The Sustainability Trust

The Sustainability Trust is a non-profit charitable trust based in Wellington City.

Our toolkits, workshops and projects are designed to enable local communities, businesses and householders to reduce consumption, make sound consumer choices and to develop life style and business practices which are 'truly sustainable' when considered in a global context.

Our project portfolio currently focuses on Energy Efficiency, Waste Minimisation and Transport.

How it all began

Around 1997 several people began lobbying local government for a regional environment centre. Over the next few years a number of hui were held for environmental groups in the region to discuss the idea of an environment centre.

In 2002 the same people teamed up with several others and spent the year trying to get funding for the environment centre.

In 2003 the first funding grant for the environment centre came through the Ministry for the Environment's (MFE) Environment Centre Fund. The Sustainability Trust was formed as a charitable trust - a legal body - in order to receive the MFE funding. In late 2003 Porirua City Council offered a space in the Trash Palace building for an environment centre.

In February 2004 the Wellington Regional Environment Centre was opened. Later that year the Trust received its first funding from the Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority (EECA) for retrofit insulation of low income households and the Warm Homes Project was born. Since then the Trust has developed many more projects on issues such as waste and energy efficiency to accompany the original Environment Centre.

So what does 'sustainability' mean?

It's a broad term, but which can simply be understood as creating a 'culture of care'.

It encourages us to notice the impact that our current living has on the world, and to set about redressing these effects. So that we can all have a chance to live well now, and in the future.

Where do we start?

We can start to reduce the amount of rubbish we create, use electricity and fuel more efficiently and effectively, and make better use of our local resources. We have compiled some resources to help you get on the journey to a sustainable future.

Acknowledgements

These people had the vision and did the work in the early years to create the Environment Centre which is where the Sustainability Trust was formed from. We would like to acknowledge the help of the following people:

Susie Brow, Mike Ennis, Sally Bowman, Karen bell, Sean Weaver, Shaun Lewis, Tony Dean, Fey Valiant, Phil Squire, Helen Schafer, Phil Hancock (MCE) and the Porirua City Council.