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Living the change

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A new film shines the spotlight on our organic and sustainable heroes. Philippa Jamieson finds out more.

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Climate change… la la la la la. Environmental destruction – I know, it’s terrible! Social breakdown, economic collapse, help, what do we do? Living the Change is a documentary that features courageous Kiwis with practical solutions to these massive problems.

Voluntary simplicity

Filmmakers Antoinette Wilson and Jordan Osmond are themselves trying to ‘live the change’, in a 20m2 room at the end of a shed on a friend’s land near Katikati. The place isn’t plumbed; they have a bucket and use rainwater, but it’s palatial by comparison to where they were.
The pair met three years ago at a year-long community project in Victoria, Australia, learning how to live simply, grow food and build tiny houses. Jordan filmed the project and A Simpler Way was the documentary that resulted.

In high school Jordan became fascinated by the impact that documentaries can have. “Food Inc had a big impact on me – I changed my diet a bit,” he says. The self-taught filmmaker began making short films on tiny houses and earth building.
Antoinette was working at Wairarapa Eco Farm when she applied for the tiny house community project. After living in Argentina for six years, she had moved back to New Zealand for a healthier life.
“I’ve had gut problems for most of my life, and these were exacerbated in Buenos Aires, which isn’t a great place to find healthy food. In 2007 I went online and by a stroke of absolute fortune I discovered Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions. Blew everything out of the water for me.
“I became interested in everything, not just food, but the paint on the wall, the clothes on my body, the creams I was putting on my face.”
After the simple living project, Antoinette and Jordan travelled around Aotearoa New Zealand for two years making a series of short films about permaculture and resilient living. Out of these grew Living the Change.

Organic, holistic and permaculture growing

About a third of the film relates to food in some way.
“One of the biggest changes people can make is food: what we eat, who we buy it from,” says Jordan. “Organics, growing your own, supporting regenerative agriculture is the way of the future. Pouring pesticides on the land has to stop.” Jordan reacts to the Hi-Cane sprayed on kiwifruit – not great when you live in the Bay of Plenty.
Growers in the film include Robyn and Robert Guyton (Riverton), Andrew Martin (Katikati), Wiremu Puke (Parapara Gardens) and holistic grazing farmer Greg Hart (Mangarara Station, Hawke’s Bay).
Andrew Martin swapped a materialistic life working in the finance sector in Sydney, for a simpler life in New Zealand. He now feels happier and deeply connected with the natural world at his permaculture property.
Frank van Steensel and Josje Neerincx of Wairarapa Eco Farm talk about their CSA (community supported agriculture), which connects farmers and communities, provides reliability of supply and income, and a sense of belonging and connection with the land.

Healing our separation from nature

At the root of many problems is our disconnection from nature, and one of several to articulate this is the only non-Kiwi interviewed, US author and thinker Charles Eisenstein. He makes a statement as a ‘degrowth activist’ just by wearing a cream-coloured jersey mended with red stitches.
“When we cut ourselves off from any aspect of nature, we create a wound,” says Eisenstein. “This is painful and we yearn to recover our wholeness. Due to ideology, the economic system etc., the reunion we long for is unavailable. This drives consumerism, greed, neurotic behaviours that seek to compensate for the missing relationships.”
“We are not separate from the wild world,” says Robert Guyton. “It’s going to realign us fairly soon… unless we recognise that we need to be fully integrated into that world.”

Financial collapse

The precariousness of the dominant financial system looms large in the film.
“There’s going to be a collapse in one form or another,” says Charles Eisenstein. “The money system demands endless growth.”
We have to design and develop an economy that operates within ecological limits, says permaculture designer Shane Ward. “That’s our only safe bet. It’s our only bet at all.”
Setting up alternative systems now will make us more prepared and resilient. Sharon Stevens woke up one morning with the idea of starting a local currency, and so LOAVES was born: Local Original Ashhurst Voluntary Exchange System. Also interviewed are Phil Stevens and Helen Dew, founding members of Living Economies, and Maria Lee of Diamond Harbour School, whose pupils were filmed making kale chips and broad bean dip from their garden produce, helped by locals paid via the timebank.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Closely linked with the monetary system premised on infinite growth is rampant consumerism and the destruction of planetary resources.
Enter those down-to-earth Kiwis who are making a difference by going rubbish-free, such as Waveney Warth and Matthew Luxon. And the Bayswater Repair Café, where people fix appliances and bikes, mend clothing and furniture. The social connection is equally important; an older man reports a sense of belonging and feeling useful, passing on his skills.
We need to think ‘resource’, not ‘waste’. Wanaka couple Greg Inwood and Lisa Johnston show their humanure composting system, starting with a bucket, and emptying the solids into a compost heap with kitchen and garden waste. They monitor the temperature to ensure it’s hot enough to ‘nuke’ any pathogens. After a year or so, the beautiful rich compost is heaving with worms.
“I find it extraordinary – it’s one of the indicators of our disconnection – that we mix good quality drinking water with our shit,” says Antoinette. Composting loos “would be so much more cost-effective, so much less work for the council.”

Can technology save us?

Some people have faith that technology will save us. That we can invent our way out of the problems. So why haven’t we done it already?
“I’m not disillusioned with solar or wind or anything; I know that the substitution of those things for fossil fuels isn’t possible,” says Susan Krumdieck, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Canterbury.
“So as long as we keep telling ourselves the story that it is, we aren’t actually doing the thing that we have to do, which is just leave the stuff in the ground. Which means what? There’s only one thing you can do then, which is to use less of it. A hundred years from now, every solar panel we build will be toxic waste.”

This could be the best film you see all year. But don’t take my word for it; see it for yourselves.

Living the Change

Directed by Jordan Osmond and Antoinette Wilson
Running time 85 minutes
livingthechangefilm.com

A Simpler Way

Dir. Jordan Osmond, Samuel Alexander. View free online, buy it or host a screening: happenfilms.com/a-simpler-way

Philippa Jamieson is the author of The Wild Green Yonder: Ten Seasons Volunteering on New Zealand’s Organic Farms (New Holland Publishers, 2007).

Savings pools: interest-free loans and trading

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Frith Chamberlain outlines a system that uses money in a fair and reciprocal way.

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In November 2015 I had the pleasure of attending New Zealand’s first national ‘savings pool’ hui. This was held in beautiful Opotiki and hosted by the wonderfully talented team at the Awhi Tautoko Trust (if you need some daily inspiration for your community spirit then look these guys up). We had a fantastic time with incredibly inspiring people where we discussed savings pools and where we see them in the future.

Pooling resources to help each other

For centuries, people have recognised the benefit of pooling their resources, through co-operatives, buyers’ clubs and investment syndicates. Savings pools, where individuals combine their savings into a larger pool of funds, can bring with them similar benefits. Members deposit funds into the savings pool, and then take turns to access the pool’s funds (to buy the fridge, the holiday or pay off a loan) on an interest-free basis.

There are savings pools in New Zealand and in other countries – for example, the JAK Members’ Bank, which launched in Sweden in 1965. There are around 30 pools operating in New Zealand at present, with more starting every year.

The basic operating principle of savings pools is that a member who uses the pool funds in the form of a loan is obligated to make available to the pool the same amount of money for an equal time period. Once this reciprocity requirement has been satisfied, the member is free to withdraw that money, or continue to leave any part of it in the pool. This ensures fairness and guarantees the continued availability of funds without the need for interest or fees.

Kiss that interest goodbye!

Here is a simplified example of what usually happens when dealing with a bank. An individual applies for a bank mortgage of $225,000. After 25 years of payments, they have a freehold house to live in. They have also paid over $225,000 in interest to the bank, with nothing tangible to show for this money.

An individual belongs to a savings pool and applies to borrow $225,000. After 25 years, the individual has a freehold house to show for the $225,000 it paid the vendor plus $225,000 in savings! This is called reciprocity, where you have lent this money to the pool to borrow from in exchange for no interest. At this stage the individual can either leave their savings in the pool (where they enjoy the benefit of helping others reach their goals), or they can remove this money and leave the pool.

Our savings pool

The savings pool I am part of has completed two loans in the year we have been together. We had the joy of paying off the remaining mortgage of a wonderful retiree. She is now paying her $10,000 loan off to us interest-free. The other $8000 loan has been used to pay the debt of a young family. This has helped to reduce the financial burden while one family member is fighting cancer. The family have used their caravan as security and are paying the loan off interest-free. After these loans are paid they then have the added bonus of knowing their savings are secure and available if required.

We are inspired by another pool in New Zealand that has recently facilitated a $200,000 loan for a mortgage, and hope to tackle some bigger loans for our members this year.

It is exciting to eliminate the amount of interest we pay, as interest represents an enormous waste, a constant flow of wealth out of our households and out of our towns. A savings pool is a way of conserving local wealth, where we all have something to offer and we all have scope for initiative and leadership.

