“We don’t spend a lot on energy – we don’t use much. Our consciences are pretty clear…. Do you find people have been really reluctant to be honest because it’s 
so accusatory?” This quote is from one of my many interviews conducted with owner
Having recently finished an interesting teaching semester I thought I would share some of the insights from working with students on assignments to bring about change toward sustainability in their lives. I teach a 300 level paper titled “Organisations and Sustainability” which has between
Sustainable development is vital for our society. The energy sector plays an important role in the transition from the oil-based era to renewable alternatives, and for restructuring fuel patterns for power generation. This involves generating and using new energy technologies, and reforming energy supply and demand that underpins the structure and growth of the whole
Over the past two years there has been a growing interest in the role that Electric Vehicles (EVs) may play in driving a sustainable transport system for NZ. Their potential to help achieve emissions reductions and greater energy security, along with improved productivity from cheaper running costs, mean that EVs have become central to any discussions
Over the last hundred years people in the developed world have become used to a system where electricity flows from centralised power plants, along 
transmission and distribution wires, and into our homes to power our appliances. But new technologies are starting to move in to people’s
Traditional weekend visits to the local shops are bring increasingly replaced by virtual shopping trips. From clothes to electronics to food, online shopping has revolutionised our shopping practices: it is ‘the new retail reality’.
In 2012, 1.8 million New Zealanders made an online purchase. A study by the New Zealand Retailers Association found that online purchases
The government’s proposal to introduce rental insulation standards is a step in the right direction. If, as predicted, about 180,000 rental dwellings (one third of rentals) will be upgraded to meet the standard over the next 4 years, this represents a greatly increased rate of insulation retrofitting compared with current rates.
Notwithstanding there are quibbles about
I research energy policy stability in New Zealand. I’m nearing the end of my PhD and after being so highly focused on one small area, I wanted to use this blog to instead talk about what I see as the much larger context my research sits in. In this, I don’t think I’m saying anything
After a number of cyclist deaths in New Zealand, cycle advocates and policy makers alike have been pondering issues relating to the penalties imposed on motorists. There have been many press reports lately about stories of cyclist deaths and their bearing on their bereaved families and the subsequent public dismay as to how guilty motorists
Not much. Does it matter? Yes, it does. And what can we do about it?
Vehicle exhaust emissions matter from a human health point of view. Motor vehicles produce fine particulate matter, unburnt hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and other pollutants. The fine particulate matter alone was estimated in 2002 to