TSS holds a variety of networking, idea sharing and learning forums which contribute to both:
Supporting our sustainability leaders within the built environment community, and
Engaging with the wider built environment practitioner network to highlight sustainability issues and build the capacities to respond
We work in collaboration with other aligned networks and organisations to create the ‘joined-up’ thinking that is required for the future.
Sustainability Research Symposiums
The Sustainability Society is initiating a regular forum to provide a platform for researchers who are exploring sustainability in relation to aspects of our built environment. We want to support an ongoing dialogue between researchers and practitioners who share a focus and expertise in sustainability.
The second of these sessions is being held on Wednesday 5 October from 5pm by our colleagues at the Victoria University of Wellington. It can be attended in person or online.
Waterwalks
We are excited to host a series of waterwalks around the country again in 2022.
These walks are intended to reconnect the local community and built environment practitioners with a local waterway and provide different stories about it’s history, present and potential futures.
Thus far in 2022, these have been held in Auckland, Wellington and Nelson with the help of some of our talented water network in those centres. For the first time in 2022 we have taken up the challenge to offer these online so that they don’t need to be postponed due to our changing COVID conditions.
Watch the recordings from these waterwalks here
Please get in touch if you are interested in hosting a waterwalk in your region to explore then history and story of our urban waterways across Aotearoa.
Thanks to our organisational members Tonkin & Taylor and Morphum Environmental for partnering with us to present these waterwalks.
Climate Change Foundations Webinar Series
TSS, in partnership with Engineering NZ, hosted a three part webinar series in late 2021 focussed on foundational knowledge of climate mitigation and adaptation (both physical and transitional).
The recordings of these sessions are available on our vimeo channel here
Green Drinks Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch
We are excited to get back into hosting our Green Drinks across the country in 2022 (our sixth year hosting this monthly event)
What is ‘low-fi’ Green Drinks? It’s people with a connection to sustainability getting together for a regular catch up. Simple really. We just want to offer a little incubator for ideas and connections.
Currently we hope to be able to restart these from October 2022. Sign up to receive updates for our Green Drinks follow us on Eventbrite
TSS Webinar Series
We had a hugely successful webinar series in 2021 despite the challenges of COVID and had some very generative sessions that addressed a wide range of sustainability issues and opportunities across Aotearoa’s built environment including:
Te Mana o te Wai – Shaping our Future Work – Watch recording of the session here
RMA reform in Aotearoa and it could form a new approach – Watch recording of the session here
Urban Ecology and the Role of nature in our Future Cities – Watch recording of the session here
Circularity and Doughnut Economics and it’s application in the Built Environment – Watch recording here
Developing Communities of Practice around Rapid Urban Transformation – recording coming soon
Webinar Series – Mobility Through a Water Quality Lens
There is no question that urban roads and the level of vehicle traffic they carry affects water quality in receiving environments. It has been estimated that 10% of all microplastics in the oceans are derived from tyre wear, and sediments, heavy metals and hydrocarbons are washed into our streams and rivers every time it rains. The question needs to be asked, what would our future transport networks look like if we placed improving water quality outcomes as the primary driver?
The Sustainability Society hosted a series of three webinar panels in February 2021 to investigate this question.