Energy Efficient

The university of Missouri-Colombia in the US has put out an excellent design for an energy efficient greenhouse. It involves using raised beds to maximise heat received by plants and black drums filled with water that soak up the heat in the day and release it at night.

Foldable Plastic

Dutch designer Daniel Schipper has created a greenhouse design that could possibly be made out of recycled plastics and is also completely foldable.

Plastic Bottles

REAP, a sustainability group in the north of Scotland came up a design based on plastic fizzy drink bottles. They cut the bases out of each bottle and fitted them inside each other along a garden stake. These are then assembled onto a frame. They have put an instruction guide together, and you can get it here. There is also a good photo of it here.

Imagine communities where people know their neighbours and feel a sense of belonging, places where resources and skills are shared, where people grow and share their own food, where people car-pool, walk and bike. Imagine reconnection with neighbours, nature, seasons, healthy food, skills that our grandparents took for granted that we have lost.

- Article from the latest edition of Just Living-

I first got involved in Transition Towns after we went round the neighbourhood introducing ourselves to the new neighbours right after moving into a new house in the centre of Wellington. The spunky guys down the road were really excited about this new movement that seeks creative local responses to the twin challenges of climate change and peak oil.

We’re constantly fed this litany of depressing information, overwhelming, dismal facts about how we’re all stuffed. This gets pretty disempowering because the problems just seem so huge and lots of us just figure, “I’m only one small person and really the politicians / business corporations / exuberant activists are the ones whose responsibility it is to do something about them.”

The Transition Towns initiative gives us the opportunity to say “Hey, what can we do right here in our neighbourhood to respond positively to these problems and actually do something about them?” There’s an amazingly inspiring sense that rather than being a dismally austere place, a lower-energy, more local future could actually be preferable and a much more fun place to live.

Imagine communities where people know their neighbours and feel a sense of belonging, places where resources and skills are shared, where people grow and share their own food, where people car-pool, walk and bike. Imagine reconnection with neighbours, nature, seasons, healthy food, skills that our grandparents took for granted that we have lost.

Transition Towns are local, community based movements trying to find creative, empowering responses to climate change and the end of cheap oil by creating vibrant, resilient communities. Transition initiatives are popping up like mushrooms all over Britain, Australia, Ireland, Wales and New Zealand. There are over 40 groups in New Zealand, and counting.

They are based on Rob Hopkins’ model in his inspiring and easy-to-read 2008 book “The Transition Handbook,” which outlines twelve steps that can be adapted to suit local contexts and priorities, and individual passions and areas of interest. You can buy the book online in various places, including our website, justice.net.nz. For more on Transition Towns, visit transitiontowns.org.nz.

Anne Heins likes her name to be pronounced properly (Ana) and lives in Stillwaters urban community in central Wellington.

- Article from the latest edition of Just Living-

My vision of the future involves empowered communities living in edible landscapes.

I see the transformation of the city into a vibrant, beautiful, sustainable, healthy, playful place to live. I see people redesigning their lifestyles, neighbourhoods, businesses, and cities through fun, practical means. Church groups, primary schools, residents associations, government departments and so on working together as design teams.

Rather than leaving the design and decision-making of our communities up to specialists, I see people empowered to take responsibility and make creative choices about how our neighbourhoods could look, and then being supported to put these plans into action.

I see this transformative environmental education being offered through Urban Permaculture Design Academies.

I see communities in the future that reflect, celebrate and embody the diverse dreams and cultures of their people – that really tap their potential as visionaries and agents of change (no matter how big or small). A key to this is listening and ‘appreciative inquiry’. By focusing on what’s working and what’s possible, rather than what is not, we can acknowledge and appreciate the precious people, stories and resources that make up our communities.

I see regular ‘community conversations’ in which residents talk about what they really like about where they live and how this value could be increased. A group I’m involved in called Four Million Dreams is all about this – having ‘transformative conversations’ about possibility. I see this way of sharing being popularized. Nationwide there would be video submissions about of people’s visions and people in conversations everywhere which tap everyone’s rich stories and connections to culture, place and future hope.

