News from the Valley

Join us for our annual Keep NZ Beautiful Clean-Up! We will be meeting at the Valley Project office, 262 North Road, at 10am on Friday the 27th of September. Please wear appropriate footwear and sun safe clothing. Gloves and bags will be provided. If you have any questions please email openvue@northeastvalley.org or call 473 8614.

Do you enjoy making things? Are you tired of spending money on menstrual care every month? Would you like to reduce waste by using reusable pads instead of disposable ones? Are you looking for alternatives due to allergies or discomfort from conventional pads or tampons? Want to manage your period more sustainably? Join us for the Pad Kit Making Challenge! Research shows that a menstruator can save on average at least $2000 by using reusable options instead of disposable products, and we believe the real amount is even higher. Using reusable pads can benefit your health by avoiding chemicals …

Food waste is a huge issue! On average, every NZer creates 60+ kgs of food waste a year! Some more tips from Becks in this video can help you think about how to reduce your personal food waste. Do a waste audit - what do you throw away often and how can you avoid it? i.e. for Becks, it wasn't always the food itself but instead the packaging. Go to Bin Inn or buy from bulk tubs in the supermarket. If your audit shows you're throwing things out because they've gone past their best before-date, remember these dates are …

Cooking on a budget Welcome back, today we have some tips on how to reduce waste while cooking on a budget. Get comfortable and confident making some basic meals - from there you can start to add or replace ingredients to change things up and keep your meals cheap but interesting. Sauces, spices and herbs are going to be your best friends - they can take meals you're starting to get sick of and make them different. It is really great to get used to using canned and shelf stable ingredients in your cooking - the less perishable things …

YOUR NEW BESTIE, REBECCA! Community advocate and waste minimalist, Rebecca Harris, is set to bring you a number of helpful videos around waste reduction and budget cooking, much like her freezer tips recording featured last month. Keep a look out for Rebecca on our Facebook and on our YouTube channel as well as on the blog here this month. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience to impart in the name of food resiliency! Find her first video on Zero Waste in the kitchen and fridge below! Zero waste in the kitchen and fridge A waste reduction video …

Preserving - reducing waste Rebecca is back with another video on reducing waste - this time she'll be talking about how to tie this into another thing we've been talking about a lot - preserving! It's harvest season so here are some reduced waste ideas for preserves. People think of preserves as jams and chutneys but you can preserve things by drying, freezing and lots of other ways. For example, hanging herbs to dry and then turning them into tea. A great way to find the raw ingredients for preserving without spending money is to join your local community …