Fair, transparent and member-controlled

Because members don’t earn interest on their contributions, savings pools are not money-making investments. The following key features, however, make them extremely effective cost-savers.

  1. No interest is charged for the use of pooled funds and no one creams off any profit, thus there is value and equity.
  2. Contributors themselves decide how their funds are used and purchased assets belong to the pool until they are paid for in full, creating control and security.
  3. There are next to no costs; members balance received benefits with matching contributions, and accounts are open to all members. This makes for a simple, reciprocal and transparent system.

Setting up a savings pool

Anybody can start a pool in New Zealand. It requires a group of like-minded people, good communication and some courageous forward thinking. One organisation that can help with this is Living Economies. The Living Economies Educational Trust is a nationwide charity dedicated to strengthening regional economies by conserving local resources, nurturing local talent, promoting regional self-sufficiency and developing community- and business-friendly means of exchange.

Organisations like Living Economies are not afraid to ask these probing questions: What if we could trade without paying interest? What if communities could replace debt-based money with forms of exchange involving no waste? They alsoeducate and inform communities and individuals (whether or not they are members of savings pools) on how savings pools can work.

Savings pools are legal – provided the pool members take care to ensure they abide by applicable legislation. Living Economies can provide information about the legislation that can apply, but its advice is necessarily general, and those involved with savings pools as members or prospective members, and persons considering forming a pool, should seek their own legal advice.

If you’d like to know more about the savings pool system or be part of one in your area, then contact either myself or Living Economies for further information.

More information

Frith Chamberlain is the chair of Soil & Health’s Mid Canterbury branch and a passionate believer in the savings pools concept. havelockseakayak@clear.net.nz

child and gourd

Local food and seed in Aotearoa NZ

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In 2012 and 2013, a team of New Zealand permaculture educators hit the road for an ambitious teaching and filming tour: the Localising Food Project.

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They found a bounty of creative organising across Aotearoa, and captured the stories of 250 different local food initiatives on video. But they also found the networks often weren’t aware of each other. Now, they’re distilling a series of documentaries aimed at disseminating successful local models, and inspiring a more self-sufficient, food-resilient nation.

Local food trends in NZ

Nationwide, the Localising Food team discovered a strong surge of community gardens and farmers’ markets.

They were also pleasantly awed to find a newer community food trend taking off: the planting of fruit and nut trees in public spaces. A forthcoming documentary from the project will explain how various local councils and community members are working together to plant and maintain public food trees in their streets and parks.

The team also visited 50 school and preschool gardens, documented in the recently released film series Growing Schools. The doco shows the benefits of gardening for children’s motivation, academic success and overall wellbeing. It’s already attracting international attention, and is being translated into Slovenian, Spanish and French. The four-part series can be downloaded from the Localising Food website .

child and gourd
Amelia Ngātai, a student at Rhode St School in Hamilton, is going to save seeds from this gourd.

Where are the gaps?

Still, the team found plenty of gaps in local food resilience in New Zealand. Community gardens, while numerous, are not producing nearly the capacity of food that they could. Instead, they focus primarily on social wellbeing. Raw milk distribution networks are flourishing, but often in black-market-type situations, which are likely to be driven further underground when new regulations come into force in March.

In one of the biggest obstacles to national food self-reliance, New Zealand’s once-thriving mixed grain farms have largely given way to dairy monocultures. Grain processing equipment has become derelict, and certified organic grain processing infrastructure is particularly lacking. Investment is needed if New Zealand is to live on its own grains again.

Seeds of community

The team’s next documentary, soon to enter production, addresses a fundamental basis of food systems: seeds. Local seed-saving networks are crucial to our collective food future, as corporate control of seeds increases globally and biodiversity decreases. Around 90% of all seed varieties have been lost in the last 100 years, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. But unlike a monetary bank, a seed bank can’t function as a closed vault; as the Localising Food team is documenting, successful seed banks are living community networks, with social and geographic resilience.

As they travelled the country collecting seed savers’ stories, the Localising Food team uncovered common themes central to successful seed networks.

One lesson for seed saving is similar to saving computer data: back everything up! The Southern Seed Exchange’s Christchurch seed bank burned down, and is now replaced by a solid earth building. Thankfully, some of those seeds had been replicated and stored at Waimarama Community Gardens in Nelson. Mould destroyed seeds stored in an old wooden building in Dunedin; unspoiled ones were divided in half, with half stored at the Riverton seed bank to ensure a backup set.

Wanted: more seed kaitiaki

Dedicated kaitiaki (guardians or caretakers) are vital to the survival of heritage seed lines, but there is a shortage of such people around the country in comparison with the amount of genetic material that needs propagating and protecting. New Zealand has some excellent community seed-saving models in place, but many bioregions have no seed networks at all.

One of the most important seed repositories and distributors in New Zealand is Koanga Institute in Wairoa, Hawke’s Bay. Heirloom seed gardens are a core feature of this farm. Of particular note are the ‘isolation gardens’ in the next valley over – essential for crops that would otherwise cross-pollinate. Such geographical sanctuaries could become even more important safeguards against contamination if GE crops are ever allowed to grow in New Zealand. Other growers around the country also grow seeds for Koanga, acting as kaitiaki of specific crops.

However, one doesn’t need to go big to run a seed network; the main requirements are determination, love of seeds and good record-keeping. An avid seed saver in Port Waikato offers her seed locally through her personally handwritten catalogue and is only contactable for two hours in the evening by phone – no deterrent for her regular customers.

Using New Zealand’s leading seed savers as teachers in their own gardens, the Localising Food seed-saving doco will be a call to action and a lively how-to manual. The film, which will be released later in 2016, will strive to inspire Kiwis to save seeds locally, and will teach gardeners how to save their own seed and set up their own bioregional seed banks and seed exchanges.

Successful seed saving

  • Start in your own garden, and specialise in a few species to start with.
  • Save only open-pollinated varieties, and don’t bother saving F1 hybrid seeds; hybrids will not grow true to type.
  • Store seeds in a cool, airy, shady place.
  • Select your seed plants halfway through their growing cycle. Select the most robust, healthy-looking plants, not necessarily the biggest.
  • Label everything meticulously (species and variety, where grown, date harvested).
  • Design and position your seed bank to secure it against flooding, fire, etc., and double up your stock in two locations.
  • Keep tabs on dates, making sure you grow and refresh seed lines regularly enough to keep them viable.
  • Germination test if you can, to make sure you are distributing viable seeds.

Tips, vids, docos and more

The Localising Food website (www.localisingfood.com) contains a wealth of articles and video clips about local food production systems in NZ, plus free downloads including a seed-saving chart and 10 seed-saving tips.

Setting up a school garden? Download the project’s first documentary, Growing Schools, from the website. It’s in four parts (total running time two hours).

The Localising Food films are funded entirely by donations and sponsorship. To produce the seed and public tree crop documentaries, the team is running an online crowdfunding campaign on PledgeMe (www.pledgeme.co.nz) is seeking more sponsors. Can you help? Please contact localisingfood@gmail.com.

Robina McCurdy is director of the Localising Food Project, and has a diploma in seed technology and in permaculture. For 30 years she has been an international permaculture and organic educator-activist, with a passion for seed saving and food sovereignty.

Rebecca Reider is an organic systems researcher, writer and advocate based in Golden Bay.

The joy in crop swapping

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Franziska von Hünerbein writes about a movement that’s about sharing excess produce, community connection, and so much more.

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It all began with a tree, a big lemon tree full of bright juicy fruit. There it was, radiating beauty and offering abundance – unfortunately not to us, as it was growing in a neighbour’s garden down the road. I admired it from afar and was longing for lemons to cook my rhubarb jam with.

One day I gathered all my courage, knocked on my neighbour’s door and asked politely whether they were planning to eat these hundreds of lemons by themselves or whether they would be happy to give us a few. He quickly got a box, filled it with fruits and swapped it for a jar of rhubarb jam.

I have been a hedge peeker, a garden sneaker, a fruit stealer all my life. Spotting a tree full of fruits fills me with joy; seeing fruits rotting on the ground highly irritates me and brings up questions. When researching online I came across green swaps, vege swaps, food swaps and crop swaps all over the world. Names, logos and formats vary; the concept is the same. People meet, bring what they have, and exchange it for what they need. After a good read I knew we would do this!

Let me take you to a Crop Swap Taranaki gathering. People carry full boxes and baskets into the community hall, sign in, find a free table and proudly display their goods. Neighbours and friends greet each other, walk around, admire produce, exchange gardening tips and welcome newcomers. Children run around, eye cupcakes and pet the ducklings. The whole room is buzzing with excitement and anticipation. The variety on offer is huge: vegetables, fruits, plants, flowers, seedlings, herbs, eggs, preserves, jams, baking, liquid manure, gardening books, magazines, planting containers, sometimes even chooks who need a new home. After half an hour of admiration and connection time, the swap is opened with a brief introduction and everyone is welcome to take a fair share of what they are interested in. Everything is free. Baskets fill, tables clear and after a quick clean-up everyone leaves with fresh local produce and a big smile.

