A day in Invercargill

Talking to radio Southland: Jo and Mal off the bus talking to Radio Southland about Be The ChangeToday was our first open day in Invercargill but before setting up we started with a visit to Southland Radio and a chat on air with Chris Diack. He runs a network of community radio stations which even extends as far as the North Shore in Auckland and streams to the web via www.theflea.co.nz ... It's got to be said - radio is a great way to get the message out!

Together we did a nice long two hour show where most of the bus crew got to talk about their part in the tour. Thanks Chris - great stuff. Let us know when the podcast is available!

Open day displays: Some of the display material on show during the bus tourThen down to the streets for a day talking to the people of Invercargill about climate change and Be The Change. As well as the on board solar powered web centre (welcome to today’s new Be The Changers!) we’ve got an interactive energy efficiency display. The most popular part of the display is a clever little device showing the difference in energy requirements between CFL bulbs and normal incandescent bulbs.

By cranking a handle attached to a smart drive generator you can flick between the two different types of bulbs and see how much energy is required to charge each of them. The CFL bulb is as easy as pie while the incandescent bulb requires some real effort.

As well as that we’ve got home insulation and a solar water heating displays.

Mayor Tim Shadbolt aboard the Be The Change bus: Jo talks to Mayor Tim Shadbolt aboard the Be The Change bus about Invercargill, climate change and the need for action.Our most well-know visitor today was Mayor Tim Shadbolt who came down to meet the crew and check out the bus. Tim’s favourite project is the Healthy Homes of Te Awarua Runaka that we visited yesterday but he admitted that he and the Invercargill council could be doing more to combat climate change. Tim reckons Invercargill is mostly only one meter above sea level so come on Tim – Be The Change. It’s cold down here, the weather can be extreme and with climate change it can only get worse so let’s see some more initiatives like Healthy Homes.