We like people who are like Robin Hood : )

Happy as Larry is a project about getting lots of stuff for free and giving it away ... like Robin Hood, but with whiskers.

It's a word of mouth experiment in random acts of giving.

Check it out at www.happyaslarry.co.nz

Trade Me, New Zealand's biggest online auction site, has kindly offered to help Plunket run a charity auction for the t-shirt collection! The auction should be starting mid next week and will run for about 2 weeks.

What this means is that
i) we won't be selling any of the Plunket t-shirt collection via our website shop from today til the auction ends
ii) you might be able to score a few good auction deals & help support Plunket even more : )

So, watch the Trade Me site next week - there will also be some special $1 reserve Mum & Kid / Dad & Kid packs too!

A is for
Audi Design Foundation, whose "aim is to encourage and empower designers by supporting and promoting designs that create a positive change in people's lives".

B is for
Beatle's inspired MINI that will raise funds for The Material World Foundation, which was originally set up by The Beatle's George Harrison to support charities and people with special needs. MINI seem to be on some kind of roll with specially designed charity cars, as they have already have a hot pink leopard spot MINI for 2009's Life Ball, Europe's largest AIDs charity event (last year's was a secret agent MINI).

C is for
Charity car show featuring Porsche, Jaguar, Mustang, Corvette and MG. It's being run by The Friends of Steve McQueen (who supposedly used to be one of Hollywood's sexiest leading men??) in USA. Hmm, someone should plan one for New Zealand - great car eye candy!

Plastic bags...they're everywhere! Have you ever wondered what to do with the ones you have, the ones family/friends have, or even ones you might see lying about?

A great place to start with some crafty ways of reusing/recycling all those plastic bags can be found at Craftzine.com, while two of the simplest ideas I've come across elsewhere are:
1) combining old fabric (with some synthetic content) with plastic bags. Pretty much all you need is an iron and you can make bags and dresses, and

2) Oscar Lhermitte’s idea of putting a bag over a wire frame & light bulb and taa-daa - you have a lamp!


If you want to get straight into it, check out Instructables.com for a step-by-step guide to turning plastic bags into "yarn", which has photos at each step of the way. The possibilities are endless! (......I'm really tempted to try my hand at making a recycled bag rug)
And if you're really up for a challenge, how about knitting some dresses (they're bound to be waterproof! haha) or making a chair like this Inkuku chair by Ryan Frank?

Let’s be New Zealand’s first Fair Trade City and Make Wellington Fair Trade!

What does that mean? Check out http://fairtradewellington.wordpress.com

So, what can you do?

1. Sign the online petition
Wellington has many outlets serving, selling, supporting and using Fair Trade products. Wellington Fair Trade Communities Group now wish to declare Wellington New Zealand’s first Fair Trade City through a resolution passed by Wellington City Council.

The resolution supports fair trade, commits the Council to serving fair trade products at their meetings and workplaces and to supporting Wellington to meet the goals of a Fair Trade City.

2. Sign up your workplace, business, faith group, club or community group to be recognised as Fair Trade
It will bring positive publicity and show that your group, workplace or organisation is serious about corporate social responsibility. All you need to do is fill in a form and fax/email it back to the Fair Trade Association in Auckland saying that your organisation:
a) Uses Fair Trade certified products in your cafeteria or meetings;
b) Will promote Fair Trade in your workplace, business, faith group or club or group.

Becoming a Fair Trade community group can help your organisation meet sustainability, environmental and social responsibility goals. It can improve morale by supporting poorer communities with every cup of tea or coffee… and it’s FREE! Fair Trade certified products are not only better for the producers, they are great tasting too!

3. Follow progress on Wellington Fair Trade Communities Group blog or on Facebook
If you join the Facebook group, you'll be the first to know about the campaign's progress.

4. PASS THIS MESSAGE ONTO YOUR OTHER FRIENDS AND NETWORKS...

It's been a full house here with six tradesmen working here all at one go! Well worth the effort as its just more steps towards settling into this new place. We finally have a government-subsidised heat pump to help keep the office and rooms cosy in an energy-efficient & cost effective manner. (Thanks to Right House and EECA Energywise!)

It sure feels nice to make a place 'your own' & be able to call it home. And it's just as awesome to help do it for others too! Habitat for Humanity is an international not-for-profit organisation, who we are lucky enough to have in New Zealand. The ultimate goal of Habitat for Humanity is to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the face of the earth by building adequate and basic housing. In New Zealand, they focus on eliminating sub-standard housing by building, renovating and selling simple, decent houses on an affordable basis, and have helped give 328 families their own home (and counting).

There are many ways of volunteering, from doing something local in your community, to joining up with a team in other parts of the country and International Volunteer trips (sounds interesting!). So if you're good with a hammer (or a keen DIYer), like travelling or meeting new people, check out Habitat for Humanity : )
Or, if you know of a family in need of a good home, here's info on applying for a house)

Ok finally got our act together and the blog looks like it belongs to us now : )

In other news, if you know of a charity or a good cause that may require funding for a project, Paul Newman's Own (what a role model! 100% profit after tax to charities/causes worldwide!!) is having its 2009 call for entries from charities. Details for Australian and New Zealand charities can be found at www.paulnewmansown.co.nz or for general details about the Newman's Own Foundation, visit www.newmansownfoundation.org. Am very very impressed by the business & foundation!