Spring Cleaning
What:Envirotainment
Where:Oriental Parade (Freyberg Pool/Mural end)
When: 2.30 till 4.00pm
Facebook event page
Spring has well and truly sprung but the universe is sending mixed messages as usual. Lambton Quay is decorated with slightly over-ripe kowhai trees in full bloom; the petals trampled into the street by the suits, and what's left on the trees disheveled by the spring rains. Confusion reigns, walking down the street one day sans woolly hat, thinking to oneself, "there is nothing like Wellington on a good day" while looking up at the unimpeded blue sky. The next day remembering you still haven't kicked that damn cold, the election date means tis the season for political hoardings to be littering the streets has begun and you really shouldn't be wearing open toed shoes yet because it is raining again.
Sigh.
However, there is nothing like a good Spring clean to mark the change of seasons as Aotearoa doesn't provide us with a clear demarcation. Plenty of Wellingtonians have been cleaning out their closets and attending clothes swapping parties. It wouldn't be stretching it to say that clothes swaps are the new composting.
The growing tribe of urban survivalists, environmentalists, cheapskates, digging for victory types, crafters with attitude etc (I don't think that the term "hippie" really covers it) are part of a wave of changing attitudes about the environment. Either that or we are turning into our nanas, in a good way.
The next thing big thing from the hivemind/noosphere seems to be beach clean ups. It is as if all of those with an environmental cast of mind have put down their knitting in unison and exclaimed, "how about we harness the power of the internet to organise a beach clean up, yes lets!" I have noticed beach cleaning meet-ups sprouting up all over the place. Via facebook I have managed to double book myself for beach cleaning tomorrow and on Intersect, "the social network for young professionals who care about sustainability" they were also pimping an Oriental Bay clean up that is part of a student's final year at Victoria University's school of Art and Design.
Gloves and rubbish bags are provided and she promises the first 50 people:
* Swag bags (reusable earth-day bag) containing...
* Free coffee from 2 of Wellingtons best cafes Peoples Coffee and Milk Crate. Oh yes!
* Latest issue magazine from Forest and Bird.
* Best practice 'fishing/eating guide' of New Zealand.
* A biodegradable water bottle from Life Incorporated
* A one off art piece created for the event (small in nature)
The crew from the facebook group Keep Wellington Beautiful will be meeting at the Zephrometer (corner of Evans Bay and Cobham Drive) at 1.30pm if you want to go all out and make a day of it.
photo info:
Treasure hunt, Lyall Bay beach, Wellington.1975.
Evening Post staff photographer
Reference number: 1/4-022406-F
Film Negative
Evening Post Collection, Photographic Archive, Alexander Turnbull Library
Lampton Quay is decorated with slightly over-ripe kowhai trees in full bloom
Ahh, but the tuis are yumming them up around here.
"Yumming them up", nice phraseology.
Why are they cleaning up Oriental bay ??? As far as I can see it's the cleanest beach in Wellington probably because the WCC has someone there every morning doing the cleaning. What about cleaning a beach that doesn't get the same loving from the council.
I don't know why Oriental Bay. Why not?
Look for rubbish, pick it up.
A simple concept really, what's to bag (except for the rubbish)?
I went to Evans Bay today and we managed to fill five sacks with rubbish, there is a lot of rubbish hiding in crevices if you are looking for it.
There wsa a dead cow on Otaki Beach a few weeks ago - I'd have liked to see someone pick that one up & stash it in their plastic rubbish bag.
It's an odd experience to read this comment after reading the delicious steaks disussion...
Possibly because it's easy to get to, being within walking distance of the CBD. Island, Evans and Lyall bays shuld be reasonably easy to get to by bus, but some of the other popular bays (Worser, Scorching, Owhiro) are tricky at the weekend for those of us without wheels.
Also, an event at Oriental Bay would have a higher profile, since a lot of people would see it going on, thus perhaps helping raise awareness and get people interested in further events at other beaches.
Looks like - according to the organiser's Twitter stream - that the event was postponed to next weekend because of today's high winds.
Not wanting to bag the event at all, but the invitation on the FaceBook page to "Don't be a tosser, come with your friends" is suggestive of a rather different sort of event...
"Don't be a tosser, come with your friends"
Well I definitely needed a hot shower after my efforts perhaps sharing showers will be next big thing? After all of the "clothes swapping" and whatnot......
But seriously, we braved the wind at Evans Bay and it was really fun.
as someone who occasionally swims in oriental bay in summer
i can tell you bit of rubbish float around the foreshore all the time
and bits of plastic bag always need bypassing when swimming
yeah it's not shocking but it's not pretty
especially after it's been windy
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