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Earth Hour 2010 Free Event
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In 2009 hundreds of millions of people around the world showed their support by turning off their lights for one hour.
Earth Hour 2010 will continue to be a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community. A call to stand up, to show leadership and be responsible for our future.
At 8.30pm on Saturday March 27th 2010, Auckland City along with cities and towns in New Zealand and across the world will turn off their lights for one hour. The purpose, to send a powerful global message that together we can take action on climate change.
Heart of Auckland City, CEO Alex Swney says that by participating in Earth Hour 2010, Auckland City businesses and residents can show their support for this global cause by taking action en masse and reducing the carbon emissions of our city.
“New Zealand will be the first country in the world to turn off their lights for Earth Hour 2010. With all eyes on Auckland City, we have the opportunity to set the benchmark for participation worldwide” says Swney.
To celebrate Earth Hour, from 7:30pm Saturday March 27th, Green Carbon will be working with Heart of the City to offset the carbon emissions for a free Earth Hour event at Takutai Lawn in Britomart.
The free event will have live entertainment and will be a gathering point in Auckland City to view the Sky Tower lighting display and watch Auckland plunge into darkness.
Come join like minded people for a fun night of music, entertainment and awareness.
To find out more as to what Earth Hour is please click here. |
Green Carbon and Trelise Cooper partner to do “Green Business”
 The two well-known Kiwi entrepreneurs met early in 2008 and embarked on a journey to measure and manage Cooper’s business emissions. “It’s been a pleasure working with Seeby Woodhouse and his team to make steps towards developing an eco-friendly business. When I read about Green Carbon and its initiatives to help businesses address their environmental responsibility I felt it aligned with my own passion to help the environment,” says Cooper.
Green Carbon surveyed the Trelise Cooper business, calculating carbon emissions from the Trelise Cooper head office and all New Zealand retail outlets thus reaching the Green Carbon Certified – “Carbon Friendly” status. To date 131 Tonnes worth of New Zealand Landfill Carbon Credits have been purchased by the Cooper business and are retired on the Markit Environmental Registry.
Director and founder of Green Carbon Seeby Woodhouse was delighted to work with Cooper on this worthwhile project. “It was a pleasure to work with one of New Zealand’s top designers and businesswoman. It was evident right from the start that Trelise had a genuine passion to play her own part in helping to protect the environment. Her follow through to offsetting her greenhouse gas emissions and her previous involvement with the Trelise Cooper Eco Bag is a testament to this. We plan to continue working with the Trelise Cooper team into 2010 and beyond,” he says. “We’re also seeing more and more evidence of consumers paying attention to the eco values and transparency of a business or product.” says Woodhouse. According to a report conducted by Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), almost 90% of the U.S. population state that it is important for companies to be mindful of their impact on the environment and society. While just over 70% of consumers indicate that knowing a company is mindful of their impact on the environment and society makes them more likely to buy their products or services. A further eco initiative for Trelise Cooper is the release of her third eco shopping bag design for Progressive Enterprises. The eco bag is launching in supermarkets nationwide this week following fantastic responses to previous designs. Green Carbon continues to work with a number of Kiwi businesses promoting a low carbon economy through the reduction and offsetting of carbon footprints. Woodhouse hopes to see more companies becoming part of the solution to climate change and minimising harmful greenhouse gas emissions. |
Still a Climate Change Skeptic?
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Click here to see a scientists view on global warming portrayed in a way everyone can understand. This clip deals with the fact that we should not be debating whether global warming is real or not, but with the risk management strategies we should be taking, regardless what the outcome may be! |
www.eventfinder.co.nz
 "Eventfinder is proud to have taken the first step in understanding the adverse effects our business operations have on the environment. It is important for us to see what we are doing and put in place management systems to try and reduce these effects. Here at Eventfinder we plan to build in the near future a facility to enable all events listed with us the opportunity to help the environment. This can be done by measuring, managing, and mitigating their carbon footprint through Green Carbon's reputable certification scheme, thus spreading the message of sustainability to the wider community. We're very excited to be able to play our part in the world wide journey of climate change." - James McGlinn, CTO. As people congregate to events; emissions will arise from the use of petrol. While people are at events; emissions will arise from consumption of electricity and waste. Want to do something about this? Irrespective of size, Green Carbon can help reverse adverse effects to the environment simply, easily, and cost efficiently for you.
