Sustainability in Action - Thought Does Take Action
Stockholm is home to one of the world's most famous eco-neighbourhoods, Hammarby Sjöstad. But does it really offer a template for green urban living that can be replicated in other fast-growing cities?
Construction started in the late 1990s and it's currently home to about 25,000 residents. Its reputation for sustainability comes from the way it handles energy, water and waste - initially designed to cut the environmental impact by 50% compared to a typical suburb - and its goal of maintaining green habits among residents. Circular Economy
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The BBC's Circular Economy series highlights the ways we are designing systems to reduce the waste modern society generates, by reusing and repurposing products. All the apartments are made from raw materials designed to provide maximum insulation during Sweden's winters. Gas and electricity come from a range of renewable sources including solar panels and biogas.Some of the biogas is extracted from sewage sludge from the area's water treatment plant, where rainwater, storm water and melt water from snow and ice are processed locally.
Residents sort their rubbish into categories and put it in outdoor chutes which suck the waste underground to a central storage point. Combustible waste is burned and turned into further biogas powering some of the city's buses.
Public transport, including wide cycle lanes and wooden boulevards hugging the water's edge, a tram line, buses and a free ferry service, is designed to discourage commuting by car. Commonly cited reasons for its success include Stockholm's relative wealth compared to other cities, and an ongoing nationwide focus on green issues. Sweden's latest goal is to become a net zero greenhouse gas emitter by 2040, with Hammarby Sjöstad aiming to get there by 2030.There has also been a much higher degree of co-operation here, between different state agencies and private companies, than in previous projects.
"It was the first project in Stockholm where the city planners, real estate agents, traffic agency, water company, environmental and health administration worked together in one office," says Gunnar Söderholm, Stockholm's environmental health director, who has worked on the initiative in various roles since its inception.
While "it wasn't easy", he says being in such close proximity helped them tackle disagreements and "created a new model for city planning, which we still benefit from".
The approach has influenced several other projects, the latest of which is Stockholm Royal Seaport, with plans for at least 12,000 new homes and 35,000 workspaces.
Interested? www.bbc.com...
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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85.5% Yes
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13.4% No
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
The Ant, Bird & Hunter (Day - 1)
Dear Neighbors,
I’ve come across something I truly believe can make a positive impact, and I’m excited to share it with you! Over the next 54 days, I will be sharing a series of 54 moral stories (one a day) that encourage children to think deeply and adopt valuable life lessons. These stories are designed to instill ethics, values, and morals that will help shape a better future for our kids.
I’d love to hear your feedback along the way so we can evaluate the outcomes together and make sure this effort benefits our community in the best possible way.
Please note, this is a non-religious, non-cultural initiative. If any names (People, places etc...) in the stories seem tied to a particular belief system, feel free to adjust them to better align with your own, as the core focus is on values and positive character-building.
Looking forward to your thoughts and feedback!
📚✨ #MoralStories #BuildingValues #PositiveParenting #StrongerCommunity #BetterFutureForOurKids
The Ant, Bird & Hunter
There was an ant which fell into a river accidentally and the river was flowing rapidly.The ant would have died after getting drowned in the river, but luckily for the ant there was a bird sitting on a tree above that saw the ant. The bird plucked out a leaf from the tree, flew a short distance, and put it into the river just in time for the ant to climb onto the leaf. The ant floated on the leaf for a while and finally when the river was calm it reached land.
After it reached land, the ant dismounted the leaf, felt thankful that its life had been saved by the bird and headed off to thank the bird which saved its life. In a few hours, it reached the place where the bird was seated on the tree. The ant was about to climb the tree to thank the bird but it observed a hunter was about to shoot down the bird on the tree. The bird had not noticed the hunter.
The ant decided to take action immediately, and thereby help its friend, the bird. The ant went and began biting the feet of the hunter. The irritated hunter could not aim carefully and missed shooting his prey, the bird, as his feet had been bitten by the ant.
The moral of the story is that we may all be very small persons but we must try our best to help our friends under all circumstances. Returning a favor is as important as accepting a favor.
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
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