Valentines’ Day is all about Love, but how do you celebrate something that cannot even be described? With the colour red, cupids and hearts? I cannot help but wonder if the majority of the population even know why red, cupids and hearts are part of the Valentines celebration. This is the reason I have never been a huge fan of consumer-driven holidays. Love is so important that … [Read more...]
Design for good
In the past when people thought of a sustainable living environment, many imagined a farmhouse lacking modern plumbing and basic comforts. This is no longer the case and modern sustainable designers are proof of that! We all want to live a greener, more eco-friendly life. But let’s face it, it can be pricey. So to make this easier, Green Times tracked down some local … [Read more...]
UK town’s self-grown veggies a lifesaver
When the small British mill town of Todmorden, tucked in between Yorkshire and Lancashire, first began installing fruit and vegetable gardens all around the area as part of the Incredible Edible program, it likely had no idea that the novel, yet simple, concept would make the town a foremost inspirational and self-sustaining model of the future. Fresh herbs, succulent … [Read more...]
Stoep Harvest part 6: Harvesting weeds
So far in this series we have covered how to plan your organic vegetable garden, increase your soil health, plant your crops and make compost. Last month we looked at the benefits of mulching. Today I am writing about weeding and pruning in the organic garden. Weeding and Pruning Your garden should now be in full swing, with food growing all over the place. In our (large) … [Read more...]
ECO HOUSE Pt 2: Let the sunshine in!
Using what is natural, healthy and for free should be our first aim when we intend to green our lifestyles. Wind, sun and rainwater are such resources. These three sustainable assets can be harvested with sometimes small yet clever tricks, at other times with more elaborate and costly measures. But once implemented they all have one thing in common: zero pollution and of course … [Read more...]
Waste wood burning: eco fire for winter
When blankets and woolly socks just don’t cut it anymore during winter time, we switch on our carbon-emitting heaters. This is no good for our already disturbing carbon escalation, so alternatives we have to find,. Which is what we did this week when we discovered a new closed fire eco-heating stove by T and T Energy Solutions. We went to see this clever device at the … [Read more...]
Eco gadgets for the home
Are you about to set up home for the first time, perhaps finally get your dream home, or retiring and down-scaling? Perhaps your washing machine just died, or you realise it's chomping more than its share of power? If so, then there's never been a better time to find out what's new on the green scene, so that you can make the eco-friendly choice this time round. It'll save … [Read more...]
Eco home part 1: keeping warm this winter
Natural medicine, vitamins and nutrition are some of the ways to keep colds and flu at bay in winter. Another way is the often forgotten old housewife’s recommendation to keep warm, and it has proved its merit over the centuries. Keeping warm with clothes is one option, the other is to warm your house. That said the day of an oncoming flu or cold has often pointed out to … [Read more...]
Clean Cookstoves will save millions of lives
The invention of fire tens of thousands of years ago was one of the most powerful developments in all of human history. Fire for cooking made it possible for us to eat a whole range of foods that were previously left out of our diets or perhaps consumed raw. Fire for heating allowed us to expand our living area to higher latitudes. This transformed our patterns of social … [Read more...]
Summer ice cap still a bonus during winter
Towards the end of the hottest summer in 80 years, we told you the story of our really cool ice cap that saved us from frying in our flat roofed office. You remember this white paint we had applied to our office roof, which uses ceramic beads to reflect radiant heat from the summer sun right back into the atmosphere. This is the space age heat barrier which protects … [Read more...]
Save energy with Philips’s smart consumer products
As part of its EcoVision plan, Philips South Africa is launching its range of energy efficient consumer lifestyle products that enable consumers to save energy. The strategy, which aims to generate 30% of Philips’ revenue through environmentally friendly products by the year 2012, highlights the company’scommitment to contributing towards a greener environment. The launch … [Read more...]
Not too green to clean
Every action we take falls into one of 2 categories – it either destroys or heals the earth. For the future of our planet we need to place every aspect of our lives under a microscope and each time ask: What is the end result of this choice of mine on the planet as a whole. Does it benefit the protection of all species, including people, and all natural resources, or does it … [Read more...]
Oxygen replaces chemicals in new healing pools
A recent research report by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) reveals that exposure to disinfection by-products (DPB) such as chlorine found in swimming pools, is a possible cause of bladder cancer. Most regular swimmers know that a high chlorine content in swimming pools causes skin and eye irritation. But the health risks posed by swimming … [Read more...]
