Sustainability Options

24/06/2026

Check out our 20 Degrees page for more information on our healthy homes mahi! We share upcoming community workshops, healthy home tips, whānau stories and more on this page. 💚

23/06/2026

🍩✨ A night of resisting delicious donuts… and sharing healthy home tips!

Last week our kaimahi Jo and Angela joined Lucy and Kim from Unison at the Rotorua Night Market, surrounded by kai, live music, and whānau.

It was an awesome chance for us to kōrero with the community about warm, dry, healthy homes and simple energy saving tips to help whānau stay cosy this winter. ❄️💛

Unison brought the fun with an interactive quiz and cool prizes, which drew people in, giving us the perfect opportunity to encourage whānau to sign up for free home assessments. 🏡

A huge thanks to Unison for their ongoing support of the 20 Degrees collaborative programme. Your awhi helps us reach more whānau across the rohe. 🙌

23/06/2026

“The plopping sound of raindrops falling from the branches into my hot cup of soup is a resounding memory of my first night spent in the ngahere/bush listening for kiwi calls.” 🌿

Check out Jo's blog, where she writes about her experience of spending time in the ngahere listening for kiwi calls, for the Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust survey. An experience that led to a deeper connection with herself, others, and nature.💚👇

The plopping sound of raindrops falling from the branches into my hot cup of soup is a resounding memory of my first night spent in the ngahere/bush listening for kiwi calls. We didn’t hear any on Sat

19/06/2026

What if businesses treated nature as a shareholder, with real rights, real representation, and a real share of the profits? 🌱💼

In our latest episode, we sit down with Manu Caddie - an entrepreneur, activist, academic, and all round systems shifter - who’s doing exactly that.

Manu shares how he’s created legal entities for indigenous organisms, ensuring a portion of profits flows back to the ecosystems that support us. It’s bold, inspiring, and challenges what we think we know about business.

We cover a lot of ground in this kōrero…
🍄 Mushrooms at board tables
⚖️ Legal structures that give nature a voice
🌏 Why trust and community are essential
💚 How business can be intentionally designed around ecological wellbeing.

This one will stretch your thinking in the best possible way.

🎧 Tune in: so.org.nz/our-podcast

18/06/2026

📢 Reminder: our GreenDrinks event is coming up soon - next week Thursday🥂

If you haven't already, please register through Humanitix, at: https://tinyurl.com/3a5k7fvn

We hope to see you then!

A special FREE GreenDrinks event coming up, this June! ✨

Dr Katherine Trebeck, co-founder of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand and Programme Director - Economy for The Next Economy, and Gareth Hughes, Director of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa will be joining us online at the Basestation venue to discuss 'what is a wellbeing economy.' 🌏

The work both Katherine and Gareth are involved in, and in many cases leading, is fundamental in changing the way we think about our economies and what they are here to do. They are both exceptional speakers, able to convey very complex messages in clear and relatable ways.

Thanks to Basestation, this session will be interactive, with Katherine and Gareth able to take a few questions after they've spoken. Following their session, we'll share with you the second series of the Sustainability Options podcast, featuring Katherine and Gareth as well as a range of locals, committed to shifting our economies into models fit for purpose and for the future.

Please register through Humanitix following this link:
https://events.humanitix.com/green-drinks-sevhyufl

📅 25th June, 2026
🕠 5.30pm - 7pm
📍Basestation, 148 Durham St, Tauranga, downstairs in the basement.

Thanks as always to our Green Drinks sponsors, Basestation, Vitality Kitchen - Tauranga and Zeden Cider Co.. We appreciate & 💚 you!

17/06/2026

Kiwis are throwing away $3 Billion worth of food every year…😵

One of our kaimahi, Anna, recently participated in Envirohub Bay of Plenty’s ‘Love your Kai/Every Bite’ Program.

This was a great opportunity to learn about reducing avoidable food waste. 🥦 The highlights included:
-Learning more about the problem of food waste 🗑️
-Understanding more about food waste behaviours
-A challenge to keep a Weekly Food Waste Diary 📖

We encourage you to learn more about food waste, and how you can do your part, by scrolling through the below images. 👇

There is also a collection of community groups and things happening within the Bay of Plenty you can take part in – follow the links below to find out more information! 😀

https://tinyurl.com/67b77uv
https://tinyurl.com/35rduth7

13/06/2026

“It can be easy to get caught up in our own lives, the here and now.

Many people live their lives at a million miles an hour, ticking off an endless to do list and making decisions based on convenience.

But how often do we think about the world we are leaving behind? Today’s children, their children and their children’s children will be inheriting this world. Are we happy with what we’ll be leaving them?”🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒🌏

Check out our latest blog, written by our kaimahi Amy, who shares a bit about the sustainability workshops she has delivered over the last 5 years. 👇

It can be easy to get caught up in our own lives, the here and now. Many people live their lives at a million miles an hour, ticking off an endless to do list and making decisions based on convenience

12/06/2026

How are politics, the economy, and the environment shaping the future our young people will inherit? 🌏💭

In this week’s episode, we sit down with 17-year-old Mount Maunganui college student Jem Dougal. He is both politically active and incredibly grounded.
He shares his experience of being a taxpayer who has no voice when it comes to what this country invests in.

He talks about his future, clouded by AI 🤖 and environmental concerns 🌿— yet somehow stays optimistic in his well-considered views.

Join us for this very provocative discussion.
🎧Tune in at so.org.nz/our-podcast

10/06/2026

Go team - well done! 💚

Some of our awesome kaimahi have been out in the ngahere taking part in GRŌKS – the Great Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Survey, a rare and very special opportunity to support kiwi conservation in our own backyard. This survey was conducted by the Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust.

They were rallied together by our very own Anna, whose passion for protecting the environment is absolutely contagious.

Together, the volunteers headed out to kiwi listening points across the forest, tuning in to the night and documenting heard kiwi calls. These recordings help build a clearer picture of local kiwi populations — including those without transmitters — and contribute to long-term conservation planning.

The last official survey was 25 years ago, so this mahi is a rare chance to be part of a large-scale effort to understand how our precious kiwi are doing and where they’re living.

Anna says that, “being in the ngahere at night to listen for kiwi was truly a beautiful experience. I am amazed by the dedication of the volunteers that took part in this survey - over 100 people chose to spend their evening(s) out in the bush to help with this research!”

We’re so proud of our team for giving their time and energy to support environmental sustainability and the wellbeing of our taiao. Ka rawe! 🌿