“The rising tide raises all boats” – I see cross sector collaboration in the form of leadership incubator courses, in which motivated people from different sectors take part – arts, environment, social sector and so on. People from community, business and government would come together to work on projects that have multiple benefits.

As a member of Transition Towns Aro Valley Wellington, and owner of Living in the Landscape – Permaculture Design and Training Business, I am actively involved in making this vision a reality.

Transition Towns involve people in learning how they can creatively respond to the challenges of peak oil and climate change and renew and redesign their environment to care for people, and to care for the earth. It’s all about relationships: understanding how natural ecological systems of people, plants, animals, soils, water, air, and sun interact, and actively involving ourselves in that.

The possibilities are enormous if we work together. If we ask “what’s your vision?” and “how can I help?”

Andrew Morrison is a permaculture educator working with others to pioneer tools that enable people to be active citizens, living together with commitment and insight.

I am very privileged to work as a general practitioner. I have a wonderful group of patients, some of whom have been with me for more than a quarter of century, who share their life stories with me. They teach me a lot about living and my work is never boring. However there are are a couple of issues concerning me at present.

Poverty

The first is the limited time we have to deal with complex health issues. For example, there is a lot of talk about our increase in diabetes and obesity. Recently I observed one of our younger doctors’ consultations. A lovely, quietly spoken Polynesian woman came in. She had a badly infected leg, was six months overdue for her diabetes tablets and as a result her recent blood test had shown high sugars which would be causing complications.

The doctor very gently asked the woman about her life and the reason why she had not come back to get her medicines. It emerged that she had 7 children and had to work all day in a factory to supplement her husband’s income. I realised it was not just the cost of coming to the doctor that would be an issue (though this practice had benefited from the increased government funding to high needs areas so fees were low) but she had little time or energy for her own health needs. She would have to get time off from work and find transport to get to the doctor. She would need time and energy to shop wisely for her diabetic diet on a low income and to fit an exercise programme into daylight hours.

Initially I was judging her as a ‘noncompliant patient’. But when I heard her story I could understand better why she seemed to neglect her health – it’s still poverty. As people try to escape financial impoverishment they struggle with time impoverishment. A lot of my patients tell me they have difficulty finding time for their own health needs.

Sometimes by talking about boundaries and engaging agencies which may help we can make differences. The trouble is that in our general practices the time it takes to explore these issues is also a scarce commodity. Good practice nurses who help
us a lot are hard to find, GPs are ageing and becoming scarce too!

The next generation

I am fortunate to be involved in teaching some of our future general practitioners. This year only a fifth of those in my group are NZ-trained, and they are all women. Overseas-trained doctors are wonderful people but many are older and have worked in very different cultures and health care systems.

Where are our NZ-trained doctors, particularly the young men? Some medical students finish training with $70-80,000 loans. They naturally look to a high-paying specialty or go overseas for a higher salary so they can become debt-free sooner. Reducing fees for medical students would help reduce loans. I also suspect that hospital specialisation is perceived as more glamorous and exciting than coal-face general practice – think of all the hospital
based TV dramas!

GPs are now getting better paid with the increase in primary health care funding under our current government. More funding for training is also promised. Nevertheless the low morale in the GP workforce will take a while to recover and there are still issues such as the burden of paperwork which need addressing.

Rewarding

In spite of all that general practice is a very rewarding job. It requires great breadth of knowledge and we deal with very complex medical problems which the hospitals can no longer handle with their limited resources. We can be an advocate for the poor and marginalised. We get to know our patients well over a long period of time and stand with them in their struggles. What is more, we have the example of Jesus himself who dealt with crowds of sick people in their communities with great compassion and wisdom.

So if you are doing medicine I challenge you to look seriously at general practice as a specialty. And next time you go to the GP and you have to wait and they seem to rush you, think of the dwindling workforce and give support to policies which improve funding to GP training and their practices.

Janet lives in Auckland and has worked as a GP in Balmoral Doctors for 26 years. It is an urban, multicultural, group practice. Janet also helps train GPs in the Auckland GP training programme. She worships at St Georges Church in Epsom, Auckland.

