Groups and social enterprises from Wanaka are taking centre-stage at the second ever One Summit next week. 

The six-day summit (starting next Tuesday October 29) exists to educate, inspire and enable a transition as a community to a carbon zero, thriving community. Last year’s summit closed with organiser Monique Kelly saying the festival would be an annual event, “until we don’t need it anymore - and that means when we have reached carbon zero”.

Cafe owners, social enterprise stalwarts and new business owners are all coming out of the woodwork to share their knowledge. 

The summit will be the site for the launch of the much anticipated SUCfree (single-use cup free) Wanaka campaign, which is a collaboration between Plastic-Free Wanaka, One New Zealand and the hospitality sector to rid Wanaka of plastic cups.

The lending scheme provides on-the-go convenience by giving coffee drinkers their beverage in a reusable cup for a small fee, refunded when the cup is returned to the cafe. “KeepCups are great but the problem is when people forget their cups,” SUCFree Wanaka member Chrissie Lahood said. 

Aiming to remove all non-reusable cups by 2022, the initiative will be launched at the Lake Wanaka Centre at midday on October 29, and attendees will get to hear from eco-pioneers like Again Again’s Nadia Piatek and Use Your Own’s Laura Cope. 

The stalwarts of low waste living at Wastebusters will be centre stage at the One Summit, with both Sue Coutts (left) and Gina Dempster (right) hosting events. 

Wanaka Wastebusters is hosting or supporting three different events. Wastebusters’ communications coordinator said they would be talking about “what the community enterprise does best: zero waste and business with purpose”.

Wastebusters first session, Unwrapping Zero Waste for Business (Thursday October 31, 9.30am - 12pm, tickets $23) will focus on reducing the waste coming in and out of your business. Wastebusters’ Gina Dempster, and other local business owners, Nicola Cross from Honest Wholefood Co and Chrissie Lahood from Big Fig, will share their experiences of cutting waste in their business. 

Second up for Wastebusters is ‘Business with Purpose’ (Thursday October 31, 1-3pm, tickets $23) during which Wastebusters’ Sue Coutts and the Grow Good Guys’ Tim Jones will share their experience and discuss the benefits of alternative business models. 

Lastly, Wastebusters has supported ‘Reducing our Household Rubbish - The Zero Waste Approach’ (Thursday October 31, 6.30-8.30pm, free) where the two no-waste nomads behind The Rubbish Trip will guide you through the whys and hows of life without a rubbish bin.

These events are just a taster of what’s on in Wanaka as part of the One Summit (Tuesday October 9 until Sunday November 3). Check out the full calendar of events and get involved One Summit.

PHOTOS: Supplied