Spring into Sustainability at Christchurch Libraries
Christchurch City Council Newsline: 8th September 2026
Want to improve your footprint, learn new skills or swap resources? Then Sustainable Spring is for you.
A series of events put on by Christchurch City Libraries, Sustainable Spring focuses on providing practical and sustainable tips for doing more with less.
Events on over the season include plant swaps, informative talks, demonstrations and workshops.
Library public programmes coordinator, Bronwyn Shanks said there’s something for everyone.
“The anchor event is The Great Library Seed and Plant Swap which is happening at every library across the city.
“Bring along your left-over seeds and plants to share with the community! We find people grow new varieties from what they find at the swap.
“To get each library started, Trees from Canterbury and Canterbury Community Gardens have supplied plants and seeds.”
Bronwyn said the events are growing in popularity each year with more people interested in growing their own food and plants.
“We are finding the community has a growing interest in sustainability and what they can do to reduce their own footprint or how they can improve their environment.
“It’s great to be able to put on a series of events that reflect society and what matters to people."
- Learn practical techniques for repairing clothing, bags and outdoor gear, create custom patches, and explore beautiful visible mending methods inspired by Japanese boro traditions.
- There’s The Great Stash Swap at Te Hāpua Halswell Centre where people can bring along unwanted fabric, haberdashery, buttons, wool, lace, trims, paints, brushes, zips, needles, card, stamps, in fact any surplus crafting supplies for others to enjoy.
- There’s a great talk at Tūranga in October about local examples of community energy. Come along and listen to members of the Canterbury Energy Wellbeing Collective share their experiences from four different South Island Community Energy projects. Hear about their experiences getting their community based, and owned, initiatives underway.
View the full schedule of Sustainable Spring events at Christchurch City Libraries.