Waste Away

Lynn's Story

 Lynn Green was one of the first stallholders when the Grey Lynn Farmers Market opened, selling Local Honey. She still champions the Grey Lynn 2030 Waste Away stall. She joined the Grey Lynn 2030 Transition Community at the very start in 2008 and has taken an active part in many initiatives over the years.

Q: How and when did you get involved with Grey Lynn 2030?

I had felt disconnected from my community and was interested in learning about community groups and how to be an activist on waste reduction issues. With my background in sustainable horticulture and through my studies and research into Zero Waste NGOs,

communities and diverting food waste from landfill, I felt ready to participate in something meaningful and community minded.

In 2008, Tara Brogan told me about a group that I would be interested in. In August that year, I met with Dianna Tawharu, Finn Mackesy and Gary Marshall, who had recently formed Grey Lynn 2030 Transition Community. The meetings were short and concise

with easy agreements and the slogan ‘Positive Vision – Practical Action’ suited me to a tee as I am a hands-on grass-roots person.

Q: Describe your experience being part of Grey Lynn 2030

I initiated the Grey Lynn 2030 Waste Away group in 2008. The group attracted a strong passionate core of Wasters who for many years got together and “talked rubbish”!

Katha Bauer, Angie Baur, Lisa Cohen-Smith, Marianne van der Haas, Winnie Lenihan, Colinda Rowe and Nadine Wakim, people who walk the talk! We had a strong sense of group identity; meetings worked well; we sorted batteries and bras, laughed and formed lasting friendships.

Highlights have been events such as the E-Waste Day, collecting food waste from Revel Café, participating in the Demystifying Packaging project and road show, Street Parties, Waste Away at the Grey Lynn Park Festivals and the Uplift Bra collection at the Farmers Market.

Today the plans for my future are to: be kind to people, go the extra step, live in integrity with my beliefs, volunteer in my community, keep holding the vision, take action to make a positive difference and keep asking what can I do next?

As published in 2018: “A Decade Of Positive Vision And Practical Action - GREY LYNN 2030”