Slice of Youth 2.0 

Date and Time: 1 August 2016, 6.00pm-8.30pm
Venue: EPIC Innovation Centre
 
On August 1 at 6.00pm we kicked off our second S.O.Y event- Slice of Youth 2.0. This month’s Slice of Youth focused on the theme of Sustainability and Martina Moroney, member of the Christchurch Youth Council, was our lively MC for the night.
 
Speaker 1
Louis Go- Cultivate Waste
Website: http://www.facebook.com/cultivatewaste
Email:  louis@cultivate.org.nz
 
Our first speaker, Louis Go, spoke about his involvement with Cultivate Waste. Inspired by the large amount of everyday food wastage and lack of a green waste collection in the CBD, Louis was motivated to develop Cultivate Waste. His organisation collects organic waste from the CBD in their own specialised bins and takes it to a farm where it is turned into compost. The bins are innovatively transferred via an electric bike and trailer, to further promote sustainability and a healthy environment. They also clean some CBD business bins to make them more appealing to people when throwing away their rubbish.
 
Louis also talked about his involvement in the ‘Live the Dream’ programme. ‘Live the Dream’ developed the entrepreneurial skills of young people who want to make a change. This programme allowed him to turn his food collection service- which he began a year before his involvement in this programme- into a growing business. He now works with two other students to keep the business moving and is hoping to expand it further to more inner city businesses.
 
Cultivate Waste is a fantastic example of what a group of people can do to have a positive impact on the environment. Sustainability is very relevant to Christchurch as it rebuilds after the earthquakes. Small businesses like these can make a significant change in the sustainability of the city and work to develop a healthier environment. We are very grateful to have a young change-maker like Louis come and speak to us and reinforce the idea of a sustainable Christchurch.
 
Speaker 2
Anzac Gallate, Nola Smart and Beth Melchers- Cashmere High School Sustainability
Website: http://www.cashmere.school.nz/co-curricular/world-environment-award.html
 
Our second speakers were Anzac Gallate, Nola Smart and Beth Melchers- students at Cashmere High School who are on the sustainability council at their school. They spoke to us about winning the Zayed Future Energy Prize 2016 in the Global High Schools Oceania category and the process they undertook to earn this award. The prize was launched in 2008 to represent the sustainability visions of Sheikh Zayed and the winner of the high school category wins $100,000 to spend on making their school sustainable. Previous winners of the award are Al Gore, Liter of Light, and Panasonic so this was an outstanding achievement by Cashmere High School.
 
After the 2011 earthquakes, the school was inspired to become a leading school in sustainability for New Zealand. They started their ecoDriver project in 2012 and began by installing smart metres to analyse electricity consumption. Wireless probes transmit data to the ecoDriver website for analysis and six smart metres measure the electricity used across school blocks every 30 minutes. The data is then displayed around school on LED screens for the students to see. Students also ran a ‘Switch Off’ campaign which encouraged both students and teachers to turn off lights when they weren’t in the room or not needed. From a simple task like this, the school managed to reduce their energy consumption by 10%. They also installed LED lights around the school as part of this campaign which saved another 20% on energy consumption.
 
To earn the Zayed Future Energy Prize, the students introduced a three-phase project for energy saving. The first phases focuses on solar energy generation, the second on wind energy generation and the third on Piezoelectric energy generating floor tiles. The most noticeable of the three phases is the installation of a solar panel array in July 2016. The 25kw solar grid was installed on top of buildings positioned to get maximum sunlight and it has a potential generation of 32,500kWh per year.
 
Through this fantastic work in making their school more sustainable, Cashmere High School earned the Zayed Future Energy Prize and intend to continue creating a more sustainable school environment. It was great to have Anzac, Nola and Beth speak to us about their sustainability projects and see that there a youth in Christchurch really working to create a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable future.
 
 
Shoutouts:
 
Our shout session is for people were at the event and wanted to do a 20 second shout out, letting us know if there was something to get involved in in Christchurch or offering their services. Thanks to everyone who did a shout out!
 
April McLennan, the founder of Limitless, spoke briefly about the ‘Live the Dream’ programme. This programme is a young social enterprise accelerator and are currently taking applications for their 2016/17 programme. Applications close soon so if you are interested in this programme, apply now! You can apply here: http://livethedream.org.nz/apply/
 
Alice Ridley, co-chair of the Christchurch Youth Council, spoke about CYC who are looking to recruit new General Members. If you would like to get involved in the city and have a voice in your community, then this could be the perfect opportunity for you to do just that! Applications close on 23 August at 11:59pm. To apply click here: http://www.chchyouthcouncil.org.nz/join.html
 
Martina Moroney, co-chair of the One School Network (OSN) also did a shout out. OSN is an organisation of students across the Christchurch community. She asked a question which she would love some opinions on- What is the biggest sector lacking help within the Christchurch community? If you have an opinion to share with her then message her via the Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/OneSchoolNetwork/?fref=ts
 
Festival for the Future is a weekend dedicated to young entrepreneurs, activists and other inspiring people from all aspects of the community. More than 550 people attended the festival in 2015 and they have incredible speakers from across New Zealand. Tickets sold out very early last year, so if this event interests you, check out their website! http://www.festivalforthefuture.org.nz/
 
Singularity University summit is held in Christchurch from the 14-16 November this year. The summit brings together ‘the world’s top speakers and experts on exponentially accelerating technologies together with New Zealand and Australia’s leaders of today and tomorrow.’ The tickets are normally $2000 for adults but High School students have cheaper prices and it is discounted for young people. If you’re looking for a world-class event to attend, then have a look at their website here: http://www.singularityunz.com/
 
Jess from UC briefly informed us about the Fossil Free Divest club at the University of Canterbury. If you’re heading to UC next year and want to get involved in a club that promotes a sustainable planet, have a look at their Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/groups/845142632225514/
 
Gap Filler is working on creating some temporary projects in the Eastern frame of the city. If you’re interested in being a part of this, contact Martina Moroney or Kaitlyn White from the Christchurch Youth Council.