Editor’s Comment This week I was reminded of my excitement and passion for permaculture. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the subject “Permaculture is a design system based on ethics and principles which can be used to establish, design, manage and improve all efforts made by individuals, households and communities towards a sustainable future.” I borrowed that definition from the Permaculture Principles.com site. My blog on the subject is listed further down, which also includes a link to an amazing You Tube video that truly demonstrates the many environmental and social benefits of applying permaculture principles in cities. If there’s anyone out there who would like to guest blog for Happyzine about their permaculture experiences, I’d love to hear from you. Enjoy the news.Charlotte Squire Good News Roundup Interested in learning Maori? If you’d like to either learn or brush up on some basic te reo skills check out this useful on-line Maori language site for video help with pronounciation and formation of the words. Popular Maori leader Archie Tairoa recenty received his knighthood in a slightly unorthodox manner We’ve featured Tetekura before, she’s an artist – working in a range of mediums including paint, photography and video, check out her Te Ro o Taranaki Digital Story. Next, it’s time for a small dose of fatherly pie eating advice from a police officer in the middle of the night, this is a very sweet video. Onto music now, Auckland’s Britomart Square will play host to its first music festival in February. Laneway Festival on February 1st will be headlined by British post-punk band Echo and the Bunnymen, British act Florence and the Machine, and rowdy New Zealand pop rock band the 3Ds. From festivals to Mayan prophecy, just in case you were wondering, here’s a refreshing take on 2012. It’s official, a Mayan Elder is insisting that 2012 is not the end of the world! And now for the wise words of a Saatchi and Saatchi elder, self proclaimed radical optimist Kevin Robert shares seven ways to ‘win ugly’ with the HSM world business forum. Onto matters of positivity regarding the planet – the 350 Aotearoa project has a large contingent of youth, many of whom are on a mission to create positive environmental progress, check out a Happyzine blog about them here. The story of Sirocco the Kakapo’s affectionate ways atop the head of a BBC reporter has surpassed one million hits, rendering the New Zealand parrot world famous, bringing in much needed donations for thirty five new kakapo chicks that DoC are rearing. It won’t make front page headlines, but sometimes it’s nice to be reminded – the Long Island/Kokomohua Marine Reserve in Queen Charlotte Sound is making encouraging progress. And speaking of making progress, Permaculture is the way of the future – check out the blog that says so and explains why. Finally, Inhabit.com have featured an amazing and inspiring project proposal for 750, 000 abandoned concrete bunkers in Albania which will develop a knew plan for sustainable living. Photo: Inhabitat.com Now updating several times per day, check out: Fuel your lives up with the good-news and help us put Happyzine on the map (each time you click onto our site, we grow stronger). Make Happyzine your homepage and access positive media each time you use the internet. How can we improve Happyzine for you? Let us know – we appreciate all feedback. |
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