The Christchurch City Council is considering identifying "food deserts" and creating community fridges to improve people’s access to healthy food.
A food desert was described in the action plan as an area where access to healthy food was limited.
As part of the action plan, the council would trial community fridges in the city and develop or support programmes that encourage the growing, cooking or eating of healthy food in schools and early child care centres.
* Council considers lobbying for a law change to restrict fast food outlets near schools * Fast food outlets should be kept away from schools, advocates say * Campaigners continue fighting for rules limiting fast food outlets near schools * City council must take a stand on fast-food outlets near schools It was proposed the council would also actively promote the city’s high quality tap water as the primary "beverage of choice" and improve access to that drinking water by providing more drinking fountains in public places.
The council planned to map all publicly available fruit and nut trees, local food markets, edible schools, community gardens, fruit and vegetable co-operatives and fresh greengrocers.
He wanted the Ministry of Education to be involved in the programme because he was concerned too many people were "food illiterate".
The council would look at partnering with external organisations to carry out some of the initiatives.
The cost of implementing the plan was not known, but a council staff report said the cost was expected to be low.
Some of the 18 actions could be absorbed into existing budgets, but others would rely on helping community groups access funding.
– Stuff

‘Water ATMs the next necessity in a water-stressed country’: Startups take up cause.
The reports state that while aquifers provide 85 per cent of drinking water, their levels are falling in 56 per cent of the country.
"In a world that needs 350 billion litres of water every day, we aspire to deliver one billion litres per annum by 2018," says Parag Agarwal, Delhi-based founder of JanaJal, a company that has currently installed 100 water ATMs along with the IRCTC at railway stations in Mumbai, Delhi and Gujarat, while pursuing other projects in rural areas where status of clean water is in bad shape.
Among the latest and one of the firsts in the past two years, a Water ATM, providing potable drinking water at Rs 2 per litre was recently installed at Khoda village in Ghaziabad district by JanaJal.
"We are committed to make a difference and make Right to Water a distinct reality in the life of every Indian but for that, we also solicit and seek support from corporate India to further this cause in an affordable and sustainable manner and make this precious resource available to one and all," Agarwal said.
The water is procured from the nearest source, underground, lake, river or wells and sent to a lab before being uploaded on the ATMs.
"On the occasion of World Environment Day, we wish to point out that 2 billion people are suffering due to lack of access to safe drinking water.
The current availability of water per person per year in India is placed at roughly 1,745 cubic metres.
A Central Water Commission report states that over the past five decades, availability of fresh water has dropped from 3,000 cubic metres to 1,123 cubic metres today.
Sarkar, Director of Water Division at The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri), by 2050, India will be water-scarce.

Here are three of such startups.
The organisation provides smart water metering solutions to housing societies.
Through IoT technology, individual households are charged based on their actual consumption, thereby discouraging wastage of water.
Pollution, unavailability of reliable sources of water and unreasonably priced packaged drinking water are few of the problems faced by a whole generation living in the urban cities today, says Manas.
Approximately 30 percent of people in urban India rely on ‘bubble top’ water cans for drinking water.
Although the company is just a few months old, the impact of Prime filtered water is gaining ground.
With Elemento Aqua lake rejuvenation gets a technological push The burning Bellandur lake in Bengaluru or the frothing Hussain Sagar lake in Hyderabad— there is an urgent need to integrate technology with the lake rejuvenation projects.
Initially the lake had less than 1 milligram of oxygen per litre of water, with a visible 10-30 percent of waste cover.
Our pilot project in Ulsoor lake was a success in terms of technology.
The above mentioned organisations are few of the many startups working with the aim to solve water scarcity problems at various levels.

‘Water ATMs the next necessity in a water-stressed country’: Startups take up cause.
The reports state that while aquifers provide 85 per cent of drinking water, their levels are falling in 56 per cent of the country.
"In a world that needs 350 billion litres of water every day, we aspire to deliver one billion litres per annum by 2018," says Parag Agarwal, Delhi-based founder of JanaJal, a company that has currently installed 100 water ATMs along with the IRCTC at railway stations in Mumbai, Delhi and Gujarat, while pursuing other projects in rural areas where status of clean water is in bad shape.
Among the latest and one of the firsts in the past two years, a Water ATM, providing potable drinking water at Rs 2 per litre was recently installed at Khoda village in Ghaziabad district by JanaJal.
"We are committed to make a difference and make Right to Water a distinct reality in the life of every Indian but for that, we also solicit and seek support from corporate India to further this cause in an affordable and sustainable manner and make this precious resource available to one and all," Agarwal said.
The water is procured from the nearest source, underground, lake, river or wells and sent to a lab before being uploaded on the ATMs.
"On the occasion of World Environment Day, we wish to point out that 2 billion people are suffering due to lack of access to safe drinking water.
The current availability of water per person per year in India is placed at roughly 1,745 cubic metres.
A Central Water Commission report states that over the past five decades, availability of fresh water has dropped from 3,000 cubic metres to 1,123 cubic metres today.
Sarkar, Director of Water Division at The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri), by 2050, India will be water-scarce.