Where does this immense joy come from, that floods everyone who enters the Crop Swap temple? Is it really just about swapping local produce to fill our stomachs? Crop Swap gatherings seem to meet many profound human needs. Connection is a biggie. For some people it is the social highlight of their week. They meet neighbours and friends, learn from the elders, hold a baby, are seen, are greeted, are hugged.

We all have a need to be of service, to give and be recognised for that. The joy of generosity shows in the immense effort that some put into preparation and presentation: jars are labelled, fruits polished, muffins beautifully decorated, bunches of flowers bring colour to the tables.

Most Crop Swappers are keen gardeners. Having our hands in the soil, witnessing growth, experiencing the seasons, observing and caring for all the expressions of life around us gives us peace and a sense of belonging. Sharing the fruits of this work with others is the cherry on top.

Crop Swap gatherings have potential beyond the generous sharing of food. So far we have had mini workshops on seed sowing, organic gardening, sourdough bread making, food fermentation and the benefits of raw milk. Crop Swap Taranaki is connected to the food bank, the seed bank, the time bank, the environment centre Hive, and to our future community café. Imagine the possibilities of cooperation!

Since the first Crop Swap gathering in New Plymouth our movement is constantly growing. We have three venues around Mount Taranaki (see box below), and there are more to come. Ideally we will have a Crop Swap Hub in every suburb and village of New Zealand, or, let’s say, the world. Creating one is easy. All you need is a venue and the people. In Taranaki we use a community hall, a church hall and a café as venues. Costs are covered by gold coin donations. We communicate via our local newspaper, school newsletters, email lists and our Facebook page.

On Saturday 5 September we celebrated Crop Swap Taranaki’s 2nd birthday. And while we shared a huge birthday cake, we also celebrated being part of a paradigm shift, where giving with a mindset of abundance and taking with a mindset of fairness will lead into a future of collective wellbeing.

Thank goodness it’s lemon season again.

Note from the Organic NZ office: as this article was published in 2015, some of the below information may be outdated. Use their Facebook page or get in touch with Franziska for current times.

Taranaki venues

  • Merrilands Domain Hall, 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, 4–5 pm
  • Waitoriki School Hall, last Saturday of the month, 10–11 am
  • Café Downtown Okato, 2nd and 4th Monday of the month, 3.30–4.30 pm

More information

Franziska von Hunerbein, 06 769 6841, franziska@babuli.eu
Facebook: Crop Swap Taranaki

Franziska von Hünerbein lives with her family, a cat, chooks and a beehive in suburban New Plymouth, and is passionate about creating an abundant local food production in and for her community.

Hemp: The comeback crop for building

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Hemp is an ancient crop, grown for its fibre and put to thousands of uses. Unreasonably lumped in with cannabis, hemp was supplanted and restricted for nearly a hundred years – but it is now being heralded as an outstanding building material for our time.

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New Zealand’s first house made of hemp will be finished this summer. Lance and Miranda Palmer are building a 195 m2 home in Taranaki using hempcrete for their walls.

Why hemp? “I wanted a home that would breathe naturally,” explains Lance. “When we learnt about hemp, it ticked all the boxes. It’s unusual in that it’s both a great insulator and yet provides a lot of thermal mass.”

Benefits for building

Hemp as a building material delivers an impressive list of benefits, say proponents like Greg Flavall, a builder and entrepreneur encouraging the use of hemp in New Zealand. He claims hempcrete is a carbon neutral or even carbon negative material. The fast growing hemp sequesters carbon and, once processed, the fibres are mixed with a lime and cement binder to create ‘hempcrete’. The lime continues to harden over time, absorbing more carbon as it calcifies. Some 110 kg of carbon is locked up per cubic metre of hempcrete, according to UK consulting firm Hemp-Lime Construct.

Hemp building materials are lightweight, insulating, and highly breathable, producing homes with excellent air quality, according to Greg. It’s fireproof and rodent and insect resistant. It’s extremely durable, with an expected lifespan of several hundred years. Hemp is also versatile; just vary the ratio of binder to make floors, walls, or insulation. And it can be deconstructed and recycled in another building project!

What it isn’t, is load bearing: hempcrete is being used in New Zealand as infill between timber structural framing.

Eco-architect Graeme North also has an interest in hempcrete but takes a more cautious view. He questions the claim about carbon neutrality, saying that manufacturing lime produces more carbon than it subsequently absorbs. “Claims of both insulation and thermal mass need to be considered carefully,” he warns, as it depends on the thickness and density of the wall.

Hemp growing in Taranaki

Different varieties of industrial hemp are grown depending on the desired yield (seed, fibre or fabric). They are alike in having extremely low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in the Cannabis sativa grown for marijuana use: 0.3% compared with 3–22%.
A regulatory scheme was established in 2006 that makes it legal for license holders to grow, process and distribute hemp in specific circumstances. A grower must send crop samples to a lab before harvesting, to ensure THC levels are below prescribed limits. Crops not meeting this requirement may be destroyed. As at 23 September 2013, 27 licences to grow industrial hemp have been issued by the Ministry of Health, with a further two being processed.
Last summer, two Taranaki farmers working with Greg Flavall got their hemp licenses and 4.45 ha was sown, including at Avonstour, an organic, rare breeds family farm east of Stratford.

From field to house

Hemp is a fast-growing and robust annual broadleaf, with a root system that can extend two metres. It is naturally insect and pest tolerant and may not require fertilising.

Hemp’s history spans some 12,000 years, having been grown in Asia and the Middle East for fibre to make fabric, cloth and rope. It was grown extensively in the US from the seventeenth century. But its cultivation was outlawed in the US and UK in the 1920s and 30s when fears about cannabis use were running high, and fell away in Europe last century as hemp was supplanted by newer, synthetic fibres.

After harvesting, the plant is retted: soaked in water to loosen the fibres from the woody core. The fibres are separated out in a mechanical process called decortication before the stem is dried and chopped to produce shiv. To make hempcrete, the shiv is mixed with a small amount of hydrated lime-rich binder. Greg advocates a 5:1 mix of lime and cement, which means the binder is about two percent of finished volume. Natural pigments can also be added to create striking natural colours or patterns.

Greg runs workshops designed for owner builders, architects and building professionals, who get their hands on the raw material, building their own small hempcrete block. This is a miniature example that shows how hemp walls can be constructed, by lightly tamping hempcrete in place in between single or double-sided formwork. “Professionals come along and say, ‘Wow, this isn’t difficult at all!’,” grins Greg.

Houses that Greg is involved with are using single-sided forms. “We’re framing into the interior edge of a [400-450 mm] thick wall and lining the interior of the house with magnesium oxide building board, a gib replacement. Mag oxide board is inert, fire-resistant and it breathes with the hemp,” he explains.

There are other possibilities. “Boxing both sides around a timber frame is common in many parts of Europe,” says Graeme. “The wall is then clad for protection from the weather, especially wind driven rain, or simply plastered with lime plasters. Inside can be left as is, or any breathable natural finish [applied].”

Hemp can also be used as loose fill insulation and a flooring material. In Europe, large commercial buildings have been built with pre-fabricated hemp wall panels hoisted onto a post-and-beam structure.

Buildings made from hemp can have any kind of look you want, says Greg. For instance, the first US house built of hemp materials, in Ashville, North Carolina in 2010 – with which Greg and his Canadian based company were involved – is a high-end example of striking contemporary architecture (see www.gizmag.com/first-us-hemp-house/17115/ for photos and construction details). But hemp is also just as suited to natural renders that make a feature of the colour and texture of the natural fibre.

Notwithstanding information you’ll find on the internet, Greg is adamant that hemp is not suitable as a foundation material. “We know from history that hempcrete doesn’t work below ground. If subjected to constant moisture, it will break down and the lime will not carbonate. It’s the carbonation that preserves the hemp.”

Hemp construction underway

The Palmer house is being built on concrete foundations topped with insulated concrete forms. Building consent applications for this and other hemp houses have used alternative solution provisions provided in the New Zealand Building Code. The Palmer house was approved by the New Plymouth District Council in 20 days. “We introduced the building method first and asked the Council what information they wanted from us,” says Lance. “They were really good to deal with.”

“The building inspectors were pleased to see lime coming back,” says Greg. “We provided documentation from the US and Europe – and a sample block! The fact that the hemp was the aggregate was of no importance.”

The first New Zealand houses of hemp are being built with shiv imported from Europe but Greg wants to establish a Taranaki based co-op (a ‘hemp village’) that will grow and process hemp and produce local hemp products.

Meanwhile, plans are being drawn up for homes made with hemp and building consent applications have been lodged with Auckland and Waikato councils. The 14 projects between Dunedin to Northland range from expensive, architecturally designed homes to owner-builder homes that will be slowly completed as funds and time permit.