We here at Green Carbon look forward to some of the exciting new opportunities that shall arise through this close business relationship. |
2009-08-11 Commerce Commission: Guidelines for Carbon Claims
The Commerce Commission has this week released the final version of the 'Guidelines for Carbon Claims' as it relates to the Fair Trading Act. A draft version was issued earlier in the year as a way to seek consultation from the industry and the wider public. We are happy to see that some of our input & recommendations have been taken into consideration within the final version. We recommend any business or person considering undergoing any carbon management or certification programme to understand these guidelines. The document can be downloaded from the Commerce Commission website here. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us. |
World’s largest Forestry AAU Transaction– 520,000 Forestry AAUs SOLD!
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The world’s largest transaction to date involving a purchase and sale of forestry AAUs from New Zealand has just taken place. This is also the first purchase of forestry AAUs from New Zealand by a European Buyer. A European Buyer has purchased approximately 520,000 forestry AAUs from the New Zealand forestry company, Ernslaw One Limited. The AAUs have been awarded under New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) where they were awarded as NZUs which have now been converted into AAUs. While the Scheme is currently under review forestry owners have already received units and been part of the NZ ETS since 2008. With the domestic market in New Zealand in a state of uncertainty, forestry owners in New Zealand are starting to look offshore to monetise their forestry AAUs. The deal was advised by New Zealand carbon brokerage company Carbon Market Solutions Ltd who have a successful track record in advising large carbon credit transactions from New Zealand. The particular transaction is significant because it shows that there is a demand for high quality New Zealand forestry AAUs from international buyers demonstrating that the NZ ETS provides a transparent and accountable system for forestry projects, with long-term commitments and liabilities for the forest owners, which helps to ensure the environmental integrity of the AAUs. Ernslaw One Limited is one of the largest owners of private Kyoto compliant forest in New Zealand, having undertaken afforestation projects to establish 27,780 stocked hectares of which approximately 11,000 hectares are planted in longer rotation Douglas-fir, the balance being in radiate pine. All the forests owned by Ernslaw One Ltd are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and independently audited. Thomas Song, Managing Director of Ernslaw One Limited said "We are delighted to have been able to conclude this deal. This deal demonstrates that there is significant interest internationally in forestry AAUs from New Zealand. We see this as a great boost to the forestry industry in New Zealand and a cost-effective way to involve the forestry industry in climate change mitigation. We look forward to managing these forests for the benefit of the global environment. John O’Brien, Managing Director of Carbon Market Solutions Ltd, the company which brokered the deal said "It is fantastic to be able to demonstrate that New Zealand forestry AAUs are a sought after commodity in international carbon markets and that forestry can play an increasing role in global efforts to mitigate climate change. We are very pleased to have been able to have advised this ground breaking transaction." The name of the buyer and the price of the sale of AAUs is undisclosed.
www.carbonmarketsolutions.com |
G-Race Pro Cycling Team Sponsorship
 Green Carbon is excited to be a sponsor of the G-Race pro cycling team, the first ever New Zealand professional track cycling team to be registered with the International Cycling Union. This team is currently made up of 9 riders with extreme talent and three support staff. Among an impressive list of achievements, 18 year old Sam Webster recently recorded the third fastest time ever by a New Zealand rider in the 200 metre time trial. This time would have placed him 12th at the Olympics, which is remarkable given his age. Having achieved these results as amateur athletes, the mind boggles at the thought of what could be achieved if these riders are given the same opportunities as professional riders.
The primary goal of this team is to give more New Zealand cyclists the opportunity to race on track cycling's 'World Cup' circuit . Additionally this is a chance to build up the experience and knowledge for the riders needed in order to compete at the London 2012 Olympics. The team are also passionate about promoting the need for change in the environmental space both locally and internationally, as such Green Carbon are proud to assist them on their journey. As part this they will measure and offset all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that will result from them competing over the next year . Green Carbon knows they are doing some awesome things , showing off the benefits of incorporating environmental & sustainable thinking into everyday life activities.