Here are three of such startups.
The organisation provides smart water metering solutions to housing societies.
Through IoT technology, individual households are charged based on their actual consumption, thereby discouraging wastage of water.
Pollution, unavailability of reliable sources of water and unreasonably priced packaged drinking water are few of the problems faced by a whole generation living in the urban cities today, says Manas.
Approximately 30 percent of people in urban India rely on ‘bubble top’ water cans for drinking water.
Although the company is just a few months old, the impact of Prime filtered water is gaining ground.
With Elemento Aqua lake rejuvenation gets a technological push The burning Bellandur lake in Bengaluru or the frothing Hussain Sagar lake in Hyderabad— there is an urgent need to integrate technology with the lake rejuvenation projects.
Initially the lake had less than 1 milligram of oxygen per litre of water, with a visible 10-30 percent of waste cover.
Our pilot project in Ulsoor lake was a success in terms of technology.
The above mentioned organisations are few of the many startups working with the aim to solve water scarcity problems at various levels.

The $221,000 project began late last year, and included the construction of a new dam, the laying of three kilometres of five centimetre PVC pipe, the laying of 0.2 kilometres of five centimetre galvanized pipes, the installation of a 10,000 litre Rota tank after the construction of its base, the installation of 18 standpipes and showers, and the installation of a booster pump to allow water to be distributed to the houses on higher levels.
Nasaro Village Project Consultant Isikeli Mawalu said: “We were collecting water direct from the Sigatoka River which is about 20 metres from our village.
“But for drinking, we depended upon water tanks or travelling.
“Today, there is totally a big change in our lives after the completion of this water project, no one wants to use the river again,” he said.
We are so thankful to the Government as they have helped us to improve our lives.”.
Will they ever be stopped?
The Chiefs tried to end […] Titanic Clash Of Tight 5s TonightBig Sam Whitelock is back to lead the Crusaders in the feature Super Rugby showdown […] Police Arrest Five Found In Possession Of Dried Leaves Suspected To Be MarijuanaFive men were arrested following four separate cases whereby dried leaves believed to be marijuana […] RFMF Senior Officers Receive US AwardsThe Republic of the Fiji Military Forces has been honoured after three of its senior […] Miss World Fiji Showcases, Unique Side Of FijiThe Miss World Fiji contestants yesterday visited Golden Point Resort in Rakiraki which showcased the […] Captain Cane on Chief-ly GroundHaving a bye in this weekend’s Super Rugby competition, Chiefs captain Sam Cane slipped into […] Coach Baber Names Two DebutantsVodafone Fijian 7s head coach Gareth Baber has named a strong team for the Paris […] Thomson To Welcome RFMF BandThe President of the United Nations General Assembly Peter Thomson will welcome the arrival of […] 12 For 12 For Unstoppable CrusadersCatch the Crusaders if you can!
Will they ever be stopped?
The Chiefs tried to end […] Titanic Clash Of Tight 5s TonightBig Sam Whitelock is back to lead the Crusaders in the feature Super Rugby showdown […] Police Arrest Five Found In Possession Of Dried Leaves Suspected To Be MarijuanaFive men were arrested following four separate cases whereby dried leaves believed to be marijuana […] RFMF Senior Officers Receive US AwardsThe Republic of the Fiji Military Forces has been honoured after three of its senior […] Miss World Fiji Showcases, Unique Side Of FijiThe Miss World Fiji contestants yesterday visited Golden Point Resort in Rakiraki which showcased the […] Captain Cane on Chief-ly GroundHaving a bye in this weekend’s Super Rugby competition, Chiefs captain Sam Cane slipped into […] Coach Baber Names Two DebutantsVodafone Fijian 7s head coach Gareth Baber has named a strong team for the Paris […] Current News Thomson To Welcome RFMF BandThe President of the United Nations General Assembly Peter Thomson will welcome the arrival of […] 12 For 12 For Unstoppable CrusadersCatch the Crusaders if you can!
The Chiefs tried to end […] Titanic Clash Of Tight 5s TonightBig Sam Whitelock is back to lead the Crusaders in the feature Super Rugby showdown […] Police Arrest Five Found In Possession Of Dried Leaves Suspected To Be MarijuanaFive men were arrested following four separate cases whereby dried leaves believed to be marijuana […] RFMF Senior Officers Receive US AwardsThe Republic of the Fiji Military Forces has been honoured after three of its senior […] Miss World Fiji Showcases, Unique Side Of FijiThe Miss World Fiji contestants yesterday visited Golden Point Resort in Rakiraki which showcased the […] Captain Cane on Chief-ly GroundHaving a bye in this weekend’s Super Rugby competition, Chiefs captain Sam Cane slipped into […] Coach Baber Names Two DebutantsVodafone Fijian 7s head coach Gareth Baber has named a strong team for the Paris […] Thomson To Welcome RFMF BandThe President of the United Nations General Assembly Peter Thomson will welcome the arrival of […] 12 For 12 For Unstoppable CrusadersCatch the Crusaders if you can!