More information
  • Hemp Lime Construction: A guide to building with hemp lime composites, Rachel Bevan and Tom Woolley, BREPress (Graeme North calls this ‘a definitive text’)
  • Greg Flavall: www.hemptechnologies.co.nz
  • Graeme North: www.ecodesign.co.nz

Interested in growing hemp in New Zealand? Growers, processors and suppliers require a license, administered by the Ministry of Health. Start here:
www.health.govt.nz/our-work/regulation-health-and-disability-system/medicines-control/hemp-industrial-hemp

Rachel Rose is establishing an urban permaculture property in Whanganui.

How to create a GE-free zone

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Zelka Grammer encourages you to press for a GE-free zone in your city, region or district

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Gardeners, beekeepers, seed savers, foresters, orchardists, organic growers and consumers: you know what’s at stake. GE experiments and releases present serious risks to our biosecurity, unique biodiversity, primary producers, economy and public health. Evidence of harm from GMO (genetically modified organism) land use overseas is irrefutable and continues to mount.

Here in New Zealand, we’ve held the line against GMO land use for many years. We have no commercial GE crops and firmly maintain our ‘zero tolerance’ policy for GE content in imported seeds.

Local government approach needed


Existing legislation for GMOs (the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act) is grossly inadequate, with a lack of strict liability and no requirement for the national regulator to take a precautionary approach. Ratepayers don’t want to end up forking out for GE experiments gone wrong!

By working constructively with our local councils, however, we can stop GMO land use. Independent reports and legal opinions commissioned by the Northland/Auckland Inter Council Working Party on GMO Risk Evaluation and Management Options (the ICWP) clearly show that local authorities do have jurisdiction to control GMO land use out of doors.

Here’s some information to help you create a GE free zone in your district or region or, at the very least, a strong precautionary GE policy to create an additional tier of protection for communities, and serve as a deterrent to those who wish to experiment with GMOs out of doors in our fair land. Outright prohibition (a total ban) of GMOs is also achievable.

What’s been done already?


A number of cities and areas of New Zealand have already been declared symbolic GE-free zones, including Nelson city, Napier, Waitakere, areas of Auckland like Waiheke Island, Western Bays, Mt Eden and Mt Albert, and various community boards in Northland and elsewhere. Buller District Council put in place a two-year ban on all outdoor GMOs.

All councils from South Auckland to Cape Reinga have precautionary or prohibitive GE policies in their long-term council community plans (LTCCPs), and precautionary GE policies in some annual plans.

Whangarei District Council ‘has adopted a precautionary approach to the management of biotechnology in general and to GMO land uses in particular. It will continue to investigate ways of maintaining the District’s environment free of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) until outstanding issues such as liability, economic costs and benefits, environmental risks, and cultural effects are resolved. Together with other Northland and Auckland councils on the Inter-council Working Party on GMO Risk Evaluation and Management Options, Council has committed to investigating possible local and/or regional management of GMO land uses under the Resource Management Act.’

Auckland City Council (now part of Auckland Council super city) has already set a precedent, achieving outright prohibition for all GMOs in its Hauraki Gulf and Islands District Plan since 1998.

Enforceable GE-free zones: rules with teeth

Even more desirable than symbolic GE free zones are concrete regulatory options (with methods, policies and rules) through the Resource Management Act 1991. To create an enforceable (rather than symbolic) regional exclusion zone for GMOs, we need rules with teeth in regional policy statements and/or district plans. A regional policy statement (RPS) is an overarching regional document for the next 10 years; content in the RPS must be given effect to by the district councils of the region.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council has precautionary GE wording in its proposed RPS. Northland Regional Council is considering right now whether or not to include a strong precautionary GE provision in its new RPS. The council received a huge number of submissions requesting this, including submissions from all the district councils and all Tai Tokerau Iwi authorities.

Such precautionary GE policies (provisions) can require those who apply to do GE experiments (and clear the easy hurdle of the Environmental Protection Authority – EPA – in Wellington) to abandon their plans or, if GE experiments aren’t prohibited outright, to post a substantial bond and be financially liable for unintended adverse impacts of EPA-approved GE experiments.

Local plans should place a strong emphasis on prevention of incursions of new organisms, GMO and otherwise (not just management/suppression of existing problem organisms). They should specifically identify GMOs as a threat, due in part to the nature of these self-replicating organisms containing controversial viral promoters etc., but also ongoing flaws/gaps in the HSNO legislation such as a lack of strict liability and the fact that ERMA is not required under the Act to take a precautionary approach to GMOs).

Councils working together to evaluate GMO risk

In Northland and Auckland, all councils have become full members of the innovative Inter Council Working Party on GMO Risk Evaluation and Management Options. The ICWP on GMOs was formed in 2003 as a direct result of strong lobbying and education of the councils by northern ratepayers.

Auckland Council and the Northland District Councils recently commissioned an independent section 32 analysis on GMOs (a requirement of the RMA), proposed plan change provisions, and a new legal opinion from Dr Royden Somerville, QC. This was done with a view towards a collaborative plan change to regulate GMOs in some way on a local level (this could include outright prohibition).

These new documents were made publicly available in February 2013, recommending that member councils of the ICWP on GMOs consider regulating the outdoor use of GMOs under the RMA through provisions in their planning documents.

Steps to a GE-free zone

  1. Ask your council for its policy on genetic engineering or genetically modified organisms, if there is one. If there isn’t (or the policy is inadequate), you can request the convenor of the ICWP on GMOs to email key policy documents and reports to your council’s relevant planner, your mayor (or chairperson) and councillors  (contact details below).
  2. Read the independent GE reports and legal opinions provided at the GE page on the Whangarei District Council website. There are three ICWP commissioned reports, published in 2004, 2005 and 2012.www.wdc.govt.nz/PlansPoliciesandBylaws/Plans/GeneticEngineering/Pages/de…
  3. Join GE Free NZ (or your local GE-free group). Your membership subscription or donation helps to fund the good work they do.
  4. Obtain from GE Free NZ the precautionary or prohibitive GE wording / policies that other councils have already put in place (contact Zelka Linda Grammer – details below).
  5. Find out when public consultation takes place in your district/region for the council’s Annual Plan, Long Term Council Community Plan, proposed District Plan or Regional Policy Statement review. Make submissions asking your council to (at the very least) put in place a strong precautionary GE policy/provision. You can also ask for all GMO land use and GMO aquaculture to be a prohibited activity. Network with like-minded allies and write letters to your local newspaper to raise the profile of the issue.
  6. Collect signatures on a local petition (suggested wording available from GE Free NZ)
  7. Vote with your dollar for GE free, buying from Kiwi companies and manufacturers with best practice GE-free policies (organic and Fair Trade where possible).

Websites and contacts

A guide to organic education in New Zealand

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Bridget Freeman Rock reviews the organic education options available in New Zealand

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Many Organic NZ readers are hungry for practical skills and further knowledge of organics, and with a range of courses, workshops and educational experiences to choose from in New Zealand and abroad there is probably something for every appetite, if readers are prepared to do a little hunting.

At the grassroots

For the home gardener there are workshops in all manner of permutation and possibility: day or half-day workshops on specific topics, like Korito’s courses on chicken keeping, composting, and other topics (www.korito.co.nz); as well as weekend courses, and those offered over a series of weeks or months. The What’s On page in the back of Organic NZ lists many upcoming events, workshops and courses.

Find out if there is a local Environment Centre, Soil and Health Branch, or organic gardeners’ or growers’ group near you and make contact. They can let you know what’s happening locally and they usually meet regularly, often host talks and workshops, and are founts of organic-related knowledge.

Find out what programmes your local council offers. The Hastings District Council, for example, supports a campaign run in conjunction with the Sustaining Hawke’s Bay Trust, which provides information and assistance for sustainable living, including organic gardening courses (www.susd.org.nz).

WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms)

Every year thousands of young backpackers come to New Zealand, and as part of their travel experience, go ‘wwoofing’. This is a worldwide intercultural movement whereby voluntary labour is exchanged for board and an organic learning experience. There are currently about 1400 registered hosts in New Zealand, from large organic farms, orchards and vineyards to small family holdings, eco-communities and urban gardens, covering the gamut of ecological practice.

Wwoofing is a wonderful opportunity to explore organic living in action and offers a kind of journeyman apprenticeship for those willing and able. WWOOF is open to all people over the age of 16, including the locals. See www.wwoof.co.nz.

Permaculture

‘Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.’ (Bill Mollison) Permaculture Design Certificate courses can be taught as intensive 12-day courses, in blocks or over a couple of months, and are held all around the country. See www.permaculture.org.nz for courses and events, and a list of regional permaculture groups and teachers.

