Weekend round-up: 29 November 2009

Here's a selection of online goodies and real world events that excited and inspired me this week. Hope you enjoy them too.


Expand your thoughts
Behavioural Economics meets Climate Change: great blog post by Marc Gunther about how behavioural economics might be used to influence people's actions.

Take action

Sign Auckland Zoo's 'Don't Palm Us Off!' petition for mandatory labelling of palm oil in products. Palm oil production threatens the extinction of animals such as the orangutan. It's currently nearly impossible to boycott products containing palm oil, because it often goes incognito in the ingredients list under the ambiguous moniker "vegetable oil". So we're currently unable to make informed decisions about whether to buy products containing palm oil. Sign the petition to show those in charge of labelling requirements that knowing which products contain palm oil is important to us.

While you're at it, here are some other causes you might like to add your name to if you haven't already:

• the Hopenhagen petition to ask world leaders to commit to real change at Copenhagen in December. 
• tcktcktck - pledge that you are ready for the world's leaders to sign a global climate deal in Copenhagen that is ambitious, fair and binding.
• Sign On to ask the NZ climate delegation to commit to reduce NZ's carbon emissions 40% by 2020.

Nifty tools
Read it Later is a great tool for people with long bus or train commutes. You can save websites to your computer or iPhone to explore offline later.

iSwish.co.nz is another great way to deal with clothes that no longer fit or flatter but are still in good condition. It's like a continuous, NZ-wide online schwop.

New Zealand Fruit and Food Share Map on Google Maps. Find out where and when fruit trees and other edible plants near you are available for foraging.

Upcoming events

Next weekend, on Saturday December 5 in Auckland, is the Planet A March + Concert for the Climate. The march starts at 1pm in Albert Park and goes up Queen St to Myers Park, where the concert will go off. Organised by the Sign On folks, Rhys Darby will be the concert MC and Opshop, Don McGlashan, Midnight Youth and others will rock Myers Park. If you're of the pedal-powered persuasion, the Auckland chapter of Ride Planet Earth have organised a mass bike ride as a warm-up to the March + Concert. It starts at 11 am from the Auckland Domain's Winter Gardens. More info here.