Building a bigger traffic jam – My thoughts on the State Highway 1 changes
If we're serious about solving traffic, this ain't the way to do it.
Latest
Eliminating contrails from flying could be incredibly cheap
Something I didn't realise until recently was that half of the warming impact of the world's flights comes from non-CO2 related activity.
Taking the train from Wellington to Auckland
Rail travel has this old-timey feeling in many parts of New Zealand. Our iconic towns like Shannon and Ohakune owe their existence to their rail connections, yet travelling on tracks rather than tyres or wings feels nostalgic rather than realistic. Despite that feeling, millions of journeys are taken on our
Group to lodge fast track consent bid for axed Lake Onslow hydro project
It'll be interesting to see whether it gets off the ground.
This government’s legacy for transport in Auckland
A must read article from Connor Sharp, writing for Greater Auckland: ...this government is funnelling millions of dollars to consultants to design frankly unaffordable billion-dollar mega-motorways. Meanwhile, a struggling construction sector faces the ongoing collapse of the pipeline of smaller, smarter projects. This is due largely to one person: Simeon
How our home joined the climate fight
The house you buy can make low pollution life the easiest (and most fun!) option.
Now you’re cooking with magnets
A few weeks ago, we rocked up to our friends' new place. The crew brought kai, congratulated them on the move, gave big hugs, got the tour. For weeks, my friend and I had been planning to conduct an experiment. Immediately after exploring their new place, I asked "
The Coalition is trashing our climate targets
No wonder they published this shameful announcement on a Sunday.
How to buy a home in a warming world
Buying a home is one of the biggest choices you’ll ever make. Bundled in that one decision is a thousand factors that define your life. Your community, your bills, and who you’ll depend on in an emergency. In a changing climate, house buying comes with new risks. Climate
Spending Saturday at Electrify the Hutt
There is a lot of bill slashing technology. Everything was on show at Electrify the Hutt.
Fossil free flats – why renters deserve cheap energy
Two of my friends rented a flat in Wellington that runs off gas. It cost them a fortune every month. Their energy bills became so expensive that they had to move. They're not alone in feeling the pinch of rising energy prices. The price of power and gas
Australia has more ambitious climate targets than Aotearoa
RNZ, with a byline-less AP report: Australia has pledged to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 62 to 70 percent from 2005 levels over the next decade, after warnings that homes and livelihoods are under threat. "We listen to the science and we act in Australia's national interest,
transport
National ticketing solution delayed
Nick James, reporting for RNZ: The $1.4 billion national ticketing solution (NTS) has been delayed by a year with a review finding NZTA's original timings for the plan were "overly ambitious". The revised national rollout plan for the NTS would be finalised later this month.
politics
Your ultimate Wellington climate voting guide
Local elections have begun! On Wednesdays we wear pink, and from now until 11 October, we vote. Voting should be as simple as sitting down with a hot drink and ranking the people vying for power. It can be daunting, though. Especially if you don't know what people
city
Schools can be the front line of climate action
Schools have been on my mind recently. Our kura (schools) are one of the few community institutions left in Aotearoa New Zealand. There aren’t many other places where people from all backgrounds interact regularly. Since schools touch everyone’s lives, they have the power to change our behaviours through
transport
Transforming Wellington’s train tracks
Add a train, not a lane.
food
Kaicycle ends its HotRot project
This news has got me thinking about a few things.
transport
Electric bikes and mopeds are cutting oil demand
Electric cars matter a lot for electrifying the economy. But don’t sneeze at the power of the humble electric bike.
food
How Vonuts is modernising our food traditions
This comfy pastel pink vegan donut shop is a fantastic example of how to connect our family’s food traditions, our memories and culture, to a low pollution food system fit for the future.
energy
New York becomes first state to commit to all-electric new buildings
This is a common sense way to future proof our housing stock. Wellington should follow suit.
politics
The race to become an electrostate
“Petrol prices soar” is a surefire way to catch our attention. What if it lost its power over us?
Rowan's musings on plastics
My friend Rowan, on their newsletter: Why are we asking normal people to try and give up a cheap, lightweight, extremely useful material that everyone would rather pay less to use, when the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions are entirely different? Rowan is writing on their newsletter and it
politics
Luxon risks a broken promise on pollution
The Government has received an early warning signal to improve its pollution plan. Will they keep their promise to cut pollution?
quick post
Marc Daalder's expert analysis on last night's oil and gas move
Marc Daalder, writing for Newsroom: It is clinging to the past – like trying to renew confidence in DVDs in the age of digital streaming, or insisting in the 1930s we all go back to the horse-and-buggy. ... The best-case scenario for the oil and gas legislation passed on Thursday is that,