Apprenticeships in sustainable living

The Koanga Institute, in Wairoa, is committed to protecting and developing our cultural heritage food plants through practice, education and research into the broader aspects of sustainable ‘human ecology’. They run a one-year, possible three-year, apprenticeship programme specialising in one of four areas: permaculture design, small farms and wild harvesting, nutrient-dense food production, or building techniques and appropriate technology. Alongside this, the Koanga Diploma in Sustainable Living will be offered for the first time next year (www.koanga.org.nz).

Māori organics

Te Waka Kai Ora (the Māori Organics Authority of Aotearoa) is one of the facilitators of the Maara Kai (community gardens) project, which assists with education, coaching and networking opportunities for whānau to become more self-reliant in growing their own food and rongoa (medicines). To find out more about Maara Kai and/or about becoming verified under the Hua Parakore (pure product) Māori organic growing system, contact www.tewakakaiora.co.nz.

More formally, Te Whare Wananga o Raukawa in Ōtaki has a paper on Maara Kai as part of its Kaitiakitanga Putaiao programme, a NZQA one-year diploma or three-year bachelor’s degree on sustainable environmental practice from a te ao Māori worldview (www.wananga.com).

Biological farming

Biological, or carbon, farming is a ‘soils first’ approach to agricultural management, encouraging healthy soil microbial and mineral balance for healthier, more resilient and sustainable crops. See the Association of Biological Farmers (www.biologicalfarmers.co.nz) for resources, workshops and services, including farm consultations.

Biodynamics

Biodynamics is a holistic system of agriculture initiated by Rudolf Steiner. In addition to the usual organic practices, biodynamic methods include the use of special plant, animal and mineral preparations; working with planetary influences and the rhythms of the moon and sun.

For information, upcoming workshops and events, and for a list of regional groups and contacts, turn to the Bio Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association of NZ (www.biodynamic.org.nz).

Taruna College, Havelock North, has been a centre of life-changing adult education for almost 30 years. Their Certificate in Applied Organics and Biodynamics (NZQA level 4) has been designed as a part-time, 33-week distance programme for people actively involved in commercial agriculture and horticulture, with a new programme catering for viticulturalists now based in Marlborough. It is particularly suited to farmers and growers intending to convert their enterprise to organics/biodynamics, and/or wishing to work towards organic/biodynamic certification (www.taruna.ac.nz).

The Biological Husbandry Unit (BHU)

The Biological Husbandry Unit (established in 1976; a charitable trust since 2001) is located at Lincoln University on 10 hectares of certified organic gardens and orchards. Its aim is to promote organics through research, demonstration and education (www.bhu.co.nz).

The Organic Training College within BHU runs two year-long courses. The first year is a basic introduction to the fundamentals of organics (National Certificate in Horticulture, level 2 and Telford Division Certificate in Organics, level 3), and the second applied year includes their Stepping Stone Programme, in which students use the BHU land and greenhouse facilities to grow their own produce under the mentorship of experienced supervisors (National Certificate in Horticulture, level 4).

The College also delivers a winter course in sustainable farm management (Telford Division Certificate in Farm Management, level 3) as well as practical workshops and short courses. Contact: 03 325 3684, college@bhu.co.nz.

Other NZQA certificates

Rawene Learning Centre (Northtec) currently teaches organics, sustainability and permaculture under the umbrella of the National Certificate in Horticulture, levels 2 and 3 (20 weeks, full-time), and is exploring the possibility of an Organic Certificate course for 2012. Contact Kevin: krasmussen@northtec.ac.nz.

Tairawhiti Polytechnic, Gisborne, has a Certificate in Sustainable Horticulture (Sustainable Lifestyle), level 3, which includes organic practice, permaculture, beekeeping and heritage seed propagation (www.tairawhiti.ac.nz).

The Southern Institute of Technology delivers a Certificate in Organic Horticulture (level 3) through its distance learning programme (www.sit.ac.nz).

The Western Institute of Technology, Taranaki, offers Certificates in Organic Horticulture, levels 3 and 4. Each course is studied part-time over one year (www.witt.ac.nz).

Agriculture New Zealand also provides a Certificate in Organic Horticulture, both at level 3 and level 4. Their Go Organic courses run part-time over 12 months and are suitable for keen gardeners, lifestyle block owners and professional growers and farmers. Courses are offered, depending on interest, in 16 locations nationwide. Call 0800 475 455 or emailagnztraining@pggwrightson.co.nz.

Study at tertiary level

Brendan Hoare observes after 25 years’ involvement in organic education, that funding and support for organic courses in tertiary institutions has been gradually withdrawn in recent years, both here and overseas. In New Zealand, there is very little for undergraduate students, and certainly not for post-graduates, that is specifically organic.

Lincoln University offers two papers on the ‘Science and practice of organics’ at degree level, and under the umbrella of a Graduate Diploma or Masters of Applied Science students can structure their course content around organics (emailRoddy.Hale@lincoln.ac.nz) – other universities may offer similar options. However, Brendan recommends that those wishing to study organics at tertiary level seriously consider studying in ‘hotspots’ overseas.

In Australia, Charles Sturt University offers a Bachelor in Ecological Agricultural Systems and a Master and Doctor in Sustainable Agriculture, all of which can be studied extramurally (www.csu.edu.au). Both the University of Western Australia and University of New England have organic units within their Masters of Agriculture programmes, and options for organic research at PhD level. Further afield, the USA has a variety of tertiary programmes (see www.attra.ncat.org/education.html), and Germany’s University of Kassel has a department of Organic Agricultural Sciences (www.uni-kassel.de/agrar), which runs a very respected dual bachelor’s and master’s programme.

The website for the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (www.ifoam.org) is a rich resource of research articles and links, as is the Journal of Organic Systems (www.organic-systems.org), a peer-review journal for researchers in the Australasia–Pacific region. It is worth sleuthing to find out who is doing research in your field of interest, where they are based, and what study options are available there.

Learning from your own land

It is also worth remembering that the best teacher on organics you will probably find is your very own garden, orchard or farm, if you are willing to engage your senses, your powers of observation and to learn through action and inquiry.

Bridget Freeman Rock works with words and community in Hawke’s Bay, between caring for her children and co-creating an oasis of sustainable family living.

GE Free Field NZ

GE in NZ: Trials and errors

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Claire Bleakley provides an overview of the main field trials of genetically engineered animals and plants in New Zealand over the past two decades, with a focus on the recent acceleration of GE animal experimentation

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What a beautiful country we live in, promoted as clean, green and 100% pure. We have innovation, expertise and wild places. Our country has great potential to become an organic nation providing New Zealanders and the world with safe, healthy GE-free foods.

The government budget in May ignored the immense contribution that organics is giving the nation, but increased funding to GE sector. Why?

Background

As early as 1988 GE field trials were carried out by Lincoln University and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) on broccoli, goats, sheep, and potatoes in the Lincoln region. These trials were approved by the Interim Assessment Group (IAG), which assessed GE organisms prior to the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act being passed in 1996.

The HSNO Act is administered by the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA). Anyone who wants to introduce new organisms (non-GE and GE) in New Zealand has to apply to ERMA for approval.

After the 1992 outbreak of BSE in Britain, biotech company PPL relocated to New Zealand to create sheep engineered with a human gene for cystic fibrosis (hAAT). Environment Minister Simon Upton at first turned down the request, as New Zealand then had no laws around GE technology.

In 1994 PPL set up a flock of sheep under IAG approval in Whakamaru. Up to 10,000 conventional ewes were mated with GE rams in order to produce human alpha-1 antitrypsin (hAAT) protein for cystic fibrosis sufferers in the milk of their progeny. The sheep were East Friesians, chosen for their high milk and lambing percentage. But lambing rates were low (6%) and the GE sheep were susceptible to disease and arthritis.

Bayer conducted clinical trials on humans using PPL’s hAAT protein. These were stopped six months into the trials because of immune system and respiratory problems experienced by the participants, and this bankrupted PPL. The 3000 GE sheep were incinerated and buried in the paddock.

The government-owned Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) have approvals for thousands of indoor laboratory experiments to create GE animals and plants. AgResearch joined the outdoor ‘biotechnology revolution’ at their Ruakura site on 200 acres in 2000. Across its many campuses, AgResearch has approval to genetically engineer a wide range of forage legumes, grasses and vegetable plants in laboratory containment and glasshouses. The reason that these are not being trialled in the field is that ‘the climate in New Zealand is not favourable’ to outdoor experiments and they are waiting for a change in opposition to outdoor GE trials.

Past field trials

In 2001 a HortResearch trial in Kerikeri on tamarillos genetically engineered to be resistant to mosaic virus ended. GE-Free Northland raised concerns to the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification about the persistence of GE DNA in soil biota, and as a result the Commission recommended post-trial monitoring.

In 2003 Scion (previously the Forest Research Institute) gained approval to field trial GE pine and spruce trees carrying reproductive-altering and herbicide-resistant traits. Breaches in facility maintenance were publicised by Soil & Health spokesman Steffan Browning in the media, including Organic NZ. This led to a person or persons entering the facility and cutting down 19 trees. The trial ended in 2008 but gained further approval in 2009. Another new application for 4000 GE pine trees is being sought by Scion.

