“Where possible we are opting to use biodiesel as our preferred fuel on more of our vehicle fleet” said Amanda Gatward-Ferguson from Nomad Safaris.

There is now a total of 75 vehicles in the area running on the B20 blend of Biogold with no reported problems.

The current range of vehicle brands successfully using the New Zealand made biodiesel include Toyota, Nissan, Land Rover, Holden, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Hino, Mazda and Ford.

The biodiesel is available to commercial operators who sign up to the Queenstown Lakes Biodiesel Consortium.

The Otago Polytechnic Centre for Sustainable Practice partners with Solscape Eco Retreat in Raglan, New Zealand, to offer the Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Practice and Bachelor of Applied Management.

Participants from the 2011 Manawatu Sustainable Business Programme talk about the benefits to their business. The programme and the nationally recognised qualification from Otago Polytechnic (Certificate in Sustainable Practice) is delivered by award-winning organisation, the Natural Step, supported by the Centre for Sustainable Practice, Vision Manawatu, Palmerston North City Council and UCOL. For more information contact Simon Harvey on 021 808 300.

Part time students from the Centre for Sustainable Practice at Otago Polytechnic reflect on their first year of the Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Practice.

The current facility on Cemetery Road is now pumping over 22,000 litres per month of the fuel made from New Zealand grown rapeseed and used cooking oil.  There are more than 70 vehicles in the district now running on the fuel with more in the pipeline.  Plans are underway to relocate the facility to a much more accessible site – watch this space for updates.

The Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Practice (Level 7) can be studied full-time over one year or three years if part-time. While the programme is based in the Wanaka/Queenstown region, it can be studied from anywhere in New Zealand. As part of your studies you will participate in the development of projects with host organisations which are partners of our Queenstown Lakes Sustainable Business Programmes or another preferred host in your community or business. Support is provided through online material and attending block courses.

Today I am giving a presentation on the Footprint Project at the Otago Polytechnic office in Wanaka. I thought it would be a good opportunity to invite my various friends and acquaintances to hear a bit of background about that ‘project’ that I am working on for two reasons.

One I think it is something that a number of my friends will actually find quite interesting and two, I hope that I can break through that slightly foggy confused but thinking hard look I get when I try to ‘update’ them when they ask about ‘that project’.

I am sure that many people working in specialised fields have a similar experience as I do, when people ask me what they do. I always tend to hesitate, then depending on how well I know the person I assess what level of ‘information entry’ I should download on them, and then I start slowly. Depending on whether they seem interested I would move onto the next bullet point.

- I work for Otago Polytechnic
- We do a range of things but I am involved in a research project
- It is called the NZ Footprint Project, it is about the amount of stuff people use and some of the effects that stuff has on their community and environment
- We work with communities on the amount of stuff they use and how a lot of that stuff is getting more expensive. How will this impact them in the future and how can they plan so that we can continue to have healthy wealthy lifestyles

If I have managed to get this far the person is either thinking about dinner, a little lost or I have completely underestimated how much they know about sustainable pratice or they ask some interesting questions.

So if you are interested in how I am proposing to share what I do with my friends, you can look through my presentation on Prezie and I also hope to put the video link up some time soon.

There are further YouTube videos and interviews to come; I am particularly looking forward to a short piece created by Tarras Primary years 4-6 students who have been thinking about the project over the last 6 weeks. They look forward to sharing their thoughts with you.

The Mirror: Ecological Footprints in focus 06.05.11

Wanaka Sun _ Your Footprint May 11

Scoop: Ecological Footprint of Kiwi Lifestyles Under the Microscope

NZ News UK: Ecological Footprint of Kiwi Lifestyles Under the Microscope

Stuff:Kiwis-eco-bling-not-

Thank you to the hundred or so people who have already taken part in the footprinting questionnaire carried out in Tarras, Cromwell, Waiheke and Waitakere. The team is planning to continue interviews in Tarras, Waitakere, Mangere and Otara in the coming months.

In each community a slightly different outreach approach was explored. In whilst in Tarras and Cromwell individuals were invited to take part through a one-on-one interview, in the Waiheke a Saturday workshop was held. The project team have made a concerted effort to meet individuals where they will feel most comfortable.

The project team has been thrilled at the positive response from these communities and the interest generated regarding the Footprint project. My personal reflection is one of excitement, of the opportunity to meet with so many members of these communities on a personal level and understand their thoughts, concerns and hopes for the future of their communities. Thank you for sharing.

From here the team has the major undertaking of calculating both the individual and communities footprints. We hope these will be finished by October/November this year and we can come back to these communities with a better understanding of your baseline resource use, the ‘big hitter’ areas of resources use whether it be transport, food or household energy. Community individuals and groups will be invited to workshops which will provide an opportunity for the community to discuss current and future impacts of resource scarcity. We look forward to seeing you there.

Steve Henry, Director of Otago Polytechnic Centre for Sustainable Practice, opens the inaugural Showcasing Sustainable Practice Expo at Queenstown’s Memorial Hall on Friday 5th November 2010.