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When queried, ‘busy’ seems to be the sole descriptor of peoples lives these days. It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about? Festina lente - make haste slowly. An adage suggesting work be performed with a proper balance of urgency and diligence. That if we rush, [...]

Last week David Suzuki, an influential and hugely popular Japanese-Canadian scientist visited New Zealand to deliver a ‘last lecture’ – what he described as a ‘distillation of my life and thoughts, my legacy, what I want to say before I die’. Hardly a cheery key note title, but one filled with honesty and a life of [...]

The van door slid open and out we jumped, tools and plants at the ready, amped to get dirty and dig! On 10/10/10 some students and I joined one of three Garden Gangs, visiting houses and revamping or installing vegetable gardens – one every hour from 9am til 6pm! On-and-off snow made the plantings a little [...]

September, an amazing start to a season of magical transformation, outside and in! These still and pristine bluebird days are contrasted by everything so full of life, bursting with energy, scent and colour. I get so excited about Spring because it means… seedlings! Which means… food! Lots and lots of very good, home-grown food. Yum!

Louis called it – halftime! Looking back through the many folders of photos, it’s hard to believe we’ve come this far in just 6 months. It feels like a good time to check in on why we’re here, and where we’re going, dont you think? Climate I’ve kept the science to a minimum in my [...]

One could browse these blog entries and see seven different people working on seven very separate projects. Learning that we cannot separate one aspect of life from another, however, allows us to see anew the connected story of World of Difference 2010. Catching up with the others through their words confirms we are working collectively. [...]

There ought to be a word for that very real feeling of satisfaction, achievement and self-worth that comes from doing. Be it baking a tasty multigrain loaf, fixing that wonky kitchen draw, climbing to the top of a mountain, or watching a crimson sunset fade with some friends. There is a word for it, though [...]

Crisp 12-degree days are common talk, soup by the fire is an end of day hope and the crunch of frosts under foot brings a simple satisfaction. The start of Winter in the South, I love it! The turn of the month saw a small coastal community open its doors and heart to 65 secondary [...]

I will never forget how I felt the moment that sentence was threaded. It was like a firework of excitement had exploded in my heart. I’m writing this post just hours after rocketing out of 3 phenomenally positive days with the most amazing and inspirational crew of secondary students I think I have ever met! [...]

Smash the Green Box Sustainability. A word often paired with ‘greenie’ or ‘eco’ in conversation. A word that is quite frankly overused. Broadly, it is the capacity to endure. More specifically, it’s the use of ecosystems and their resources in a manner that satisfies our current needs without compromising the needs or options of future [...]