In 2004, Crop and Food with partner Seminis (a subsidiary of Monsanto) gained approval for a GE onion field trial at Lincoln. The trials did not perform as expected as the GE onions were infested with thrips and the bulbs did not store well, and the trial ended early. A 2006 application for garlic, onions, leeks and other alliums is on hold.

Crop and Food (now part of Plant and Food) received approval in 2007 to trial GE brassicas (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale) that would produce an insecticide (Cry) gene. This trial, conducted at a secret location in Lincoln, breached regulatory controls after only four months, and in 2008 a flowering plant was discovered from unchecked regrowth and publicised by Steffan Browning. The breach was so serious that Plant and Food and MAF-Biosecurity NZ closed down the trial site. There are no field trials running in the area at the moment.

Failure of GE worldwide

Over the last decade international research results have documented a rise in weed resistance, insect tolerance, and failure of GE crop yields leading to farmer suicides. Animal GE feeding studies are showing adverse effects on kidneys, liver, heart and blood, changes to the immune system, with death and sterility being common. This poses a serious safety warning for us and future generations. There are still no diagnostic tools for GE adverse events that health professionals can carry out.

GE animal suffering

The New Zealand Government, through AgResearch, has relentlessly pursued GE animal production and entered into partnership deals with overseas companies (Genzyme Transgenic Corporation and Pharming NV) to produce a wide range of GE products. These partnerships were signed amid controversy over the high level of animal suffering and deformities that the technology creates.

Dolly the sheep (a clone) had arthritis and died of lung cancer at six years old.  AgResearch’s GE animals have a poor pregnancy to term rate (0–8%) and the calves and cows suffer both congenital and intergenerational abnormalities. For example, in the first-year (2007) cows carrying embryos engineered with a follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) gene all aborted. Transgenic cells were harvested from aborted foetuses, and from approximately 200 embryo transfers there were only four calves born carrying the FSH gene. At six months, three calves were dead, two from uterine artery hemorrhage and ovarian rupture, and one was euthanased.1 1 Autopsies revealed abnormal enlargement (hyper-stimulation) of the ovaries. The survivor has bone growth abnormalities.

Over the past decade, hundreds of GE animal embryo transfers have been made.

GE animals anywhere, any time, forever?

Last year GE Free NZ successfully challenged in the High Court a large, four-stage application by AgResearch for GE animal trials (see sidebar – point 4), but this was overturned on appeal. The extreme application basically seeks to be able to run GE trials on animals anywhere, any time, and if it’s approved AgResearch would never need to reapply for an approval for GE animals again. The application is now postponed until August after ERMA staff recommended that it be declined, and is at the Supreme Court for leave to be heard.

In November 2009, ERMA approved an indoor development of sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens and guinea pigs, all extremely similar to the illegal application. In March this year, approval was given to allow the GE outdoor development of cattle, sheep and goats. These applications have been further challenged in the High Court by GE Free NZ.

The next onslaught of GE field trials planned is a vast range of fodder crops and grasses (see sidebar), and GE ryegrass is on the field test horizon (for more on ryegrass, see the article on page 56). We already have traditionally-bred grass cultivars that are producing excellent results and contain many of the same qualities for high sugar and drought resistance that are hoped for from genetic engineering.

Drop GE, focus on ethics, biodiversity and organics

We cannot allow animal suffering to be perpetuated further, especially when the potential products are already being created in safer and less risky conditions of vat fermentation, for example – insulin.

It is arrogant and stupid to presume that we can create one grass type to outperform and provide all nutritional needs for our stock. Reliance on one type of fodder, such as GE ryegrass, will cause serious nutritional depletion and increased susceptibility to diseases. Fodder diversity and traditional herbal leys are essential to good farming.

At the moment New Zealanders are under extreme pressure to drop their GE-free brand. This means giving away the quality and safety we currently have in our food and environment. We must remember our brand and our country are special and coveted. We can still make New Zealand organic by 2020 if we resist the pressure and focus on what we have always done best: safe, high quality food, grass-fed farming, selective breeding and build on our renowned organic sector that is growing exponentially.

Thanks to Steffan Browning and to Susie Lees for their input into this article.

Deformities in AgResearch’s GE calves

Internal organ problems

  • Uninflated lungs
  • Lack of diaphragm
  • No bladder
  • Congenital heart abnormalities
  • Bladder and pericardia fused
  • Excessive abdominal fluid
  • Ovarian and uterine deformities
  • Squamous cell carcinoma
  • Endocrine disruption

Deformities in limbs

  • Clubfoot and fused neck
  • Rear fetlocks bent back
  • Severe contraction of tendons
  • Early fusion of bone growth plates

Source: AgResearch Annual Report 2000–09

Status of AgResearch GE programme at Ruakura

Application codeGE organism / therapeutic proteinApplication status as at 2009; notes
1. GMF980092   Approved 1999 for 5 yrs (Nov 1999–2004) Approved May 2001–2006Outdoor field trial (200 acres) of cattle genetically engineered with the following proteins.March 2010: ERMA extended application without public input
(1) Casein plus (+) extra casein protein gene added.63 cows
(2) Beta lactoglobulin minus (BLG-)No viable GE embryo created   No animals exist
(3) Myelin basic protein (MBP) – protein for multiple sclerosis4 cows
3. GMD020283   Approved 2002 for 7.5 years. 2002–2009Outdoor field trial of GE cattle using human genesAs per GMF98009 above
(1) Lactoferrin (from human breast milk)23 cows
(2) Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) – fertility hormone.1 cow remaining (2 sudden deaths from ruptured ovaries and 1 euthanased)
4. GMC070124   GMD07074 GMF07001 GMD08012 under considerationFor GE animals, to   import develop, indoor/outdoor field test with a range of genetic engineering techniques for research, breeding and production of potential commercial products. Anywhere, any time, forever.AgResearch has withdrawn the applications until August to consult with stakeholders to consider options. ERMA NZ Evaluation and Review report recommended the applications be declined.
5. ERMA2002235 Approved 13 April 2010 for 20 years. (2010–2030)Outdoor containment to create GE goats, sheep and cattle with human therapeutic proteins, or with altered protein levels.Approved, but not in operation yet. AgResearch is discussing with MAF which cattle will be held under this approval.
6. GMD 090116 Ruakura and Palmerston North Approved 25 Nov 2009Indoor containment of GE cats, dogs, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, cattle, possums, guinea pigs, rabbits, rats, mice, human cell lines, E-coli.GE Free NZ applied for a reassessment of this trial but was turned down. Laboratory work unlimited and forever.
7. GMD 090177 13 April 2009 –foreverGE plants in indoor containment   Brassica spp. Broccoli, cabbage cauliflower, forage kale, oilseed rape, swede, mustard, turnip, Chinese mustard, cabbage, Thale cress Grasses Tall fescue, ryegrass, darnell, couch, bentgrass, blue grass Barley Wheat: bread, durum Oils Safflower, sunflower Soy bean, sesame Solanum tomato, potato tobacco Legume garden pea, birdsfoot trefoil, lotus, lupin, alfalfa, Clover: red, white, Kenyan, western, rabbits-foot Broom Flowers PetuniaTrials for plant development, metabolic processes, symbiotic relationships and pathogen interactions for the development of novel gene delivery systems and plant-based biotechnologies. GE ryegrass field trial signalled for 2013.

GM or GE?

The terms GE (genetically engineered) and GM (genetically modified) are often used interchangeably but this is confusing as all GE crops are GM, but not all GM crops are GE.

Genetic modification (GM)

GM the alteration of an organism’s genes made through traditional or hybrid breeding, mutagenesis or genetic engineering. Yeasts and yoghurt are often used as an example of the thousands of years humans have been using GM.

Genetic engineering (GE)

GE (or recombinant DNA technology), including transgenics and cisgenics, is the creation of a synthetic gene from related and/or unrelated organisms through splicing together bacterial, viral, animal or plant genes.

Techniques of genetic engineering include, but are not limited to: recombinant DNA, cell fusion, micro and macro injection, encapsulation, gene deletion, and doubling.

GE Free NZ

GE Free NZ is a not-for-profit organisation. We have been successful in raising the awareness of the risks that genetic engineering brings to our economy, health and environment. Please support us by becoming a member or donating towards our legal expenses.

Go to http://www.gefree.org.nz to join us and see our press releases and past actions, and join us on the GE Free NZ in Food and Environment Facebook page.

