Curator’s House Restaurant

The Curator's House Restaurant is a business that was established with a strong environmental focus, enabling Jackie Garcia Knight (one of the owners) and Mary Holloway (Executive Chef) to bring to life their personal ethic of environmental stewardship. Combining the location with the business philosophy makes Curator's House a unique concept in dining in Christchurch. The environmental approach to the restaurant fitted well with the aims of Friends of the Botanic Gardens who were looking for a suitable tenant for the site, and the connection to the Botanic Gardens is proving to be a beneficial relationship in assisting Curator's House achieve its environmental aims. Curator’s House website: www.curatorshouse.com

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Russell Devlin Architect

Russell Devlin Architect has been promoting the concept of environmentally-sustainable energy and building systems for residential and light commercial use for more than 20 years. The company is committed to practising what it preaches and ensuring that personal ethics are applied to business activities. The company has become well known for its expertise in environmentally sound design practices and it is the principal's intention to 'leave behind' tangible examples of architecture that challenge the traditional approach to energy use in buildings. The vision is of a company that leads the mainstream architectural professional by example and creates an awareness of alternative building systems and business models for residential development. Russell Devlin Architect website: www.solarchitect.com

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Hot Pyjama Productions Limited

Hot Pyjama Productions Ltd is a small Christchurch graphic communications company offering design, print production and website development services. Hot Pyjama Productions works with a broad client base, the majority of which are based in the Canterbury region. As well as producing graphic art, printed material and websites for other businesses, many of whom share similar values, the Hot PJ team has completed and sponsored projects for a number of regional social and environmental organisations.

Like most small owner-operated businesses, Hot Pyjama Productions grew out of the owner's desire to be the architect of her own destiny. "I wanted to make my own decisions based on the values that were important to me, rather than be subject to the traditional drive toward profit at all cost," says Hot Pyjama Productions founder Wendy Riley. Hot Pyjama Productions website: www.hotpj.co.nz

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Phoenix Organics - pioneers with TNS in New Zealand

Phoenix Organics (previously Phoenix Natural Foods) was the first example of a company in New Zealand to adopt the TNS framework and they have made many changes towards being environmentally sustainable, whilst becoming an increasingly profitable company.

In 1999, they won both the Environmental Progress Award at the annual Waitakere Eco-City Business Awards and the 'Environmental Action' category in the Auckland Regional Council's Environmental Awards. Phoenix Organics website: www.phoenixorganics.co.nz

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Serra Natural Foods

Serra Natural Foods is a Christchurch-based manufacturer of organic dairy products. Founded in 1988 by Jim Small and Leonie Eaton, the company began from a residential address using a live culture which Jim's mother had. The company has outgrown several commercial premises and now operates from a former meat processing plant at Islington, on the western edge of the city. It has a staff of fourteen.

The company's main product range is Cyclops Yoghurt, retailed in 500gm plastic pots through supermarkets. It has recently introduced a new 250g range. Serra also makes organic sour cream and the Costa's range of strained yoghurt and tzaziki. Approximately 2/3 of the yoghurt range and both sour cream products have full organic certification. The company has switched to organic ingredients as they become available in sufficient quantities and with the right quality. Serra Natural Foods website: www.serrafoods.co.nz

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State of Flax

State of Flax produces high quality hand-made paper from local plant fibres and recycled material, and also provides environmental education through paper-making demonstrations in schools. The name of the company is a play on the phrase 'State of Flux.'

The business has two unusual features. First, it is in the enviable position of having access to unlimited raw materials at virtually no cost. Waste paper and textiles are readily available. Second, it is a business that 'up-cycles' materials into a product with a higher value than the items it recycles. (Most recycled products are 'down-cycled.')

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Tait Electronics

Tait Electronics Ltd is a leading international supplier of a complete range of mobile radio terminals and systems. It is New Zealand’s largest electronics company, with 900 staff worldwide, and has the largest electronics R&D faculty in Oceania (250 engineers).

Quality, ethics and customer focus have been cornerstones of the company’s approach since it was founded by Sir Angus Tait in 1968. In 2001 the company decided to put in place an Environmental Management System and used The Natural Step framework to provide direction to their EMS, to inform their environmental policy, assess the significance of their environmental impacts and determine priorities. Tait Electronics website: www.taitworld.com

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Young Chess Masters

Jacinta Buist works part-time as owner-operator of Young Chess Masters which runs small classes or individual lessons for beginners, wanting to learn to play or improve their chess.

Jacinta wanted to work towards making a more environmentally sustainable business but was unsure about how to go about doing it. She hoped the Natural Step would offer direction and guidance with practical help on how to lessen the impact of her chess business on the environment. Like many people and businesses, Jacinta wanted to 'do the right thing' for the environment but needed assistance and a framework.

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