Environment Bay of Plenty website

BLENHEIM
Workshops on different topics selected from within the Programme such as 27 May Organic Edible Gardens, plus events on 5 June for World Environment Day including promotion of a Sustainable Living course. Also links with Enviroschools. Contact Annie McDonald at Marlborough District Council offices 03 520 7400 for news of future sessions. Email: annie.mcdonald(at)marlborough.govt.nz

CANTERBURY
Christchurch Sustainable Living evening classes in 2008 include:
February (completed) 'Introduction to Sustainable Living' at Papanui High School (future course enquiries there: Anita or Barbara 03 352 0701 Email: AT(at)papanui.school.nz )

DUNEDIN
Evening courses to help people put sustainability ideas into practice are under way at Logan Park High School and at Warrington Primary School. In Term 2, the courses are at Opoho Primary School for local residents from Tues 6 May, 10am to 12pm; at Logan Park again from Tues 6 May 7pm to 9pm; in-house at the City Council for staff from Weds 7 May at lunchtimes; and at Halfway Bush Primary School for local residents from Weds 7 May 7pm to 9pm. Admission by donation - suggested range $25 to $35. More courses in Term 3.

GISBORNE
Eight week course starts 14 May, 7.30pm, held at the Rethink Centre, next to AllBrites, Innes Street, Gisborne. Fee $20 and a useful reward offered for attending all the classes! Register with name and phone number with Anne 867 2049 ext 8635 or Email: anne(at)gdc.govt.nz  Limited places.
An in-house course is running at the District Council. Enquiries: Anne Lister anne(at)gdc.govt.nz

HAMILTON -see waikato, below.

HASTINGS, NAPIER & Hawkes Bay region.
Sustaining Hawke's Bay Trust running Sustainable Living Courses at
Havelock North High School from 15 May 7pm start, William Colenso College Napier from 13 May 7pm start , Waipukurau from 14 May 7pm.
Please contact Marion at the Environment Centre Hawkes Bay for more information or to enrol, on 06 870 4942 Email: info(at)shbt.org.nz
The Sustaining Hawke's Bay Trust also provides tailored in-house seminars and courses on Sustainable Living for community groups and businesses.

KAPITI COAST
Sustainable Living offered from February at Otaki College and planned again in Term 3 . $45 for series - enrol through Brian 06 364 8204 brian.stewart(at)paradise.net.nz  The Kapiti WEA at Waikanae also offering a course from April: 04 2938677

Marlborough - see BLENHEIM above.

NELSON
Sustainable Living course at Nayland College ran from Feb for 7 sessions and a series of evenings at Victory Community Health Centre from March: those coming up are 7 April (shopping), and 14 April (energy and travel) organised by Nelson Environment Centre and the City Council: to book contact Karen Lee 03 546 0339  Next Nayland College course proposed from Weds 14 May (might be re-scheduled) for 7 sessions, fee $30 - book via school.  Our display will be on view at Nelson EcoFest 16-17 August.

OTAGO
Central Otago REAP offer daytime and evening workshops from 4 March at 17a Brandon Street, Alexandra, next one on Building topic from 1pm 28 June.. Details from Clair Higginson at REAP in Alexandra 03 448 6115 or 0800 267 327. Email: sustainability(at)coreap.org.nz

Wanaka - series at Mt.Aspiring College. learn(at)mtaspsiring.school.nz   Pay per session at the door. Organised with help from Wanaka Wastebusters 03 443 8606 (Sophie).

Queenstown -   May 7 and repeated May 10 morning on Energy, Construction and Water, and afternoon on Waste, Shopping and Travel. Come for half or whole day, $5, no need to pre-register. Also 14 May and repeated 17 May: morning on composting and  afternoon on building raised garden beds. Learn hands-on at the Disability Resource Centre, 29/59 George Road Retail centre! Details from Wanaka Wastebusters 03 443 8606 ext3.

For Dunedin see listing above.

PALMERSTON NORTH
Sustainable Living evening course ran from 13 February for 8 sessions $60 at Awapuni Sustainable Development Centre, organised by Queen Elizabeth College ACE. Bookings: 06 359 1592 nightschool(at)qec.school.nz Course repeated from 30th July 2008.