References

  1. ‘Mutant cows die in GM trial’ www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10642031; AgResearch Annual Report to ERMA New Zealand, 31 December 2009
  2. www.ermanz.govt.nz/Find/WebResults.aspx?Search=GMF98009
  3. www.ermanz.govt.nz/Find/WebResults.aspx?Search=GMD02028
  4. www.ermanz.govt.nz/find/WebResults.aspx?search=erma200417
  5. www.ermanz.govt.nz/Find/WebResults.aspx?Search=ERMA200223
  6. www.ermanz.govt.nz/Find/WebResults.aspx?Search=GMD09011
  7. www.ermanz.govt.nz/Find/WebResults.aspx?Search=GMD09017

Claire Bleakley is president of GE Free NZ (in food and environment).

Safe food policy

Safe food storage: healthy options for food packaging and storage

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Kyra Xavia investigates at the health risks of plastic used for food packaging and storage, and offers suggestions for healthy alternatives

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Plastic pervades every area of our life. Unfortunately it also permeates our body where it does not belong. As consumers we assume packaging materials are safe but what’s being uncovered does not look safe at all.

So far bisphenol A (BPA), styrene and families of chemicals called pthalates, (there isn’t enough room to list them individually), adipates, organohalogens, nonylphenols, and heavy metals, have all been identified as having detrimental effects on health. Vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen, is used to produce polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

Despite mounting scientific evidence and consumer concerns, these substances are still used in packaging that is supposed to keep our food safe. Plastic packaging is used because it’s inexpensive, light, durable, liquid and grease resistant. Packaged products have a long shelf life and are easier and cheaper to transport. Unfortunately our dependence on plastics comes with a high cost to our health and the environment.

Why are plastics nasty?

Some plastics are hardened and are less reactive but the majority of plastics used in packaging leach chemicals, whether from the plastic itself, synthetic antioxidants it has been coated with, residue from production, or numerous additives that give it ‘desirable’ properties. Claims plastics are safe because only minute amounts of these chemicals migrate into food and liquid (measured in parts per million) are based on flawed reasoning.

Traditional toxicology assumes the higher the dose the higher the effect. At low doses, there is a point at which no observable adverse effect occurs, known in scientific circles as the ‘no observable adverse effect level’ (NOAEL). But the disruption of the body’s sensitive hormonal system can occur at doses far below the NOAEL, and the existing safety assessment framework for chemicals is ill-equipped to deal with hormone mimicking substances found in plastics.

Some chemicals increase in toxicity when combined and no one knows the effects of these unlimited combinations. Testing does not account for the effects of simultaneous exposure to many chemicals and may lead to serious underestimations of risk.

One controversial fact remains: food and drink packaged in plastic becomes contaminated to some degree. Up until April 2002 the FDA called these plastics ‘indirect food additives’ which acknowledged they migrate into the products they come into contact with. In April 2002, this was changed to a more benign term, ‘food contact substances’.

Hazardous to the hormone system

Probably the most talked-about compounds in plastics are xenoestrogens, which were investigated and documented in the book Our Stolen Future. Since then numerous scientific studies have linked xenoestrogens with cancer and other illnesses.

Xenoestrogens are now more commonly called endocrine disruptors because these chemicals affect the body’s endocrine system, which includes the pituitary, thymus, thyroid, adrenal, pancreas and ovaries and testes glands. The endocrine system regulates the body in extremely complex and subtle ways, which is why endocrine disruptors have such wide-ranging harmful impacts. Most importantly cell division, development and growth are negatively interfered with, so those most vulnerable are unborn babies, children and teenagers.

Endocrine disruptors have been implicated in low fertility, insulin resistance, thyroid dysfunction and type two diabetes in men, endometriosis, breast cancer, polycystic ovarian disease in women, as well as altered germ cell and fetal development, behavioural as well as developmental problems and early onset puberty in children.

Endocrine disruptors accumulate in fatty tissue, and although some substances from plastics may be excreted, their metabolites often have more toxic effects, as is the case with pthalates.

Hidden plastics

Plastics are used in the linings of canned foods and beverages, on bottle tops, in heat-seal coatings on metal foils such as those found on yoghurts, cream and individual portions of milk and in aluminium paper-foil laminates like tetrapaks and also as a component of paper and paperboard in contact with liquid, fatty and dry foods, such as butcher’s paper. Plastics are also used in inks, resins, adhesives, sealants, protective coatings and finishes of food packaging.

Plastic confusion

How many consumers know the names and properties of plastics coded 1 to 7 and their intended uses? To add to the confusion, the recycling number 7 is a catch-all for those plastics not made of resins numbered 1 to 6, or made from a combination of those resins. Products can also be packaged with a combination of plastics.

New ‘bio-plastics’ are being developed with consumer concerns in mind – stay informed if you decide to use them. Some types of polyethylene are biodegradable but require specific environmental conditions in order to decompose. Also the presence of certain additives can prevent the degradation of such plastics. High levels of lead and cobalt have also been detected in some biodegradable plastic shopping bags, which raise concerns about toxic residue in the environment. Some food packaging simply will not decompose. Those that do break down can release toxins that end up in the water, soil and air which go back into the food chain.

Heating, leaching and storage time

Warmth and heating softens and weakens plastics, which accelerates the migration of endocrine disruptors into food. During the canning process high temperatures cause BPA in the plastic lining of cans to be absorbed by food.

Liquids absorb chemicals more readily than dry foods. Oils, and foods with a high fat and oil content, absorb endocrine disruptors from plastics, because oils and fats have an affinity with hormone-like molecules. Acidic food such as citrus, tomatoes and vinegar will also react with plastic.

The duration food and liquids are stored in plastic packaging, plastic lined cans and tetrapaks also determine the amount of chemicals that are absorbed.

The precautionary principle

ALL plastics are unsafe when heated, scratched, worn, broken or tacky to the touch. Plastics release harmful volatile organic compounds and all plastics degrade over time. With scientific evidence stacking up against the safety of plastics, consumers should err on the side of caution and reduce their exposure to plastic as much as possible.

Glass, ceramics, stainless steel (for non-acidic items), uncoated cardboard, unbleached paper and cheesecloth are inert and will NOT react with the food and liquids they come in contact with.

Reduce your exposure to plastics

Shopping
  • Ask shops to supply paper bags.
  • Choose loose items instead of those in plastic bags, and put them in paper bags.
  • Select loose dry foods from bulk bins and use paper bags instead of plastic.
  • Choose items packaged in glass over those in plastic, especially fruit juices, tomatoes and products containing vinegar.
  • Avoid canned food, especially canned tomatoes and citrus fruit.
  • Avoid beverages in cans.
  • Avoid butter and oil-based spreads sold in plastic containers.
  • Buy butter wrapped in waxed paper at your local organic outlet or delicatessen.
  • Check expiry dates – fresher products will have less time exposed to plastic.
  • Buy cheese and meat cut to order from the deli or butcher. Get it wrapped in plain, uncoated paper (butcher paper is often coated with shiny, waterproof PVC).
  • Avoid foil-lined tetrapaks and foil laminated sachets as these are often coated with polyethylene on the inside.
  • Shop at outlets that provide recycled glass containers for refilling liquids.

At home

  • Serve food and drinks from ceramic, glass, stainless steel, natural bamboo and wood.
  • Replace items stored in plastic into glass or ceramic containers once you get home. Farmers retail outlets stock a range of glassware with plastic lids imported from France called Frigoverre. Ensure the food inside doesn’t touch the lid.
  • Use unbleached cheesecloth to wrap items that need protection in the fridge. For those that need to be kept moist, wrap with damp cheesecloth. The cloth can be washed and reused many times.
  • Avoid any form of plastic when thawing, microwaving or reheating food.
  • Use a plain paper towel, preferably unbleached, to cover food in the microwave instead of plastic wrap.
  • Ceramic and glass containers are best for microwave use.
  • Use glass, ceramic or stainless steel bowls for mixing and baking.
  • Avoid electric plastic mixers. Use a glass bowl with a stainless steel handheld barmix or eggbeater.
  • Wooden cutting boards are preferable to plastic.
  • Squeeze your own juice instead of buying it in plastic bottles.
  • Buy fresh produce instead of using pre-cut/frozen vegetables and fruits.
  • Dispose of scratched, cloudy, sticky, worn and damaged plastic utensils and bowls.
  • Invest in quality cast iron or stainless steel cookware, pyrex glass and ceramics. These should last a lifetime.

