Project Tongariro offers workshop for carbon footprint

Project Tongariro director Kiri Te Wano (left) and Kids Greening Taupō education co-ordinator Rachel Thompson (right). Photo / Rachel Canning

The Project Tongariro planting calendar, now in its 10th year, kicked off last Sunday at Taupō Golf Course.

Next up is a special workshop for organisations wondering how to get started on tackling their carbon footprints.

The workshop will take place on Thursday, April 13, at the Reap Centre, 73 Tītīraupenga St, from 6pm.

It is free and open to anyone seeking to take steps to mitigate climate change. This could be businesses, community groups, schools, self-employed people or organisations of any size.

Anyone wishing to attend should RSVP to info@tongariro.org.nz.

Project Tongariro director Kiri Te Wano said many organisations were seeking to take control of their impact on the environment, but they didn’t always know where to start.

“Organisations are feeling, especially after the cyclone, that they can’t just wait for government or local government to come in and make these [policies]. It’s taking too long.”

Project Tongariro undertook its own carbon footprint assessment with Wymand Simes of sustainability specialist Tadpole.

Tadpole’s services were provided through Project Tongariro’s ongoing partnership with The Bay Trust, to which Project Tongariro often looks for support.

“They have a great climate mitigation policy.”

The assessment was very impactful, so Bay Trust began to seek out ways to help Project Tongariro share what it had learned. “They wanted to widen it to the community.”

Simes will be returning to Taupō to deliver the workshop, which aims to give organisations some practical ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

Te Wano said it could be useful to get some advice on how to get started.

“[The workshop is] looking at where to start, how to do it, and what level you want to take it to.”

Many organisations can begin with some simple measures that do not take large amounts of time or money to do.

“It doesn’t necessarily need to be a cost thing to start with.”