Sustainability Options

24/09/2025

🌱 Feeling uplifted by the ripple effects of the Towards a Purposeful Economy forum. It's powerful to see how bold ideas and collective action can shape real-world change.

Ngā mihi nui to MyNoke for a beautifully written summary of insights and key takeouts!

Discover insights from the Towards a Purposeful Economy Forum. Explore Doughnut Economics, the Future Fit framework, IDGs & nature as shareholder.

18/09/2025

Unison has joined our 20 Degrees waka! 🚣🏽‍♀️

We want to say a warm welcome to Unison for jumping on board with our collaborative programme. ❤️ As well as a massive thank you to all our sponsors for their continued support: TECT, Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority, BayTrust, Rotorua Trust, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora, Trust Horizon, Acorn Foundation - encouraging giving for the Western BOP, The Whānau Trust, and Powerco!

Unison’s sponsorship is further building our programme’s momentum, by strengthening the programme’s capacity to help more whānau through:
👩‍🏫 Community workshops
🏠 Home assessments
🪛 Minor repairs and maintenance.

Thanks for helping us help more whānau, Unison! It spins our wheels to build whānau’s confidence through accessible, expert advice.

Check out the full story here: https://www.20degrees.org.nz/blog/post/152470/unison-partners-with-sustainability-options-to-support-20-degrees-programme-for-rotorua-whanau/

Here’s a visualisation of our 20 Degrees waka – a pretty neat poster our co-founder Nik designed! 👇

17/09/2025

Our kaimahi Lee recently joined Acorn Foundation - encouraging giving for the Western BOP’s Te Puke Distributions celebration, where local charities and community members came together to share inspiring mahi across the Te Puke & Kaituna rohe. 🎉

It was powerful to connect face-to-face, hear firsthand stories of change, and celebrate the collective effort to create stronger communities. 🤝

Lee’s presentation highlighted 20 Degrees’ mahi in the Bay of Plenty (BOP):
• The scale of need: 30,000 homes in our region that require essential repairs and maintenance to reach 20 degrees on a cold winter’s night🏠 So far, we have already worked with over 360 homes this year under our Repairs & Maintenance program, and worked with nearly 800 homes last year, across the whole of the BOP
• Real whānau impact: case studies showing how improving the warmth of homes is leading to improvements in physical health and overall wellbeing
• Curtain magic: the number of curtains that we have been able to hang in the past year in the Western BOP - made possible through Acorn Foundation’s funding. We are grateful to our 20 Degrees funders for supporting our repairs and maintenance program, across the whole of the BOP!
❇️Over 1300 curtains installed in the Western BOP over the past year, and over 250 window latches
❇️Worked with 679 individual homes across the Western BOP since 2020 – many of these have had a multi-year journey

The celebration also showcased inspiring kōrero from Shama Ethnic Women’s Trust, Stroke Aotearoa New Zealand, and other charities. It was a privilege to learn from each other and strengthen our collective impact.
Ngā mihi nui to Acorn Foundation for hosting us and being onboard our 20 Degrees waka! 🌟

16/09/2025

Something as simple as a wool blanket can mean the world to a whānau and their wellbeing. 🧡

Right now, we’re reaching out to the community to ask for donations of wool blankets as we have run out.

If you have one tucked away at home that’s no longer in use, please consider passing it on – together, we can help support whānau live in warmer, drier and healthier homes. 🏠

📞 Contact us by: sending us a FB message, or calling/texting us at 022 156 1027
📍 Alternatively, drop-off at: 59 Seventh Avenue, Tauranga

Thank you for helping us help more whānau! 😊

12/09/2025

🎉 We're excited to announce the new Inner Development Goals’ Purposeful Economy Hub, in Tauranga!

This is only the beginning of a movement, where profit and purpose can go hand in hand. The hub will bring together people who believe can be in service to people and the planet as well as be profitable. 🌏

The Purposeful Economy Hub invites conversation and connection – to create action towards climate positive change, social equity, and thriving communities.

👉 To find out more on how to get involved, get in touch with Jo Wills for more information. Her phone number is 0212777042, or email her at [email protected]

08/09/2025

Nik (our co-founder) had some beautiful things to share about the value of generosity, to our staff in his latest internal newsletter. Hope you can enjoy his genuine and kind words like we did ❤️

“Last month [at our team day] we spoke about compassion being kindness in action, as we seek to suffer alongside others. Generosity is the quality of being kind and generous. Generosity is giving above and beyond. Generosity is about going above and beyond in our actions driven by compassion.

As an altruistic business, our focus and desire is to do good for others. But as a business in the western world, we have been conditioned to equate good business with profit, and profit with ‘what’s in it for me’. Capitalism is built on the premise ‘if I do what is good for me, then others will benefit along the way’. Sadly, this has meant that generosity and business don’t mix well together. It’s challenging to be generous if the business is trying to maximise its profit.

