Kiwis fighting climate change: Small changes can make a big difference

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Kiwis fighting climate change: Small changes can make a big difference

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The world's focus is on climate change and the effect it is having, and will have, on the Earth. Climate change has encouraged people around the country, and the world, to change the way they live for the sake of the planet. From ditching the car for a bike to reducing waste, there are many ways you can do your bit to pitch in. We asked New Zealand what they are doing to adjust their lifestyle. Here are some Kiwis who have adapted their lives, in both minor and major ways, for climate change. READ MORE: * New Zealand's zero carbon bill: much ado about methane * Dairy farmer ambassadors take on climate change * The average Kiwi eats 20kg less red meat amid concerns over sustainability of agriculture * Pure Advantage: Road to a low-carbon economy * Sorry animal farmers pastoral agriculture is a 'flawed' business model * Greenpeace: Cut the cows - a double whammy for the environment No meat, less dairy and smarter travel Some of New Zealand's biggest carbon and methane emissions are from animal agriculture, so we need to reduce our industrial style farming that uses larger and larger herds. As my tiny contribution to this, I have stopped eating meat and I have reduced my intake of milk and other dairy products to about 10 per cent of what I previously consumed. I'm trying to increase my use of public transport and use my car less - it's getting easier in Auckland to do that. I have also bought a bike, but I wish our roads were safer for cyclists. And even if I could afford it, I'm not sure I want to fly long distance anymore. Ultimately though, we need regulation to force airlines, the fossil fuel industry and industrial agriculture to drastically reduce emissions, because individual actions will not be enough. Karen Davis Small lifestyle changes make a big difference I have started cycling to work every day, and I probably only drive about five days a year if it's really raining. My partner and I have been switching to reusable alternatives for everything including bags, coffee cups and drink bottles. We have also switched all of our household and personal products to either Ecostore or Ethique - two amazing New Zealand brands. We have reduced our household meat consumption from every night to one night a week. Stocking up on some good vegetarian cookbooks has helped immensely with this! Alice Kranenburg Change began in the kitchen In our household, we began to decrease the amount of meat we consumed. Eventually due to increasing the number of amazing vegetarian meals we mastered, meat was no longer coming into our house. Two years later and we are meat free about 95 per cent of the time, but we do treat ourselves to a meat treat when we are out and it looks too good to pass up. Along the same line, we are trying to reduce our footprint with food waste. Since moving to an apartment, we no longer have access to a green bin, so we freeze all our food scraps and walk down to the local community garden once a month and let nature do the work for us. Frances Cox We've been making changes for decades We have spent decades making lifestyle changes and protesting. Compost and worm farms were set up immediately in my home and we live by a cycle of reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle and rot. Materials we buy, such as clothes and furnishings, are biodegradable, and we were using lower lead petrol before it was public discussion. We are also active supporters and users of public transport and are making the move to get an electric car. For decades, our gardens have been organic and we had guinea pigs to mow the lawn until we converted it all to gardens and pathways. We have solar water heating, are planning to get solar panels in the future, and have used home ventilation systems to cut our heating and cooling electricity use. We actively support local government changes to minimise landfill through recycling and green waste, and support the water waste plants cleaning up the beaches to make the city people friendly rather than car dominated. We demonstrate to supermarkets their rubbish, especially plastic rubbish creation, by taking every piece of soft plastic to their bins. All paint used on the house are water based and claimed to be eco-friendly and we only use domestic cleaners that are plant-based. We also grow a significant amount of our own food, and the food we buy is mostly organic and local. We have recently changed to a mostly vegan diet for ecological reasons. Caril Cowan Our focus is on children, travel and waste Our house is about 15 metres above sea level, so we should be good for a few more centuries. We walk down to our local Pak 'n Save to get our groceries, compost all of our green waste and fill one rubbish bag every three weeks. We also only fly once a year, and we stopped having children after having two. Tez Hardwick It's a joint effort We own an electric car and have a hybrid as a back up for when we need to take longer or more urgent trips. My husband and I don't eat any meat and I eat minimal dairy. We also hardly ever fly anywhere. Shelley Inon Involving the community to make change Our volunteer group, Low Carbon Kapiti, puts pressure on politicians to take action and promote positive change through creative and fun community projects. Our 200-strong group of volunteers think global and act global. We advocate to councils and central government for the things that will make it easier to reduce emissions and improve our district, such as walking, cycling, public transport, electric vehicles, renewable energy, and native reforestation. I am the chairman of the group and we are an entirely volunteer-run organisation. Jake Roos It's a global plan We offset our household carbon footprint via accredited reforestation schemes such as Carbon Footprint and Cool Earth. We've also set up our own reforestation scheme in Uganda where I grew up. We've decided, with some reluctance, to cut down sharply on meat intake, and (even more reluctantly) to quit holiday flying. I'm also a climate activist with 350 Christchurch and we've been lobbying politicians to commit to effective action - even if it hurts a bit - because we give a damn about the future. We've also been pushing Westpac and ANZ banks to divest from the fossil fuel industries. There is a new global initiative called Extinction Rebellion coming to New Zealand. We can soon expect major pressure to be put on our leaders for effective action. Chris Leaver Stuff Nation