Want to live more sustainably but not sure where to start? Join us for eight practical, hands-on workshops on everything from growing your own kai to keeping your home warm and dry.
You're warmly invited to join us for eight practical, interactive workshops designed to support you in living a more sustainable, connected life. Together, we'll explore everyday ways to strengthen community resilience and deepen local connections.
Environment Network Manawatū offers these Sustainable Living Workshops twice a year—once in the early evening and once during the day—so there’s an option to suit different schedules. Previously known as Future Living Skills, each workshop focuses on a unique theme and features hands-on learning with knowledgeable, specialised facilitators.
We’d love for you to be part of this friendly, inspiring journey toward a more sustainable future.
Location: Hancock House, Kings street, PN
Time: Wednesdays 10am -12pm
Dates: 9 & 16 September, 7, 14, 21 & 28 October, 11 & 18 November
Workshop Topics
Please note these are not in order
Across the series, you'll cover eight practical topics — from growing your own food to preparing for an emergency. Each session is hands-on and led by a knowledgeable local facilitator, and here's what past participants had to say.
Growing your own food
The basics of gardening, including working with soil and the elements, with a practical demonstration of how to grow from seed.
"Loved this session, motivated me to grow a garden."
Composting practical
Different time and venue — details on booking.
Natural ways to fertilise your garden and maintain healthy crops, with hands-on outdoor activities (weather permitting).
"Really enjoyed it, will be making a compost."
Rethinking our relationship with kai
New topic
Exploring how food production and processing shape our health, community wellbeing and environment.
Protecting our wai
Getting to know our water and where it comes from, and looking at practical ways to care for our water sources through everyday choices.
"A great learning session on the water systems of the country."
Warm, dry, energy-efficient homes
Tips, information and advice on keeping your home warm, dry and healthy, while saving on energy.
"The absolute highlight — the workshop would have been worth this alone."
Waste minimisation and circular economy
Learn about the waste hierarchy, Council's resource recovery systems, and the ways we can redesign, reduce, reuse and recycle to keep items out of landfill.
"I didn't know we had so much available in PN."
Household emergency planning and natural disasters
Practical insights into the realities of living through a natural disaster, and empowering ways to plan and prepare for resilience.
"Good attention brought to scenarios that people often don't ponder until it is happening."
Guest Presenters
Nelson Lebo
Nelson has spent 40 years in the environmental movement, including 14 years as an award-winning science educator in New Hampshire. Since moving to New Zealand in 2008, he's become a Whanganui cornerstone — from restoring an abandoned Castlecliff villa to a decade as Palmerston North City Council's Eco Design Advisor. With wife Dani, he's hosted 250+ workshops and property tours, and helped pioneer Whanganui's Zero Waste Events, Repair Cafe, and Curtain Bank. Nelson now works with WISE Charitable Trust, runs a small farm, and remains one of NZ's most sought-after voices on resilient living, having assessed over 2,000 homes.
Suzanne Chelius
Suzanne has been teaching for over thirty years. She loves to be part of the buzz that happens when people make connections between their learning, its purpose, and their lives. She teaches writing at Massey University, and she facilitates community workshops on both gardening as well as end of life. She serves on the boards of RECAP and Death Without Debt.
Sina Lome
Sina works in Civil Defence Emergency Management at Palmerston North City Council, helping communities understand local hazards and how to prepare for emergencies. In this interactive workshop, she will talk through the city's most likely hazards, what you can expect from Council during an emergency, and practical tips to help you and your household be better prepared — with plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion along the way.
Kate Hicks
Kate brings lived experience to the Emergency Preparedness kōrero, having experienced both the Christchurch and Kaikoura quakes.
Kate was involved in the response following the Chch quakes, as part of LANDSaR, then cut off for 6 weeks after the Kaikoura quake, stuck at the high country station she, her partner and baby were working at.
Kate will offer stories and practical tips and tricks about how to get prepared pre-emergency
Please email Di Koch at circ.economy@enm.org.nz if you have questions.
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