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I was talking about the environment long before it was trendy. And long
before any councillors started making it a cause célèbre.
In 2003, I concluded an agreement with the United
Nations Environment Programme to make Lucire
its first fashion industry partner. The theory, I said, was that environmentalism
lacked appeal, but that it was possible to leverage, say, eco-fashion
with mainstream brands. We could use the fashion and celebrity sectors
to promote the green movement.
It’s hard to believe, but this was ground-breaking
at the time. I did a bunch of interviews with UN Radio. You’d think
I was a celeb.
We worked to create the first Carbon Neutral fashion
magazine here, at a time when people were asking me, ‘What’s
Carbon Neutral?’ (I had the same experience when I started publishing
on the internet: ‘Why would anyone want to read a magazine on the
internet?’)
Since then, I worked with Summer
Rayne Oakes, the author of Style,
Naturally, as she was crafting her plans to promote environmentalism
in her work.
We teamed up and published the first sustainable style
editorials in an international fashion magazine in the mid-1990s.
Again, before this was mainstream.
I’ve already gone on record to say I support solar
and tidal energy.
I’ve already gone on record to say I will do a
carless day on one Sunday in the central city during the summer, and
roll
it out during the 2011 World Cup. We can study what happens with traffic
flows during these periods.
And I’m working on several deals for Wellington
which will go ahead regardless of whether I win or not.
These are still pretty sensitive, but I will say that
flying about Europe and being multilingual helps bring these projects
to life.
They’ll be Kiwi ventures, but we’ll get the
best of the world to collaborate with Wellingtonians.
I’ll write more as they the ‘confidential’
tag goes off them. For now, you can follow me on my
blog as I’ll hint at what I can.
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My good friend Summer Rayne Oakes, with whom I collaborated on the world’s
first international sustainable style editorials. By surrounding myself
with forward-thinkers, I’ve made a career out of being a step ahead
of the mainstream. A mayor, too, cannot afford to be reactive.
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Public transport
Public transport lacks coordination. How about geo-tagging trains
and buses so we can find out where they are? And have such great
coordination between trains and buses so they work seamlessly for
those who use them? They can be achieved cheaply—though it
will take, additionally, the appointment of a council rep who oversees
their coordination. We’ve got enough people in the current
council team for us to find that right person.
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Alternative energies
I’ve been keen on solar energy for years but the cost of solar
cells and implementation is too high. Let’s examine the feasibility
of Council leading the way with making our own buildings energy-sufficient.
I’ve been investigating cost-effective sources of solar cells
with some of the brightest minds in the business—and if we
can do it, then why not make this technology within reach of any
Wellingtonian who wants it?
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