SOUTHLAND
Environment Southland (Southand Regional Council) is a partner in the programme.

Sustainable Living courses in the wider Southland region are coordinated through Southern REAP.
Previous courses have been offered at Gore, Riverton and recently Te Anau (8 April well attended on Sustainable Building, and 15 April Recycling and Shopping) and Winton (4 May, Composting).


Sustainable Living course on Wednesday evenings at Aurora College, Invercargill, starting 7 May, 7 to 9pm, nine weeks, $45. Enrol: Annette Little 03 211 6040  Email: alittle(at)auroracollege.school.nz

For future Southland locations, contact Ilana at Environment Southland 0800 768845 or Southern REAP, Winton on 0800 111 117 or 03 236 6008  Email: enquiries(at)reap.co.nz

Additional courses from South Coast Environment Centre. Full 8 session sustainable living course at Riverton proposed for winter 2008. Email enquiries Robyn: office(at)sces.org.nz

TARANAKI
Taranaki Environment Centre run related sustainable living workshops plus permaculture courses at 20 Kauri Street, Inglewood, Tel 756 8229. Contact Nellie, email: info(at)environaki.co.nz    Our posters were on display at the 5th April Eco Fair in New Plymouth

TASMAN
Courses planned for Richmond, Motueka and Murchison. Contact jeremy.butler(at) tdc.govt.nz

WAIKATO
Environment Waikato is running a course 'in house' for its Hamilton staff soon - Barnaby Smith has details.  Hamilton Environment Centre and Wintec are running a 7 week course from 6 May. Enquiries to Kathryn, Email: envirocentre(at)paradise.net.nz

WAIRARAPA
The three Districts of the Wairarapa: Carterton, Masterton and South Wairarapa work on this programme together. Their education partner is REAP. Enquiries to Wendel Richardson at REAP 06 377 1379 wendel.richardson(at)waireap.org.nz or to Cr. Chris Petersen 06 3789163

Waitakere - see Auckland, above.

WEST COAST
Greymouth High School hosted a Sustainable Living course last year. Enquiries on future courses to Erena Jarden, ACE coordinator, 03 768 0472 ext 821 jardene(at)greyhigh.school.nz
Future West Coast course requests to James Palmer 03 762 5111 Jamesp(at)wcrc.govt.nz

WELLINGTON
Wellington High School's Sustainable Household evening courses offered from 28 February (undersubscribed), and again from 16 October, each for 6 weeks. Details at www.cecwellington.ac.nz 04 385 8919. book: Robyn 04 385 8919 cec(at)whs.school.nz

Perhaps no course activity is listed yet in your home area of NZ?
24 councils are already members of the Sustainable Living programme - see our 'about' page for the list of partners. If you think your city, region or district council in New Zealand might be interested to join the programme, read these subscriber notes (pdf file), and discuss the idea with councillors and officers. After that, you or the Council staff can get in touch with the national coordinator (contact details on those subscriber notes, or phone Rhys Taylor direct on 03 960 2656).

A study of our participants made in collaboration with Landcare Research Ltd, funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, shows real impacts of the Programme on 'behaviour change towards sustainability'. Read the latest comparative research, 2007. An additional paper is available to researchers from the National Coordinator, as accepted for international web-journal publication at Innovation in early 2008.

Secondary school use in Canterbury: Some of the materials have been trialled within the secondary school social sciences curriculum, at Unlimited – an innovative high school based in central Christchurch – and previously at Christchurch Girls High School working within the Science and Geography curriculum. A case study about the trial at CGHS is available here: download school case study (pdf file 151Kb)

Little River hosted one of the first rural study groups using a Sustainable Living Programme CD to run their own programme, learning about the topics without a tutor. A group of up to 16 women, plus some of their pre-school children, met in members’ homes on a weekday morning to discuss the topics, making use of the notes and sharing their experience of taking action. They are reducing waste, increasing compost-making and gardening. They have also looked at energy and buildings, and at potential car-pooling. They recommend the experience to other rural groups.