Issue #1: Welcome to the Climate Club!
Our first issue!
Welcome to the first issue of the Climate Club, a newsletter for anyone who’s ever wanted to do something about climate change. We're volunteers across a variety of climate organisations, who want to make it easier for anyone who cares about climate change to take meaningful action each week.
So... Here goes!
What can you do today?
🐝 If you have 5 minutes: sign above the dotted line
Sign Greenpeace's campaign for the right to repair. Product stewardship is important as it limits the environmental harm of each product we buy.
Call for all new fossil fuel boilers to be banned in our schools by signing 350.org.nz’s open letter to Jacinda Ardern. Currently, over 900 schools and over 450 hospitals burn coal, oil, or gas for heating. This is a major risk to the health of our climate and our communities.
🐇 If you have 15 minutes: move your pen and pension!
✈️ Submissions on the Civil Aviation Bill close this Thursday, 2 December. Even in a climate emergency, airport companies are planning to open new airports, expand existing ones, and increase passenger numbers - and this Bill does nothing to stop them.
Use this Quick Submission Guide, or write your own to call for this Bill to include strong climate measures.
💸 Make your money move mountains! If you currently have a Kiwisaver account, there’s a possibility that your hard-earned savings are being invested in fossil fuel companies. The default Kiwisaver providers now do not fund any company involved in the exploration or extraction of coal, oil, and gas, but many still fund companies involved in manufacturing and refining fossil fuels.
Check to see what companies your Kiwisaver is invested in, and find a fund that fits your values using Mindful Money’s quick guide.
💃🏽 If you have 30 minutes to 1 hour: take out the trash
Aotearoa is one of the highest generators of municipal waste per capita in the world. In 2018, we sent 781 kg of waste to landfill per person on average, which is much higher than the OECD average of 538 kg per capita (~70% of our waste!). This means that more than ever, how we take responsibility for this waste really matters.
The Ministry for the Environment has a consultation open for a new national waste strategy, open for submission until December 10. The Zero Waste Network has put together a quick guide for submission, a detailed guide, and a full submission. Use the Zero Waste Network guide to make your own submission.
That’s all for today, folks 👋🏽 Thanks for taking action. Enjoy this picture of neighbourhood cat Sadie knowing that her modelling career is only just beginning.
This is our first version and we’d love your feedback. The survey should take about 5-10 minutes and can be found here. Or please reply to this email saying what you liked or would improve!
See you next week,
Dhanya, Emily, and Jenny from the Climate Club