On Friday 18 March the world will mark Global Recycling Day to bring to light the benefits of recycling waste for the environment, businesses and people. The day was first recognised by the United Nations in 2018 and has since birthed countless initiatives by governments, civil society groups and the private sector that have impacted environmental action and awareness in … [Read more...]
Cape Town to host largest cannabis expo in Africa
The biggest cannabis event on the continent is returning to Cape Town. Despite a 2-year pandemic break, this dynamic industry has grown rapidly and now The Cannabis Expo is preparing for its biggest expo yet in the Mother City in line with Governments renewed focus on this flourishing industry. At his SONA address earlier this month, President Ramaphosa announced his plans … [Read more...]
Iceland fish oil producer certification renewed
Friend of the Sea, the global certification standard for products and services that respect and protect the marine environment, is pleased to renew LYSI certification for sustainable practices in producing fish oil for Omega-3 supplements. The company, certified since 2013, can thus continue to display the Friend of the Sea label on its bulk and consumer-ready … [Read more...]
Court blocks Searcher seismic blasting, for now
On Monday afternoon, small-scale fishers from the West Coast and beyond breathed a sigh of relief when the Honourable Justice Thulare directed Searcher to discontinue any activities related to the seismic survey. This followed a nail biting few weeks since Searcher Geodata UK Limited commenced its seismic blasting operations in late January. The interim interdict has been … [Read more...]
Rethinking the concept of weeds in your garden
Claude Lévi-Strauss, the French Anthropologist, was not known as a gardener. His claim to fame was the concept that the logic of cultural archetypes and myths (our world view) were structured around binary oppositions such as raw vs. cooked, edible vs. inedible, and, in Trumpian America, truth vs. alternative facts (better known as lies). “The gardener’s framework revolves … [Read more...]
Bellville’s first urban food garden brings new hope
The Greater Tygerberg Partnership (GTP) in collaboration with MES - Safe Space, GrowZA and Xylem yesterday officially opened Bellville’s urban food garden, known as the Life Changing Garden, with its first spring harvest now available to the community. For Bellville, the second metropolitan node of the City of Cape Town, the food garden is most definitely changing lives by … [Read more...]
Ten million tons of wasted food can feed our people
In South Africa, 10 million tons of food goes to waste every year and ends up in landfills. That’s a third of the 31 million tons produced annually in South Africa. Fruit, vegetables and cereals account for 70% of the wastage. Meanwhile a quarter of our population is going hungry every day, with another quarter at risk. The food wastage facts are documented in a WWF … [Read more...]
When will Africa embrace ecological agriculture?
As COVID-19 threatens farming communities across Africa already struggling with climate change, the continent is at a crossroads. Will its people and their governments continue trying to replicate industrial farming models promoted by developed countries? Or will they move boldly into the uncertain future, embracing ecological agriculture? It is time to choose. Africa is … [Read more...]
Help save our bees from ecological collapse
Billions of bees, butterflies, and beetles... are dying off, threatening ecological collapse. Toxic agricultural pesticides are among the key culprits, but we now have a unique chance to phase them out in Europe. If we help win there, the rest of the world could follow. But to make it happen we have to drown out the voices of the industry lobby. Silently, the insect … [Read more...]
Charity celebrates international children feeding milestone
International school feeding charity Mary’s Meals is now reaching more than two million children in 19 countries with life-changing meals every school day, thanks to an impressive grassroots movement taking action all over the globe. The landmark achievement of the charity feeding 2 million children every school day will be officially announced and celebrated in the remote … [Read more...]
How local governments can put food on the table
2021 is the year of food. After the pandemic exposed how vulnerable food systems are, two global summits are placing food front and center: the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) in September in New York, USA (with the Pre-Summit gathering key actors from July 26-28 in Rome, Italy), and the Nutrition for Growth Summit this December in Tokyo, Japan. Finally, the issue of food is on … [Read more...]
Working together to solve complex food waste challenges
Three industry leaders in organics waste organisations will participate in the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship South Africa Food Waste Innovation Challenge 2021 Ignite Programme. BiobiN South Africa, Nambu Group and Organic Waste to Energy along with 7 others will work with the Centre to solve many of the complex challenges faced by the food waste sector in South Africa, … [Read more...]
Time to do waste in a whole different way
South Africans are no strangers to overcoming adversity and challenges, with the ability to rise from whatever is thrown their way, often becoming global role models. Just three years ago the nation was on the verge of the Day Zero water crisis, but through rapid interventions were able to change the way our resources were handled and make the most of a dire situation. What … [Read more...]