The G-Race Pro Cycling team ' s first appearance since their formation was at the Cycling Southland Mid-Winter Carnival down in Invercargill a few weeks ago. Team star Sam Webster won the feature race of the night, the Invitation Keirin Race; a 6 man sprint, followed closely by team mates Andy Williams in 2nd and Ethan Mitchell in 4th. The G-Race team dominated, even against the New Zealand’s Senior World Championship riders, which is a good sign of things to come. Andy Williams was also narrowly beaten into 2nd place in the 6 lap Handicap final by New Zealand’s World Championship representative Eddie Dawkins after starting near the back of the field.
It's currently exciting times as Webster and Mitchell compete for New Zealand in the Junior World Championships in Moscow next month, where they will look to capitalise on their current good form. They are regarded as being amongst the favourites for the sprint events which are usually dominated by the powerful Australian and European teams.
The G-Race Pro Cycling Team is a team with massive potential, but still require additional financial support in order to make it to races. With a team so loaded with talent, they will no doubt be under the spotlight. For further enquires on how you could be involved in this opportunity, please contact either Justin Grace on 021 324 448 or Joshua Rea on 021 822 978.
Picture: Ethan Mitchell: 2009 Youth Olympics medallist, NZ Champion, and G-Race Pro Team rider |
2009-07-13 Green Carbon supports Carpool Day 2009 on August 5, 2009
 If you live in Auckland and
want to make a difference, make your pledge now. It's super simple, so have a go and
have fun.
Why
Carpool?
Spread the
word - how to get others involved!
Carpool Day
2009 is a chance for all Aucklanders to have a go at carpooling
and really make a difference to our traffic issues for a day. Here are some tips
to get others involved:
Carpooling
Benefits
The benefits of
carpooling are many, but some that are most often reported
include:
The
Inspiration and the Team
 Following suit
are
Sandy
McGivern
Arwen
Vant
Ian
Lightbody
Roger
Woodroofe
Jane
Clark
and
growing...
Read more about the team of volunteers here.
Sharing your stories or getting involved. Sarah & her team are inviting people to share any carpooling stories you have before Carpool Day - have
you tried carpooling before? What happened? They are looking for funny or inspiring
stories to publish in their next newsletter. Send it now. If you or your business want to get involved, I am sure Sarah and her team would love to hear from you.
* Calculation based
on:
** Some
statistics:
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2009-06-29 State of the Voluntary Carbon Market
 - The voluntary market continues to double in size again from last year (now est at USD 700M), but still form only a fraction of the overall carbon market (est USD 120 B). This is a clear sign of the sure momentum behind this market and its continued growth into the future. - Asia and the US account for over 70% of credit origination in the market. - With Europe and the US making up over 90% of the purchases. An interesting observation particularly for NZ exporter or those looking to expand overseas, as to the interest placed by these markets on carbon. - Not suprisingly, the commentary on the NZ market was referred to as the "Great Barren Reef". A reflection of the "pause" button hit on the NZ carbon market when the ETS was put under review.
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2009-06-17 Carbon Friendly Drinks & Cityhop
June was also home to our second 'Carbon Friendly Drinks', which are networking events that we hold to enable like minded people to mingle. Additionally we minimise the impact of the event on the environment by offsetting the carbon footprint of the attendees. Thank you to all who attended. It was great to see and hear some of the buzz from the various discussions and lively [constructive] debates around sustainability strategies and economic growth. A special thanks goes to our guest speaker Victoria Carter, CEO of Cityhop who provided an enlightening history and evolution of New Zealand's first car sharing service, www.cityhop.co.nz. So what's Cityhop? If you didn't make it to our event, then you are probably wondering how a car sharing service like Cityhop works. How is that different to other car rentals? Here's a quick overview: - Cars are located at designated car parks in and around the City. And why it is good for the environment? - The cars in the fleet are Daihatsu Sirions or Mitsubishi i-cars, both of which are very low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, amongst other eco-friendly qualities. If you want to learn more or find out if there is a business case for your business please don't hesitate to drop us a line. Here are some photos from the event.  Bridget Saunders with Victoria Carter, CEO of Cityhop  Karen Morfett & Seeby Woodhouse |
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