For your baby

  • Glass baby bottles are safest. They won’t leach any chemicals when washed, heated or scratched.
  • Store breastmilk in glass in the fridge with a tight screwcap lid.
  • Choose baby food in glass jars instead of cans, plastic and foil sachets.
  • The best baby food is homemade from fresh organic vegetables, fruit and meat. Store in glass in the fridge and serve from ceramic plates. Avoid plastic cutlery.
Healthy drinking
  • Avoid large clear polycarbonate containers of distilled water. They leach BPA. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic water bottles are BPA-free but should only be used once.
  • Avoid buying plastic bottled water altogether.
  • Invest in a quality water filter and fill your own safe containers.
  • Use glass bottles or lightweight stainless steel drinking canisters with stainless steel tops (e.g. from www.ecotanka.com).
  • Fill up on spring water if you have a safe local source (such as that available on tap outside Speight’s Brewery in Dunedin).
  • Avoid drinking water from plastic containers left in cars or warm environments.
  • Avoid drinking hot drinks in polystyrene cups.
  • Replace plastic electric jugs with stainless steel ones.
  • When using tap water (especially if you don’t have a water filter), run the water for a few minutes, particularly in the morning. Most water pipes are made with unsafe PVC.
School lunches and picnics
  • Avoid clingwrap made from PVC, and check with manufacturers that E320 butylated hydroxy-anisole (BHA) and E321 butylated hydroxy-toluene (BHT) aren’t used.
  • Invest in long lasting recyclable cloth fabric wraps and snack bags lined with bio-plastic from 4yourearth (www.4myearth.co.nz ). Wrap food with a handy towel before putting inside.
  • For picnics use disposable plates, cups, cutlery, serving utensils and dishes made from bamboo fibre, cardboard and starch.

References

  1. Lougheed, T, ‘Outside Looking In: Understanding the role of science in regulation’, Environ Health Perspect 117:A104-A110, 2009
  2. Colborn, Theo, Dianne Dumanoski and John Peterson Myers, Our stolen future: Are we threatening our fertility, intelligence, and survival? A scientific detective story, New York, Dutton, 1996, www.ourstolenfuture.org
  3. The Prague Declaration on Endocrine Disruption. In June 2005, over 100 research scientists from 15 countries actively involved in research on endocrine disruptors issued a joint, signed statement raising concerns about endocrine disruption.
  4. National Toxicology Program, Department of Health and Human Science, Substance Profiles: Vinyl Chloride, in Report on Carcinogens, eleventh edition, http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/eleventh/profiles/s186viny.pdf
  5. Krimsky, Sheldon, Hormonal Chaos: The scientific and social origins of the environmental endocrine hypothesis, Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000
  6. Phillips, ML, ‘Phthalates and Metabolism: Exposure correlates with obesity and diabetes in men’, Environ Health Perspect 115:A312–A312, 2007
  7. Renner, R, ‘New Phthalate Link?: DEHP metabolites and altered thyroid hormone levels in men’, Environ Health Perspect 115:A363–A363, 2007
  8. Weinhold, B, ‘Gamete Gamble: Phthalate alters germ cell development’, Environ Health Perspect 117:A33–A33, 2009
  9. Tillett, T, ‘Bisphenol A, Chapter 2: New data shed light on exposure, potential bioaccumulation’, Environ Health Perspect 117:A210–A210, 2009
  10. Guenther, K et al, ‘Endocrine Disrupting Nonylphenols Are Ubiquitous in Food’ Environ. Sci. Technol. 36(8), pp 1676–1680, 2002
  11. Marla Cone, ‘Chemical in plastic may harm children’, Los Angeles Times, 16 April 2008
  12. Fred Pearce, ‘Biodegradable plastic bags carry more ecological harm than good’, The Guardian, 18 June 2009
  13. McGovern, V, ‘Polycarbonate Plastics and Human BPA Exposure: Urinary levels rise with use of drinking bottles’, Environ Health Perspect 117:A406–A406, 2009

Power-down pioneer: cycling for change

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Joseph Dougherty introduces Ted Howard, a champion of ‘powering down’, of social change directed at encouraging greater sustainability.

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Ted Howard is an inspiring example of how someone can make the transition away from a fossil-fuelpowered lifestyle. He runs two businesses: a permaculture gardening business and a kite sales business; both off the back of his bike.

That’s right, his bike! He transports gardening materials like hay bales on his bike and carries his kite stock and stall gear for his spot at the Nelson market on his bike and bike trailer. He can do this because he has an unusual bike with extra space for gear.

He was not a constant cyclist nor super strong prior to taking this up. In fact, Ted is in his fifties and took up cycling seriously in his mid-forties and says he wasn’t fit when he did it.

Pulling heavy gear around and gardening all day takes fitness though – or perhaps it creates it. Ted says he got into gardening because “there was nothing like putting my hands into the dirt to help dealing with the grief of living in a dominant insane culture that is heading towards collapse.” Three years ago he needed to get out of his shop selling kites full-time.

Maybe it was his awareness of the impending end of cheap oil and the potential collapse of the biosphere that pushed him out of that comfortable carseat and onto his challenging bike seat.

Now, he delights in challenging others: appearing with incredible loads (like ladders and weedeaters) or leaving the supermarket with his bike seriously loaded up and thinking “Every day, it’s like an adventure: ‘what can I carry today?’ and ‘how can I mess with people’s heads?’”

He got into permaculture because it gave him a way to integrate his knowledge and make sense of it. Ted has not only completed a Permaculture Design Course, but helped out at three subsequent courses, and given talks at others on his lifestyle and demonstrating how it is made possible by his amazing bike, which is where I met him. It certainly garnered full attention from the permaculture students.

He also continues learning: he upskills himself as he works, slapping headphones on and listening to tapes of lectures and audio books while using power tools.

When Ted started his permaculture gardening business he was leaping into risky territory. He only had a couple of clients, he wasn’t that fit, his vehicle was a bike, he didn’t have formal horticulture qualifications (at least not initially).

So what made it work? Contacts and optimism. Being involved in Transition Nelson and several subgroups, as well as Bike Nelson Bays, Friends of Nelson Haven and more – he has contacts. He asked friends if they knew anyone who needed garden work done and here is where being involved in your community helps out – enough work has turned up to not only keep him almost 100% financially supported by work he can do off his bike.

His vision is that these networks will be able to provide enough work to sustain all the gardening members of the Transition Nelson Permaculture Group, which fits into the cultural transition Ted believes is essential we make: connecting and supporting each other.

“We need to ‘power down’, go from being Homo colossus, used to being able to move all over the place in our little cages, to learning energy accounting and taking steps like using ‘e-assist’ on bikes to help the transition to animal power or walking as means of transport,” says Ted.

“I am moving gradually in the direction of becoming a city farmer – I am changing. We need to become a land-based culture, and permaculture gives us tools to do this.”

For all of us who flinch in the face of the challenging changes we need to make to move towards sustainability, people like Ted are showing us we can. Even in midlife, even without great physical prowess, we can adopt far more physically demanding lifestyles. And more satisfying lifestyles.

As Ted observes: “I am having fun in a garden and upskilling, connecting to my community, and people are paying me.”

Ted’s bike

Ted’s bike is a Kona Caldera with Xtracycle extensions. Xtracycles, like Yuba Mundos, are ‘cargo’ or ‘utility’ bikes, with extended wheel bases and strong chassis and strong panniers to which one can strap heavy (up to 150 kg) or large loads like long ladders, machinery and 2–3 people.

But of course, I must mention that Ted has a special helper for his bike for when conditions get tough. A helper named ‘Stoke Monkey’, a tiny electric motor (or ‘e-assist’) bolted on to the frame which helps riders with loads keep going at reasonable speeds, even on hills. The engine and battery add 20 kg to the bike’s weight, so how useful is it? “Going up steep hills loaded without ‘e-assist’ is impossible for me,” says Ted. It probably isn’t on the cards for most of us, so it makes gardening off a bike in hilly places feasible. Anyway, studies considering embodied energy show that an ‘e-assist’ bicycle is 2–4 times more efficient use of energy than just pedalling if you source your food via the supermarkets, and 1–2 times more efficient if you grow your own. (See http://clevercycles.com/p=125).

As for maintenance and costs thereof, “I’ve had no problems with the engine in two years,” says Ted. The battery is a nickel/metal hybrid which takes a couple of hours to recharge, will last 300–400 recharges and gives stable performance. As Nelson is mainly flat, Ted doesn’t need to use the ‘e-assist’ all the time.

His bike and gear did cost a bit though – over $4000. Helpfully, the Xtracycle is a kit you can fit to an existing mountain bike, and modify if necessary to take the extra strains of signifi can’t loads, as Ted did.

Yuba Mundos are dedicated cargo bikes and are sold by Stu Edwards of cargobikenz.co.nz in Levin. They are a bit stronger than ordinary mountain bikes and not expensive either, as bikes go. Other options include the Wisper model.

Ted’s winter permaculture garden tips

  • Save seeds
  • Put in winter greens, green cover crops
  • Prune and mulch
  • Build up compost
  • Prepare for planting out fruit and nut trees to keep building edible landscapes
  • Keenly observe natural processes: where is the windy spot, where is the frost damage happening, where is the winter suntrap?
  • Are you collecting enough water?
  • Train! Do a permaculture course!

Links

‘Cargo’ or ‘utility’ bikes and suppliers
www.xtracycle.com
www.southendcycles.co.nz
cleverchimp.com (Stoke Monkey)
cargobikenz.co.nz (Yuba Mundo)
www.electricbikes.co.nz (Wisper model)