This free service is part of MfE’s commitment to support household sustainability, and the Sustainability Trust’s vision of tailoring advice to each household situation, so the changes really stick.
“I think people really do want to do the right thing for the environment at home, but where to start?” says project leader Sarah Pritchett. “There’s nothing like a cup of tea, a bit of a chat, and some good advice and information that’s tailored to your personal situation.”
There are two community networkers in Porirua, one based in Lower Hutt, and 4 in Wellington ranging from Newlands to Kilbirnie. And living locally means they are part of the communities they operate in. The networkers have been talking to parent’s groups, workmates, recent migrants, sports clubs, and of course friends and family.
“I have come across some great stories from people deciding to make small changes in the way they run their household” says Shanel Vettori, one of the Porirua networkers. “For example, one person I spoke to decided to put a brick in his toilet cistern to reduce the amount of water used for each flush.” Other stories include a recent migrant from Malaysia who had been boiling water and then letting it cool down for drinking water. She was delighted to learn that she could safely drink the water right out of the tap – therefore reducing her power bill. Another family from Porirua decided to install a timer on the shower in their children’s bathroom to reduce water use and save power used on hot water.
