A richer canvas
There's canvas and proximity to nature, but a stay at Valley Views in the Waitaki Valley is not camping as you know it, writes Maureen Howard.
Life & Style
Something in the air
Something in the air
Our air needs to be valued for its potential to contribute to good health, air pollution scientist Gary Fuller tells Tom McKinlay.
Where there's smoke
Where there's smoke
Destructive wildfires, driven by climate change, are going to occur more frequently. Bruce Munro and Maureen Howard look at what we know about that near future, what it's like fighting those fires, and minimising the damage.
Closing the waste loop
Closing the waste loop
What are the options available for businesses to divert their food waste from the landfill? Maureen Howard talks to one Dunedin enterprise that isn't waiting for a kerbside collection scheme.
A warm welcome
A warm welcome
A certified passive house, this Dunedin home stays at a comfortable temperature year-round while needing very little energy to operate. Kim Dungey reports.
Keeping it real
Keeping it real
Sustainable gastronomy. What does it mean? It means consuming food in a responsible way; which is to say, minimising waste by avoiding processed food and choosing local organic produce.
Answers from above
Answers from above
If we look to the heavens we might just spot the answer to transforming our economies away from carbon-based fuels, analyst Matt Gray tells Tom McKinlay.
Q & A: Tim Naish
Q & A: Tim Naish
Prof Tim Naish works at the Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington.
Back on easy street
Back on easy street
Retrofitting our streets to create human-centric towns and cities is the new "old" goal of urban planners. And it's about more than making room for cyclists and pedestrians.
Landscapes without us
Landscapes without us
You won't find a human being anywhere in the luxurious landscape paintings created by Dunedin artist Anya Sinclair. Maureen Howard finds out why.
Investing in the soil
Investing in the soil
Making nitrogen readily available to your plants will give them the energy to grow, Ben Elms writes.
Trying to stay grounded
Trying to stay grounded
Flying is often the best way for academics to get where they want to go, both geographically and in terms of their career. But what if staying grounded is better for the planet?
Q & A: Susan Krumdieck
Q & A: Susan Krumdieck
Susan Krumdieck is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Canterbury.
Q & A: Ben Wooliscroft
Q & A: Ben Wooliscroft
Ben Wooliscroft is an associate prof in the University of Otago School of Business.
The pH problem
The pH problem
The tiny single-cell aquatic plants that produce half of all our oxygen are threatened by ocean acidification. Maureen Howard talks to researchers about the danger and what's to be done.
Powering our future
Powering our future
Energy demand will ramp up as we head towards 2050 and electricity generation will need to increase. Can we push beyond a 100% renewable electricity system to a 100% renewable energy NZ?
Seeing the forest
Seeing the forest
All pathways to net zero carbon by 2050 depend on planting more trees. But does the type of tree make a difference and what role can natives play in the Government's One Billion Tree Programme?
Film-maker finds allies for change
Film-maker finds allies for change
If you inhabited a world in which there was always more debt than money and the only way to address the debt was to undermine the environment, you'd be looking to change the system.
Q & A: Sara Walton
Q & A: Sara Walton
Sara Walton is director of the master of sustainable business programme at Otago University and coordinator of the Otago Climate Change Network.
Riding the storm
Riding the storm
Not too worried about environmental issues? That's good, but if species extinction, pollution and climate change get any worse, more of us are likely to experience the enviro-blues.