For us at Sustainability Options, we want to optimise (not maximise) our profits, so that we can do more to help others who need our help and support. This means being mindful of how we spend what we earn and being considered about the impact we are making with how we use our resources. It’s about being good stewards with the resources and funding we are entrusted with.

Being generous is the ‘spice’ that brings flavour to all that we do. Everyday we are called on to be generous with our time, with our follow through, with our commitment, with our compassion. On one hand it can be incredibly ‘freeing’, to know that we can go ‘above & beyond’ to help someone, but it’s also quite taxing, after all, there are only so many hours in the day and so many dollars in the bank! Being generous is mentally taxing! And the more you have, the harder it is!

As I am writing this, Caitlin and Jo are out doing a workshop in Matapihi. This was a Friday evening workshop, where they generously committed their Friday evening to share the love with our whānau at Matapihi.

Rachel [a home assessor] was sharing with me her journey with an elderly kaumatua out past Katikati, who is trying to stay on his home, on his land and no longer fully comprehends all that is happening around him. As Rachel shared this story with me, I could see that wonderful compassion coming in, where she was sharing in this elderly kaumatua’s situation and in addition to this, she was going above and beyond in seeking to help and support him. She was showing generosity and compassion in trying to help. I realise you all have many stories like this to tell.

I think of the awesome Purposeful Economy workshop that Jo ran. Her commitment to being professional, organised, well considered was ‘Jo all over’ and whilst I’m sure there was a sense of excellence and high standards being applied, the kindness, the going above and beyond in seeking to engage this opportunity was great generosity. At Jo’s purposeful economy forum, I was asked ‘how do you maintain your enthusiasm’ – all I could think of at the time was, ‘how lucky am I that I get to wake up each morning and have the opportunity to help others’.”

Beautiful words Nik!

26/08/2025

When people come together under a powerful vision for change, magic happens.

Last week, our Towards a Purposeful Economy forum had this energy. There was a great turnout, with attendees from community, business and local government - all who demonstrated open-mindedness and vulnerability.

✨The willingness to connect with each other, share knowledge and experience was soul-enriching, leaving us wiser to different ways of thinking and doing.

🌏 An economy that serves us and the planet is possible when we accept transformation is the platform for change.

🌱 Nature and our mokopuna’s mokopuna as shareholders, with a seat at the board room table was a strong theme.

🗨️ Presentations led to conversations, which led to connection.

🌅 This is only the beginning, the forum evidenced that people are ready for change. We have more planned and we invite you to connect with us to be a part of it! Keep an eye on this page for events to follow. 📍

Our heartfelt thanks goes to presenters Gary Shaw (Inner Development Goals ambassador), Kat McDonald (Proxima Consulting), Jacinta FitzGerald (Mindful Fashion New Zealand), Manu Caddie (Te Kotahi Research Institute), James Hughes (Tonkin + Taylor), Gareth Hughes and Sally Hett (Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand), and our partners Tauranga City Council and Sustainable Business Network.

To learn more, check out these awesome resources 👇
-The link to the Future-Fit Foundation website: https://futurefitbusiness.org/
-The Inner Development Goals: https://innerdevelopmentgoals.org/
-The Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aoteraoa website: https://www.weall.org.nz/

21/08/2025

🌱 Neighbours helping neighbours — it’s what community is all about!

Our co-founder Nik recently tagged along with the legends at Good Neighbour for a street-side BBQ and a bit of mahi in the garden.💪

Good Neighbour is awesome. They’re often out and about doing BBQs in neighbourhoods. They’ll put flyers into the mailboxes along a street, encouraging the community to get together and connect. They make resources available to the neighbourhood to use for free, like w**d eaters and lawn mowers. Families can borrow these to tidy up their gardens. 🙌

Nik volunteered the other day and was out there having a blast, w**d eating alongside one of the neighbours who was mowing her lawn.

We’re big fans of Good Neighbour’s kaupapa: practical support that builds confidence and self-reliance. It’s not about handouts — it’s about lifting each other up.

"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." 💚

19/08/2025

Our amazing Jo has been on the move — running free healthy homes community workshops all across the beautiful Bay of Plenty! 🏡

🎥 Check out the video below for a sneak peek into our workshops — practical and packed with lots of helpful tips to help whānau.

