Bluff to Wellington and onwards!

Well we're back on the road again after a bit of a break in Christchurch - well actually I'm writing this on the ferry as we cross from Picton to Wellington.

We've been on the go for over two weeks now. Starting in Bluff with a visit to the The 'Healthy Homes' of Te Awarua Runaka, , on to Invercargill for an open day and a chat on the wireless and through to Dunedin for another open day. Then a quick sidetrip over to the Waitati community and the Port Chalmers school (you've got to have a listen to their song).Then Northwards again and a quick stop in Hampden for a chat with Dugald and Rick and through to Lyttelton to visit Mararet Mahy and the folks from Project Port Lyttelton. Had a bit of a rest in Christchurch, took our displays to the market and visited St. Peters Primary.

Two weeks can seem like a long time when you're on the road, living out of a suitcase moving from campground to campground but it has been great. I've enjoyed every minute. We've met some fascinating people and had lots of interesting conversations. Our mission has been to travel the country inspiring people to act but, time and time again, we have ourselves been inspired by people's passion and energy for action.

And we need action because, believe it or not, New Zealand's CO2 emissions are on the rise. A recent UN report shows that New Zealand's greenhouse emissions have increased by 12 percent since 1999 - higher than Australia, the United States and Japan!

The core message of the Be The Change campaign and our bus tour is that individual people can and must take action themselves if we are to deal with the monster that is climate change.

It's true that as a nation we need to change the way we generate electricity and rely on fossil fuels for so many things but, at the same time, real carbon savings can be made by people like you and me. If we all do our bit by changing our light bulbs, insulating our houses and increasing our use of public transport (and the list goes on) we could drastically reduce New Zealand's carbon footprint. The power is in our hands you could say.

We'll be opening up the bus in Civic Square in Wellington on Saturday and Sunday so looking forward to seeing all you Wellingtonians down there!