My name is Melle Young. I am 26 years old. I’ve never told my story, and it’s hard to know where to begin. Although it’s important for me to focus upon the good things that have happened in the health system for me, my experience has been good and bad.

I grew up in Plimmerton. My stepfather married my mum when I was six, and they remain together.

My experience of the health system began when I was a child. I remember going to a paediatrician regularly from when I was about 5 years old until I was about 10 or 11. At that stage I didn’t really know what that was all about. Things at home weren’t that great, and my mental and behavioural development was a bit screwed.

The people I saw made me feel like there was something wrong with me, like I had ‘special needs’. But I just wanted to be treated as normal – I am normal, I just have issues that I’m trying to sort out. Don’t we all?

I started going to counselling quite young too – in some ways this was helpful, and in other ways it wasn’t. As a teenager, there was one counsellor I didn’t like to see because I felt very uncomfortable – I felt that there was something behind it, and inappropriate things happened. I found the misuse of trust very hard. If there had been more physical distance, I would have felt more comfortable.

A few years back when I was living in Nelson I had quite a bad gambling problem, and to be honest I’m still not out of it yet. Back then I used to go to a support group, and I went to see someone from the Salvation Army for counselling. They really encouraged me to get back in touch with God, which has been an awesome thing. That was the beginning of an amazing relationship, both with God, and with this person who moved from being purely ‘professional’ and became a friend. Friendship and trust are really important in health, and health is about a journey you take together.

When I came back to Wellington I went off the rails. I was at the Soup Kitchen and someone was talking to me about Stillwaters, and this person wouldn’t shut up. So to shut them up I went along, and the rest is history. Through Stillwaters I’ve reconnected back to God, and to my life. The hill to climb is a big one – not just with God stuff but with my health and life. But I’ve realised that faith and health seem really connected to me.

I get access to fantastic health care these days from Te Aro Medical Centre. I’ve got a great doctor. I don’t connect if I don’t trust the health care professional, but I connect with her – I feel that she cares. She’s great – she is patient and she listens and I trust her judgement (and
I don’t trust easily). Whatever my doctor tells me to do or take, I do – and I don’t mind; she’s a good doctor who cares about me, and makes me feel like a person who is valued. I wouldn’t go to anyone else. A lot of people don’t get that experience, so to have it is a real blessing.

I think that some Maori think that it’s harder to access quality health care that makes sense to them in a system that’s mostly about pakeha and run by pakeha, but that hasn’t been my experience. I realise that makes my story a bit different.

Melle Young is Maori, lives in Wellington and is part of the Stillwaters Community – a long running intentional Christian Community based on Cuba Street in the heart of the city.

Stillwaters is a community based ministry group working alongside people on the margins of our society. There are a number of households in the city which aim to connect and build relationships with local people. These homes are open places of hospitality and friendship.

In five years the numbers of New Zealanders aged 80-85 will have increased by nearly a half, and within nine years those aged 65-84 will increase by over one quarter. Naturally some will be in full time care.

An elderly woman bled to death at a Christchurch rest home through inaction by two caregivers and a nurse. No first aid was given. The coroner said that earlier discovery of the bleeding and appropriate action could well have prevented the death. He made recommendations on training and certification for caregivers.

Other complaints about elder care relate to under-dressed patients being left on toilets for hours, one even being fed while naked on a commode. Some institutions restrict patients to two incontinence pads per day. This causes rashes which go unreported and untreated. In one rest home, dementia
patients are slapped on the buttocks whenever pads are changed.

Some patients are fed lying down, making it impossible to swallow. Many are given just three or four mouthfuls of food before the meal is taken away. Consequently patients lose weight, many starve. Some become dehydrated because they forget to drink, or fluid is placed beyond their reach.

Such is the shortage of workers that three of five rest home caregivers who were dismissed after physically abusing patients were re-employed as caregivers elsewhere the following day.

These incidents represent the tip of the iceberg.

Action on Elder Abuse was formed by people concerned about the lack of care, neglect and abuse of people in rest homes, hospitals and home care. We hear from relatives of those in care, doctors, nurses and caregivers.

