Join us on the first Wednesday of every month!
Next event is 3 July at Little Andromeda (Note the venue!)
3 July Speakers
“How America Gets its Presidents”
by Peter Field
Everything you might and might not want to know about Americans electing presidents in 2024 and for 200 years before that.
Peter heads up Humanities at Varsity and has just returned from the USA.
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“Cold homes are not a curse, they are by design… so let’s change it!”
by Julie Villard, Registered architect (OA / NZIA / ADNZ / NZGBC)
Come and find out how a French architect finally cracked down on the curse of cold NZ homes with the unexpected help of Kate Winslet. With a mix of building sciences, modern technology, and sustainability, this sweet yarn will help you to make smart choices about your house and lifestyle, how to feel warmer and dryer at home tonight and how to be better prepared for the future.
NZ Awards winning architect and eco-friendly specialist, Julie Villard has a passion for design, sustainability & technology, she built her skills and knowledge in France, Canada, Switzerland and for the past 12 years, here in New Zealand. She is now the welcoming face of the Christchurch City Council’s Eco Design Advisor service, advocating for smarter, healthier and more energy-efficient homes. She provides support and free independent advice for new homes & retrofits, to homeowners, designers, and manufacturers. Her main drive is to debunk building myths and encourage everyone to do better now. With a strong scientific background, she explains among other things, what she calls ‘’the physics of the building’’ and the various principles of what constitutes an eco-build. Remember: Knowledge is power…. But only if it is shared. So come and nerd out with her!
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“The Night The Sky Caught Fire – the Great Aurora of 2024”
by Matthew Bridle
The aurora is a magical phenomenon that has been enthralling civilisations since the beginning of time. This talk will uncover some of the many mysteries of the aurora and will give you some pointers on how to see one for yourself. It’ll cover the May 2024 geomagnetic storm, and how you too can get amazing aurora photos.
By day Matthew is a software engineer, and by night he’s a keen aurora chaser. He’s been fascinated by space weather and its many effects on Earth since he was a teenager and loves driving to remote locations to watch the night sky, and hopefully get some pictures of the Southern Lights!