The reports state that while aquifers provide 85 per cent of drinking water, their levels are falling in 56 per cent of the country.
At the same time, providing the rural-areas with affordable potable drinking water through water-ATMs is the next step, say people in business.
Among the latest and one of the firsts in past two years, a Water ATM, providing potable drinking water at Rs 2 per litre was recently installed at Khoda village in Ghaziabad district by JanaJal.
The first water ATM of UP was installed in Mathura.
"We are committed to make a difference and make Right to Water a distinct reality in the life of every Indian but for the we also solicit and seek support from corporate India to further this cause in an affordable and sustainable manner and make this precious resource available to one and all," Agarwal said.
The water is procured from the nearest source, underground, lake, river or wells and sent to lab before being uploaded on the ATMs.
"On the occasion of World Environment day, we wish to point out that 2 billion people are suffering due to lack of access to safe drinking water.
The current availability of water per person per year in India is placed at roughly 1,745 cubic metres.
A Central Water Commission report states that over the past five decades, availability of fresh water has dropped from 3,000 cubic metres to 1,123 cubic metres today.
At present about 1,123 billion cubic metres of fresh water is available in India of which 84 per cent is used in agriculture.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO — Residents warned to avoid drinking or cooking with tap water after a water tank security breach received the all-clear late Saturday afternoon. “Everything is clean,” Darin Duncan, Cal Water’s field operations director, said after comprehensive testing showed no contamination of the water source. Residents of South San Francisco’s Sunshine Gardens neighborhood and Colma residents living near the tank, which is in the 2500 block of Hillside Boulevard, had been put under a “do not drink” advisory after the water utility on Friday morning discovered a lock cut from a…

The controversial Dakota Access Pipeline began shipping oil Thursday after months of protests by nearly 300 tribes created a national movement and drew international attention.
Protesters, led by the Standing Rock Sioux, have strongly objected to the construction of the pipeline since April 2016, saying that its route under the Missouri River poses a threat to drinking water.
The Missouri River is the primary source of water for the 10,000 members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, and millions of people, including 29 Native American tribes, live in the Missouri River Basin, an area that crosses 10 states and more than 2,500 square miles in southern Canada.
The Standing Rock Sioux stood against the project, saying the pipeline would desecrate ancestral burial grounds and that they had not been adequately consulted.
Between April and December 2016, the protest grew to include hundreds of other tribes and people from around the world who came to the Standing Rock Reservation.
The last leak happened in early April spilling 84 gallons in South Dakota.
“This spill serves as a reminder that it is not a matter of if a pipeline spills, it’s a matter of when a pipeline spills,” Dallas Goldtooth, the Indigenous Environmental Network campaign organizer, said after the April spill.
In February, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the final easement for the pipeline’s construction, and in March, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit refused to issue an emergency order to stop pipeline operations.
But the Standing Rock Sioux tribe has said it will continue its fight.
“We will continue to battle the operation of this pipeline in court and remind everyone that just because the oil is flowing now doesn’t mean that it can’t be stopped,” Standing Rock Sioux Chairman, Dave Archambault II said in a statement Thursday when the pipeline began service.

Dakota Access Pipeline is Officially Operational.
This comes just a week after documents were leaked by a TigerSwan contractor revealing that Energy Transfer Partners was involved in using counterterrorist tactics on non-violent Water Protectors.
What’s more is that DAPL has already had three oil spills during test runs, this adds to ETP’s already bad track record of being responsible for oil spills, yet taking very little accountability clean spills up or prevent future spills.
While the pipeline is fully operational a federal Judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals still holds the power to halt the project.
The pipeline was originally set to go through Bismarck, ND but the community rejected that plan because they were afraid it would jeopardize the Bismarck water supply.
Many other Native and non-Native allies will continue to stand with Standing Rock and continue to organize to ensure Energy Transfer Partners is held accountable for the human rights crimes they have committed, not just against Standing Rock but the many other Native nations along its path.” Statement from Standing Rock Sioux Chairman, Dave Archambault II: "Now that the Dakota Access Pipeline is fully operational, we find it more urgent than ever that the courts and administration address the risks posed to the drinking water of millions of American citizens.
“We will continue to battle the operation of this pipeline in court and remind everyone that just because the oil is flowing now doesn’t mean that it can’t be stopped.
The courts can stop it by demanding that the administration be held accountable for the full Environmental Impact Statement it initiated and then abandoned."
Established in 1990 within the United States, IEN was formed by grassroots Indigenous peoples and individuals to address environmental and economic justice issues (EJ).
IEN’s activities include building the capacity of Indigenous communities and tribal governments to develop mechanisms to protect our sacred sites, land, water, air, natural resources, health of both our people and all living things, and to build economically sustainable communities.