Invercargill Green Drinks

This month's theme: Sustainable Food Movement

Speaker: Rita Lukkien

"Role of permaculture - an example of an urban Invercargill garden"

Rita will give a short talk about the role of permaculture in sustainable food production. Rita and husband Gus have practiced - and taught - permaculture principles for many years in their small, lush and amazingly productive urban garden in Invercargill.

Welcome!

We would also like to take this opportunity to showcase some of the great local food producers we have in Southland, which includes many commercial organic producers, and small scale permaculture gardens! Check them out:

·         A listing of some of our local commercial food producers can be found on

·         www.southlandnz.com/food

·         To meet some of the local producers face to face, the Farmers’ Market at Southland Boys High every Sunday from 9.30am-12.30pm – it’s a great place to be.

·         The South Coast Environment Centre, 154 Palmerston Street, Riverton sells a selection of organic fresh, dry and frozen foods, much of it local. Open 7 days a week. Check their website for this and the many other things they do www.sces.org.nz or call 03 234 8717.

·         The 100% Organic Farmers’ Market is held every Saturday from 10.30 – 12.30 at the South Coast Environment Centre (check with the centre for winter dates) – everything comes within 75km!

·         To learn more from our local permaculture experts and about their regular meetings, contact Rita Lukkien lukkien@xtra.co.nz

·         For anyone looking to lend a hand at the community garden project at Kew can contact Transition Towns Invercargill transitioninvercargill@gmail.com.

·         As part of the theme for this month, you can check out the webcast which was hosted by the Hudson Valley chapter of Green Drinks in New York State on 13 May. This was the annual global Green Drinks get together; we were with them in spirit J

http://hvgreendrinks.org/livewebcast.html

Green Drinks have been going in more than 50 countries around the World, and in 15 towns in New Zealand. Every month people who work in the environmental field or are passionate about the environment and sustainability, meet up at informal social sessions known as Green Drinks.

In Invercargill, we are meeting every last Thursday of the month, at Zookeepers at 5.30 till 7pm, or late.

Come on your own, or with a friend, and just say, "Are you green?" and we will look after you and introduce you to whoever is there and make you welcome.

Check out www.greendrinks.org