We acknowledge there are many Registered Nurses and Caregivers giving wonderful care in good facilities. But in others neglect and abuse is common.

Many people are afraid to complain. One lively woman in her late 90s in respite care was concerned at the way she was being treated. She was advised by fellow residents not to complain otherwise the caregivers would start hitting her.

Many disabled people in care, such as stroke victims and dementia patients, are physically unable to speak. Their suffering often goes unnoticed.

What is the problem? Most caregivers have little or no training and are rarely supervised. For many, English is their second language and some are illiterate. How can they possibly read a care plan?

A national training standard is essential to lift the profile of caregivers. A national register of caregivers should be compulsory with on-going training required to retain registration.

Action on Elder Abuse aims to change the health and disability system so the needs of those in care are met and their lives enhanced.

Most of all we believe that everyone should be treated with dignity, understanding and respect and not live nor end their lives in fear because they are
dependent, forgetful, frail or incontinent.

Valerie Scott is based in Wellington and is involved with running Action on Elder Abuse, an advocacy organisation.

“Have you cured anyone today Andrew?” a colleague asks me sometimes in the tearoom. We exchange wry smiles.

A traditional view of the role of a doctor is to heal: diagnose an illness, treat and cure, and restore the person to wellness.But there are challenges to this view. We all die, so if the role of a doctor is to preserve life, then he or she will be ultimatelyunsuccessful. Illness and health are not black and white; all of us have degrees of physical, mental and spiritual wellness balanced with a range of minor or more significant problems. And for some people, and the healthcare professionals that treat them, a cure is not an option.

The role of a palliative care physician is not to cure, but to alleviate pain and treat the complications of a progressive and eventually fatal illness. So it is with the branch of medicine in which I practice: childhood disability. Almost never is the child before me able to be cured, at least not in any conventional sense. My role as a Developmental Paediatrician is firstly to diagnose correctly the condition the child presents with, be it intellectual disability, autism, cerebral palsy, or a range of other physical and developmental problems. Then I assist parents, whanau, and others involved such as therapists and teachers, to make the most of the child’s potential.

Grief-filled journey

Often, the parents’ journey is filled with grief for the loss of the normal child they had hoped for, and exhaustion from the demands of the child’s disability. Perhaps my job is to provide a map for the journey ahead, offer information about the disability and what the future may hold, and help
answer the hard questions about why it has occurred. While there is usually no cure, there are usually a range of treatments, often specific educational approaches and therapies which will promote more normal development and improve the child’s adaptive function and quality of life. Medications to control epilepsy, manage difficult or violent behaviour, treat anxiety, or improve muscle function may be required.

So where does Christian faith fit with the job I do? We know of Jesus the healer and Luke the physician. However, the miraculous healings in the Bible often involve the kind of neurological disabilities I manage but cannot cure. My focus changes to the best scientific evidence-based practice, delivered with compassion, respect, communication, skill and experience. All of these threads are woven together to provide the best possible care consistent with Christian principles.

Advocacy

One of the facets of my work is advocacy, on both a personal and policy level, for disabled children. They probably the most powerless, and therefore vulnerable group in our society, one that has been disproportionately abused or neglected by those who should be caring for them. In the ‘social model’ of disability, an impairment only becomes disabling if the environment is not adapted to it. As an advocate, my role is to try to ensure our society values the humanity in all its members, and to break down the physical and emotional barriers that exclude disabled persons from meeting their potential.

Andrew Marshall works for the Child Development Team at Kenepuru and Wellington Hospitals. He worships at Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, and is a member of the St Paul’s Cathedral Choir.

Life with a son diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder is living with ‘Mental Health’, as each day we experience almost every emotion there is. It’s a roller-coaster. Our whanau suffers and/or breaks collectively, as individuals and as a unit. ‘Mental Health’ shapes our journey on this roller-coaster
called life. We experience the stigma and the understanding, be it positive or otherwise.

I experience a new relationship with a partner who has joined the journey. He is a selfless person who cares unconditionally, provides a new
outlook, and as someone to fully share the ups and downs with has been beneficial to me and Richard.

