A six-week, intensive digital programme called Re-roll Station hopes to help African fashionistas launch their brands into the global market. The aim is to provide creative entrepreneurs with actionable steps to grow brands that are environmentally friendly, socially inclusive, and profitable. Re-roll is the brainchild of Cher Potter and Kesiena Harry. Harry is the Programs … [Read more...]
Uniting initiatives towards a circular plastics economy
Plastic waste is a massive problem in South Africa. In cities, towns and even the rural areas, plastic rubbish litters our streets, our beaches, our veld and our waterways. But who’s problem is it? “The problem with plastic waste is so big that the government cannot handle it alone,” says Devin Galtrey, Group Packaging Manager for the SPAR Group. “It’s my problem. It’s … [Read more...]
New partnership cleans up polluted waterways
Several prominent brands recently teamed up to remove litter from the Jukskei, one of Joburg's most heavily polluted rivers. Polo SA has been a brand known and loved by South Africans for many years. In 2020 Polo SA launched their Naturally Polo initiative focusing on sustainability and a more eco-conscious approach not only to fashion but to the broader environment in which … [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...]
Predicting our future climate to conserve SA’s rich biome
Ancient pollen grains found in sediment cores dating back thousands of years are helping scientists to shed light on the earth’s past and future climates. Dr Lynne Quick, a palynologist at Nelson Mandela University, who is currently working on the development of new paleoenvironmental records in Southern Africa says there’s much more to pesky pollen and fungal spores that … [Read more...]
Cape Town receives certificates for energy smart buildings
The City of Cape Town is proud to announce that it has received Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for three of its municipal buildings. We can only manage what we measure, so EPCs are a critical first step to reducing our energy use. The City is the first in South Africa to achieve this feat. This is good news for customers as more resource efficient facilities make … [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...]
Connecting home to nature at the heart of true wellness
Today’s architecture takes its cues from nature. And rightfully so. It’s the underlying ethos of many new North Coast residential estates where developers have rehabilitated land once used for sugar cane farming or now overcome with alien vegetation. This architectural vision mimics natural shapes and forms, makes use of natural materials, and integrates design features that … [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...]
Unlocking growth in SA fashion sector with sustainable design
Nurturing sustainable design and production processes could unlock global growth for South Africa’s fashion sector, as the industry looks to revive local textile and manufacturing capabilities that prioritise both social and environmental wellbeing. This is the view of sustainability consultants Sarah Botha and Laura Llonch, who in collaboration with STADIO School of … [Read more...]
