Climate group gets council funds
A Nelson business group has received council funding for its climate change goals.
Businesses for Climate Action (BCA) originally applied to Nelson City Council’s Climate Change Reserve fund for $49,500, which the group described as a ‘‘fraction’’ of its intended budget of approximately $124,000.
The group then amended its request, in light of Covid-19, down to $28,880 and revised its budget plan to about $100,000.
Businesses for Climate Action hopes to convince 1000 Nelson businesses to measure their climate footprint, and is offering to assist businesses to become more environmentally friendly.
The group, currently consisting of business coach Katrina Kidson, Chia Sisters Chloe and Florence van Dyke, Claire Keeling from Ekos and Johny O’Donnell of ShiftOn, requested council funding to help cover costs, which group-members were also covering.
Mayor Rachel Reese said the initial plan was for the Climate Change Forum to have the ‘‘quadruple helix’’ structure of the Climatorium in Denmark and to ‘‘have business at the table’’, which she said Businesses for Climate Action could help with.
‘‘What we’ve got are people who are willing to volunteer an extraordinary amount of their time ... to assist us in one of our main objectives,’’ she said.
‘‘I think this is aspirational, but imagine if we managed to have the first net zero carbon main street? Wouldn’t that be fantastic?’’
‘‘I think their aspirations are very high, but if you don’t set high aspirations, you’re probably only going to get mediocre [results].’’
Gaile Noonan
Councillor
Councillor Gaile Noonan said she was ‘‘excited’’ to see who was involved in the project.
‘‘I think their aspirations are very high, but if you don’t set high aspirations, you’re probably only going to get mediocre [results].’’
The Council’s $500,000 ringfenced climate change fund established in June last year has now been drawn on for four projects, including the grant to Businesses for Climate Action, for a total of $157,880 in committed funds.
The other commitments are $9000 for a council-owned ebike for use by Community Compost, $20,000 towards preparations for a Danish Climatorium delegation, and $100,000 towards the citycentre spatial plan.
There are two current requests or Annual Plan proposals, one for $62,500 towards the Nelson Tasman Climate Forum, and one for $120,000 to go towards the food waste composting trial.
Should those proposals be approved, there will be $159,620 left of the initial $500,000 funding pool.
Housing has long been a thorny issue in Nelson, and now a community group is inviting people to come and air their thoughts.
Community Action Nelson (CAN) have partnered with Make/ Shift spaces to open a What is a Home? exhibition in a retail space on the corner of Hardy and Collingwood streets.
A steady stream of people had trickled in on the opening day, said Kindra Douglas.
Douglas, who with others from CAN, has worked to improve Nelson housing since 2002.
People have plenty to say, she said. ‘‘We’ve had a flow of people through, offering ideas, and excited that we’re asking.’’
The visitors had included developers, architects, renters, and homeowners.
Douglas said they had heard from people in stable jobs who were having to move due to rental instability. One woman spoke about the stigma of finding a home as a single parent, while others talked about the difficulties of building compliance.
On the floor, tape is used to mark off the size of a tiny home, while displays lining the walls illustrate tiny home concepts, and the factors underpinning Nelson’s housing problems.
CAN would like to hear about housing or building innovations that have worked for people, Douglas said.
From affordability to supply, creativity and vision were needed to tackle Nelson’s housing problems, she said.
CAN’s Joan Skurr said that would require a shift in ideas.
‘‘The supply of houses isn’t meeting our needs, and we need to rethink what our cities look like. Not just in five years, but in decades to come. What does a home look like? Is it a quarter-acre dream, or should we be rethinking that?’’
While CAN would continue to advocate to improve housing in the region, it needed outside input and ideas to drive change, Douglas said.
‘‘You need that demand from the community and the people.’’
What is a Home? will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 to 2pm. CAN will also hold occasional conversation cafes in the space.
For more information, see Community Action Nelson’s Facebook page.