📍 We’ve got heaps of workshops coming up in Rotorua, Te Puke, and more — so keep an eye on our page for updates! Or if you’d like to host one in your community, reach out to us here 👉 sustainabilityoptions.org.nz/our-contact

Big mihi to the awesome hosts who’ve welcomed us in the past few weeks:
Katikati – thanks Katikati Community Centre
Ōpōtiki – thanks Whānau Āwhina Plunket Ōpōtiki
Tauranga – twice! thanks Hato Hone St John & Pacific Island Community Trust Bay Of Plenty - PICT
Kawerau – thanks Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau Hauora
Whakatāne – thanks Whānau Āwhina Plunket Whakatāne

At our Tauranga and Western Bay workshops, we’ve loved giving out temperature cards and hygrometers — simple tools that help whānau monitor warmth, moisture, and run their homes more efficiently. Huge thanks to Powerco for making this possible! 🙏

16/08/2025

Over the past month, our team has received some beautiful feedback from the whānau we’ve journeyed with under our 20 Degrees programme. ❤️ There is a resounding theme of gratitude and empowerment. Have a read for some warm fuzzies! 😊

-"...You guys have supported us way more than we imagined and we are all so rapt...essentially anything that makes our grandparents whare warm and welcoming to our whānau when they come home would be a gift to us all...I honestly can’t think of any ways for you guys to improve - you were clear and thorough from the outset and everyone I've met is genuine and have made my whānau feel comfortable and grateful. You guys are awesome. Take care ###"

-“Thank you for the help and kindness you offer my community and people, you make a real difference". They have finished painting the internal and noticed way less condensation this winter and that it has been much warmer. Super appreciative of us journeying with them. 🌺

-"Thank you so much for everything that was done to improve my circumstances and comforts. I think that initially the overall offer was overwhelming. The boys were so nice and helpful. I can confidently trust your process. Again many thanks."

-"The curtains are wonderful definitely made a huge difference with the warmth in our room! and even keeps it nice and dark for the kiddies. thankyou for that! and yes we’ve got a column heater but haven’t needed to use it lately the curtains have kept the room at good temp and we’re still using the thermostat you’ve given! thanks heaps :) " 🪟

-"It was awful before now its bliss" C is so appreciative of all the help we have given her...C has noticed the difference the insulation has made and said "when the sun shines in in the afternoon the home stays pretty warm now its good". They like the heater we gave them and use it how Phil [the assessor] instructed."

-D has really engaged our education - she uses her kitchen and bathroom extraction religiously and it makes such a difference, she has noticed the difference with the bathroom extraction now being externally vented rather than into the ceiling. The kitchen rangehood is amazing and she uses it every day, it’s even amazing now her house doesn't always smell like food. Her whare is still cold over winter, but that's not surprising its winter D said. She has been super proactive and has continued to do a lot of mahi on her whare: laid underlay in the window (between curtain) over night - making a massive difference, D opens and closes her curtains every morning and afternoon, D purchased wool blankets and puts them over her curtain rails at night to minimize draughts, D has draught proofed her windows with products she purchased from Bunnings, D draught proofed the doors with polystyrene, D has paid a handy man to replace her front door steps, she has put an external door into the toilet so the whānau don't have to go through her bedroom to use it, she has got the roof over the back porch fixed, finished painting of the lounge/bedrooms/bathroom - 1 room to go, she has redone a few rooms as she got better as she went on, and repaired wall linings. D said that she loves us and that we are awesome, we have been so much help and she appreciates it. She thinks that without us none of this would've happened - we have made her into a handy woman, and she spoke to me about the callouses on her hand, but it’s great. D wants to give back and offered to help with other whanau. 👷🏽‍♀️

-"Venting the dryer has made a huge impact in the garage, we no longer use the extractor fan on the roof so should see an impact in the power bill. Once again thank you soo much for your support, we really appreciate everything you've done!"

-"Came home from a long day at mahi in Tauranga yesterday, and how lovely was it to walk in the front door and feel warm air, i even had to take my cardigan off. Heat pump got installed yesterday and what a massive difference. Thank you so so much. Have a beautiful day." ☀️

-She and B are really excited and grateful for all we have done. She has been using the window vac to dry the condensation, airing the house out and using hygrometer to monitor humidity levels. I talked her through how to use the heater thermostat. She said it was on too hot the night before so last night they turned it down and could hear it click on and off so much better.

-She is making progress with her shower lining - she has got second hand doors, got DIY screens and needs to silicone it. It's still on her radar to get a kitchen extractor fan...Lots of people have commented on her house looking good. She was stoked to paint her house her favourite colour purple! 🏠

14/08/2025

Next week is the last week to register!

Join business leaders at Towards A Purposeful Economy — a one-day hui for shifting mindsets, systems and outcomes.

🗓️ Wed 20 August | 9am–4:30pm
📍 Tauranga Club, Level 5
💼 $85.50 + GST (incl. lunch & refreshments)
🕔 Registrations close 15 August

Explore how inner development, business strategy and regenerative economies intersect.

👉 Register now: sustainabilityoptions.org.nz/upcoming-events

Supported by Tauranga City Council & Sustainable Business Network.

12/08/2025

Some pretty handy information below about disposing of food scraps, from the lovely team over at Envirohub Bay of Plenty! Check it out 👇