About us

Who we are

We are an environmental education centre, associate members of Environment Hubs Aotearoa and NZ Zero Waste Network.

​With the assistance of our trustees and supporters, we aspire:
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  1. To educate and inform the South Canterbury public about a sustainable future;
  2. To enthuse and inspire, through  opportunity and by example;
  3. To facilitate ways in which businesses, industry, schools and the community can move to being more self-sufficient;
  4. To demonstrate and develop solutions to minimising waste and using locally-sourced resources. 

 

We are the Sustainable South Canterbury Trust (SSCT).  We are led by a group of volunteer trustees with professional skills, drawn from Timaru and surrounding districts, dedicated to making our place a better place. Current Trustees are Brian Gallagher (Chair), Ross Wells, Rhys Taylor, Kylee Galbraith and Ron Lindsay.  Our centre staff include a Crow’s Nest team led by John Wilson and EcoCentre Activator Alice Brice.

 

SCCT (originally called Aoraki Wastebusters Trust), was established in 2002.  We currently run a  re-use and recycling shop called The Crow’s Nest, and through ‘in kind’ donations and securing grant funds,  have improved this site hosted by Timaru District Council within a km of their Redruth Resource Recovery Park. 

 

Our current major step  towards being more sustainable is the Eco Centre project. We received a donated former sports club building, which has been repurposed into a 21st Century building showcasing passive solar design , sustainable materials such as wool insulation and marmoleum floor coverings and the latest technology such as PV generation and heat pumps for hot water, and waste treatment, all within a structure that was rescued from landfill. The

 

With the Eco Centre opening in late 2022, our aim is to create a space where the community can come together to learn. With the state-of-the-art technology and on-site demonstration of low-carbon and resource-sustaining practices, we hope that the Eco Centre will be used by local businesses and educators alike to open everyone’s eyes to a more-sustainable future.

 

Our next step is to develop the landscape plan which is derived from permaculture elements to provide demonstration edible gardens, local NZ native species, outdoor kitchen and nature play.