Sustainability Options

Sometimes, a simple thank you becomes something pretty special. 💚

We recently had a new sign arrive at our office, and there’s a lovely story behind it. ⬇

Through our Repair and Maintenance service, we help whānau with practical repairs and improvements to make their homes safer, warmer and healthier. And thanks to the generosity of Winstone Wallboards, we’re able to provide donated GIB to help make essential home repairs and renovations possible for those who need it.

One wonderful whānau we’d been supporting were renovating their home, and we were able to supply them with GIB from Winstone Wallboard to help in their renovation.

When they came to collect it, they had trouble finding our office - so they decided to do something about it! These wonderful artists created a beautiful sign for us and drove all the way from Whakatāne to deliver it. 🥹

With a helping hand from our volunteer builder, Evan Geeves, the sign is now up and looking right at home.

It’s a lovely reminder that when we give forward, kindness has a way of coming back around. Whether it’s donated building materials, the skills of a volunteer, or a helping hand for a whānau doing it tough, every contribution can make a real difference.

A huge thank you to Winstone Wallboards for helping us support whānau through our Repair and Maintenance service, to Evan for helping get our new sign up, and to the wonderful whānau who made it for us. 💚

Ngā mihi nui — we’ll think of you every time we see it!

The Clothing Project is an awesome organisation we’re proud to partner with, helping provide essential clothing and support to local whānau in need. 👚

This Christmas, they’re bringing the community together to make Christmas extra special for two local whānau who have been doing it tough. 🎄💚

They’re looking for support to provide:
🎁 Brand new Christmas gifts for each child
👕 A gift box of clothing and essentials
💚 A little something for the parents/caregivers
🛒 A grocery voucher for each whānau

If you’re keen to help, you can find out more and get involved through The Clothing Project below 👇

https://www.theclothingproject.co.nz/blessing

The Clothing Project is an awesome organisation we’re proud to partner with, helping provide essential clothing and support to local whānau in need. 👚

This Christmas, they’re bringing the community together to make Christmas extra special for two local whānau who have been doing it tough. 🎄💚

They’re looking for support to provide:
🎁 Brand new Christmas gifts for each child
👕 A gift box of clothing and essentials
💚 A little something for the parents/caregivers
🛒 A grocery voucher for each whānau

If you’re keen to help, you can find out more and get involved through The Clothing Project below 👇

https://www.theclothingproject.co.nz/blessing?

We’re loving seeing what Caitlin has been getting up to in the Solomon Islands! 🌏

Caitlin has taken a 12-month break from Sustainability Options to volunteer with VSA (Volunteer Service Abroad), supporting Transparency Solomon Islands with her communications and media experience.

It’s fantastic to see her already getting out into the community, learning from her new colleagues and immersing herself in the local culture.

We’re incredibly proud of Caitlin and excited to follow along with her mahi over the next year. 🌴

Ka pai, Caitlin! 💚

200 people. Six parties. One big conversation about te taiao.

Six party representatives came together with our community to share their party policies on the environmental challenges and opportunities facing Aotearoa.

There was plenty to listen to, think about and take away. We loved seeing so many people in the room show up and engage in the conversation.

This event was made possible by six organisations coming together as part of the Climate Action Festival: Envirohub Bay of Plenty, Tiwaiwaka Aotearoa, Tauranga Moana Biosecurity Capital, Bay Conservation Alliance and Sustainability Options. A big thank you to everyone involved.

Different organisations, different areas of mahi, but a shared belief that what we do today matters for the generations that come after us.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along, to the six candidates for being willing to have the conversation.

It was a good reminder of the value of getting people together, making space to listen, and having the conversations that matter.

🌿 GREEN DRINKS | OCTOBER 29th

This month we are joined by Kat Macmillan, Chair of SAFE, who will share the work SAFE is doing working towards ending animal suffering, as well as exploring the connections between animal agriculture, our environment and human health.

Join us to discuss three big questions:

🐄 Are animals at the centre of the polycrisis?
🌱 Could the New Zealand economy thrive without intensive animal agriculture?
🥗 Could human health benefit from transforming the food system?