My health and ability to work has been affected from 25 years of accumulated stress. Chasing things like community services cards and tax credits has added to the stress of living on one low income with a son with schooling/clothing/living needs. Both my husband and I have serious dental needs unattended and both of us wear glasses a few years overdue for testing and updating. Our roof requires replacing due to leaks with hail and wind storms this winter (the insurance company calls this wear and tear). We have had to take out a loan to add to financial stress, not being eligible for emergency relief because we are not on a benefit.

Here are several things I have noticedover 25-odd years. There are a lot of divorced or unsupported aging mothers with a depressed, downtrodden, dowdy look about them. They are mothers of adults with a mental health problem. I have yet to see one who looks dynamic and able to face life
confidently. Health and fitness problems are significant. Their adult child also struggles with health and fitness problems. When one refers to holistic health needs, where is the group that addresses the greater issues for the whole family? Where is the group that doesn’t financially tax all concerned
further? My son has regular blood tests to monitor decreased kidney function and so on. Where are the preventative steps, aside from discontinuing
medications which would cause decreased functioning and creating withdrawal/ relapse issues?

On a positive note, Richard is functioning better. He has been able to abstain from alcohol and drugs for some time now and has given up smoking for about 30 days. I’m rapt.

We are now in the ‘recovery phase’ of the journey. It is not a journey for anyone to travel without a good sense of humour, hope and faith, a tight family unit which is supportive, understanding, and unconditionally loving.

It may sound all doom and gloom but I see light at the end of the tunnel – it has dimmed and flickered throughout the years but is still there!! We live on.

Joan Thomas, who lives in Riverton at present, is of Ngaitahu and Ngatikahungungu descent. She has three sons. She is a nurse by profession with a Bachelor Degree in Nursing and has done Post Graduate studies in Neuro Sciences.

The story (above) was using peace to fight a torchery (abusive, blooded battle) battle for land and sovereignty by the Maori people of Taranaki and also people of other Iwi joined together in Parihaka for the safety of their land. It’s where people of Parihaka including Te Whiti and Tohu were arrested and sent to a place that is presently a High school, University and war memorial museum.

Unjustly accused of breaking the law that failed to show any evidence of wrong, they were held prisoners in Wellington before being shipped to the South Island. They were enslaved and made to build caves used in World War 1 and 2 underneath Taranaki and Buckle Streets to Adelaide road. The area is now known as Massey University, and Wellington high school.

When the Maori prisoners were shipped to the South Island (destination Otago), some died on board the ships. Their bodies were chucked overboard into the sea and no records were kept.

The after-effects are still felt today, in a sense of loss of spiritual connection and misguided Whakapapa (family tree). However there is still a strong opportunity that can be built up through Rangatahi who have a chance – once just a dream now a reality – to build on who they are and where they come from. This will give an understanding of what our Tupuna (ancestors) envisioned for the growth of the Maori people of Taranaki (Kahui Maunga).

The vision is currently happening with Maori and Pakeha now in a close relationship both parties are at least trying to balance an equal partnership that was signed through Te Tiriti O Waitangi.

Taranaki is well known to be a peaceful place but it is also a growing place of land developments, farming developments and rich with Maori culture that is on the rise. There is a chance of economic development of a Tourism that can enhance Marae, Hapu and Iwi. Business ventures in Taranaki can build up Maori who are still in the lowest poverty levels of society in New Zealand, although the only way it can be achieved is through Rangatahi (Tuakana, Teina). By coming together, learning who they are, and having the patience to go back to the past, they can grasp the vision of their Tupuna. Then they can lead from now to the future, knowing, that what they do now has implications for future generations.

Maori have a chance to learn under their own structure of learning which is developing very strongly. Rangatahi are going to Te Wananga O Raukawa, Western institute of Taranaki (He Tohu Mohiotanga), Te Wananga O Aotearoa, Te Awanui A Rangi and Te Whare Wananga O Te Pihopatanga O Aotearoa. These are making huge strides in developing a chance for Maori especially in Taranaki. From being known as savage warriors, they are now professors, doctors and academics who are slowly having influence on our people for justice and Tino Rangatiratanga.

Naku iti noa, Na Vincent Tumoana Nuku