A key initiative is their bike hubs where they provide support to the public through free advice and bike maintenance, as well as access to quality used bikes to encourage more people to take up cycling.
Carla Gee, Chief Executive of EcoMatters says “It’s a really important initiative because we know that across Tāmaki Makaurau, 42% of our carbon emissions are caused by transportation, so the bike hubs allow people to come into different spaces across the city and learn how to ride and fix bikes.” This initiative has proved popular amongst the community with over 48,000 visitors to date.
A large part of running the bike hubs is shifting stock between the various bike hubs. Originally EcoMatters were using a diesel however, this didn’t align with their low carbon business model. Through the Community Decarbonisation Fund we supported EcoMatters to make the switch to drive electric by replacing their diesel van with an electric one. This not only reduces EcoMatters carbon footprint to better align with their sustainability model, but it also reduces their running costs, so they can focus on encouraging the uptake of pedal power in the community.
Powering positive change
The Community Decarbonisation Fund is all thanks to our partnership with our Certified Renewable Energy (Certified) customers.
Certified enables our business customers to match the amount of electricity they use, with an equivalent amount of electricity put into the national grid from one of our hydro stations or wind farms – which have been independently verified as producing 100% renewable electricity.
All of the net proceeds from the Certified product are used to support electrification projects across Aotearoa. Together, with our Certified customers, we’ve provided more than $1 million in funding for grassroots community projects that reduce carbon emissions and provide a tangible positive impact for many community groups.