With animal agriculture linked to significant environmental impacts across Aotearoa, from greenhouse gas emissions and freshwater degradation to land use, this will be a thought-provoking conversation about the systems that shape our food, our environment and our future.

Come along, grab a drink, and join the kōrero.

📅 Thursday 29 October 2026
⏰ 5.30–7pm
📍 Basestation, 148 Durham Street, Tauranga (Downstairs in the Babbage Space)

🎟️ Free to attend — registration required:
Register for Green Drinks here: https://events.humanitix.com/green-drinks-alhgtj49

Everyone is welcome!

🚲🏃 Spring is here… now we can hopefully start leaving some of those layers at home!

Some of the team have been biking, running and walking to work to make the most of the warmer, longer days.

As spring arrives, it's a great time to think about swapping the car for a bike, walk or bus when you can. 🌱

Less traffic, fewer emissions and a bit more movement in your day. 💚

🏠 Everyone deserves a warm, dry, healthy home.

A few weeks ago, we shared a petition calling for changes to New Zealand’s rental compliance system, including independent certification and regular compliance checks for rental properties.

We wanted to share it again because it’s a conversation we think is worth continuing.

Through our work across the Bay of Plenty, our team sees firsthand the difference that a warmer, drier and healthier home can make for whānau.

The Healthy Homes Standards are an important step towards improving the quality of rental homes. We also believe there is value in considering how we can strengthen the systems that support those standards and give renters confidence that they are being met.

The petition is calling for independent certification and regular compliance audits as one possible way to do this.

If this is something you are interested in, you can read more about the petition and add your voice here:

👉 https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/require-independent-healthy-homes-certification-and-regular-compliance-audits-for-rental-properties

Every signature helps show that healthy homes matter to our communities. 💚

Require independent Healthy Homes certification and regular compliance audits for rental properties In New Zealand, too many people live in cold, damp and mouldy rental homes despite the Healthy Homes Standards. Poor housing affects health, education, employment and wellbeing, while also placing avoidable costs on families and the wider health system. A healthy home should not depend on how confid...

What would it take to fund the future we want?

How we structure our tax system has a significant impact on our communities, our economy and our ability to respond to challenges such as climate change.

This Thursday, Better taxes for a Better Future is hosting Funding Our Future in Tauranga — a practical workshop exploring how better taxes could help fund the things that matter, including schools and hospitals, climate action and a just transition.

The workshop will look at:

💡 The problems with our current tax system and some practical solutions

💬 How to have constructive conversations about tax and bring people along

🌱 How communities can help build support for changes to our tax system

It’s a topic that connects closely with the broader questions we think about at Sustainability Options: what does a fair, sustainable and flourishing future look like — and how do we create the systems to support it?

If tax, sustainability and the future of our economy are topics you’re interested in, this could be a worthwhile conversation to be part of.

📅 Thursday 3 September
⏰ 5:30–7:30pm
📍 Basestation, 148 Durham Street, Tauranga
🍽️ Kai, inu and good vibes provided

Everyone is welcome, but spaces are limited.

Find out more and RSVP: www.bettertaxes.nz/fof_tauranga

Another great Green Drinks! 🥂

Last Thursday we headed beneath the surface of our oceans for an evening exploring the impact of bottom trawling on Aotearoa’s moana.

We were joined by local Tauranga resident Kate Graeme, President of Forest & Bird’s National Board, who unpacked what bottom trawling means for our marine ecosystems, from the scale of the practice in New Zealand to the impacts it can have on the health of our oceans.

With around 68% of New Zealand’s fish caught using bottom trawling, there was plenty to discuss: Is this practice truly sustainable? What does it mean for our marine environment here in the Bay of Plenty? And what alternatives might be possible?

As always, it was an evening full of thoughtful conversation, curiosity and connection, and a great reminder of the importance of understanding what’s happening beneath the surface.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for another thought-provoking Green Drinks!