Envirohub will be on hand with information on its predator-free programme and free traps at the Epic Te Puke Sustainability Expo.
Envirohub will be on hand with information on its predator-free programme and free traps at the Epic Te Puke Sustainability Expo.
Te Puke’s annual litter pick-up challenge has got a whole lot more epic for 2023.
The annual clean-up has morphed into a full-blown Epic Te Puke Sustainability Expo with a huge array of events planned for this Sunday.
Epic Te Puke manager of marketing and promotions Rebecca Larson said they had been running the litter challenge for a number of years but this year they decided to make it an expo format so more people could be involved in a wider range of activities.
The action begins at the Te Puke War Memorial Hall at 9am, but people can pre-register for the litter and recycling pick-up in downtown Te Puke.
She said they were not sure how the expo was going to work out but there had been a lot of interest from people willing to share their sustainability ideas in various talks at the hall during the day.
In addition to the clean-up, there will be a garage sale at the hall, from 9am to 1pm, with test and tag electricians available to test donated electrical goods from 8.30am to 10am.
At 9.15am, a speaker from Te Puke Recycling, Litter Clean Up Challenge will give an overview of the event.
Bay of Plenty regional councillor Kat MacMillan will take to the stage at 10am to talk about ways people can be sustainable in the community.
Sophie Garth, who runs the New Zealand Makeup Podcast, will give a talk at 10.30am.
Kiwis spent $1.2 billion on cosmetics last year and Sophie will give some tips on how to select make-up that helps the local economy and how to select cosmetics that do not contain harmful chemicals that can be washed into waterways.
A Waste Free Period workshop is one of the events at this weekend's Epic Te Puke Sustainability Expo
At 11am, Emma La Rocca, zero waste fashion designer, and owner of zero-waste swimwear label emroce, will talk about her philosophy and business journey.
There will also be plenty of stalls in the Pioneer Lounge, including emroce, Mama Maia (Poutiri Trust) Breastfeeding Support, and Waste Free with Kate and the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.
Also in the lounge will be Cloth Ness Monster, which is all about cloth nappies with Vanessa Jones, Replenish Pāpāmoa - selling dry goods and cleaning products, The Incubator Creative Hub, solar energy company Clean Energy Partners, Maketu Wetland Society, local MP Todd McClay, New Zealand Make-Up Podcast, and Mana Kai Mana Ora with its food security stall.
EinMalig_NZ will have a stall showcasing its hand-made products, made from up-cycled billboards, broken bike tubes, and off-cuts from truck curtains. Envirohub will be on hand with information on its predator-free programme and free traps, and its space for nature programme, which encourages urban residents to protect biodiversity in their backyards.
There will also be free workshops for those who register; a sustainable new parent workshop, a waste-free period workshop and a clothing swap run by Te Puke High School. Items for the clothing swap need to be dropped off at the hall on Friday or Saturday.
Te Puke Scouts is helping with the set-up and pack-down of the event and will also hold a sausage sizzle as a fundraiser. All proceeds from the garage sale go to the Scouts.
