Civil society organisations have warned the nuclear industry to back off radioactive metal imports for smelting and its deregulated sale in South Africa, or face a legal battle. Hot on the heels of the Nuclear Energy Corporation’s (NECSA) claiming to have minimised the impact of the release of deadly radiation through negligence from the Pelindaba nuclear facility early in … [Read more...]
Sustainably farmed food good for health and planet
Gillian O’Shea started Terra Madre in October 2012 because she was frustrated with not being able to purchase clean food. “As a Specialised Kinesiologist, I was also learning more and more the about the impact of our bad diet on our health, never mind the impact of our farming methods on the planet.” It’s my opinion that consumers and large retailers are also at fault … [Read more...]
Fishing for a sustainable future
Over 80% of all seafood stock is overfished, according to the 2011 report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FOA) of the UN. How can we make the shift to fishing responsibly? Green Times attended the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainable Seafood conference this week hosted at Intaka Island Eco Centre, Century City. The purpose was to discuss the issue … [Read more...]
Green Faire for healthier homes and lives
A wide range of green products and services will be on offer at this year's Hout Bay Green Faire, as well as a great line up of informative talks, new innovations and inventions. Explore ways to make your home and lives more healthy, happy and sustainable. Get stuck in to some natural building techniques and tuck in to a selection of delicious healthy food options. Last … [Read more...]
Help save our tuna
Tuna is in trouble. It's is one of the world’s favourite fish, and the staple protein of millions, but it is overfished globally. The statistics are grim: 3/4 of the world's fish stocks are being harvested faster than they can reproduce. Ninety percent of all large predatory fish – including tuna, sharks, swordfish, cod and halibut – are gone. Scientists predict that if … [Read more...]
Clothing that doesn’t cost the earth
Hemp fibre is stronger and more durable than cotton. Hemp produces as much as 4 times the paper pulp per acre compared to trees. Hemp stalk can be used for building purposes. The seed is recognised as the single most nutritious source of non-animal protein on Earth. No other single resource that can provide us with so many diverse products at such a small cost to the … [Read more...]
Greenwashing: how do we use this concept for good?
The concept of greenwashing is one that I have long refrained from discussing, preferring rather to encourage the developing green market and not to fuel fires of mistrust. Not because it’s not important, on the contrary. South Africans need to understand what constitutes a responsible consumer and how they can contribute towards a better world. But it is also a term that may … [Read more...]
How to create a greener bathroom
How to select between the vast collection of water saving taps and other sanitary ware on the market today? As they say, the proof is in the pudding. In this case in the green business story of the 111 years old Hansgrohe company. And if you want to make the most earth-friendly choices as a consumer nowadays you simply have to check out how serious the manufacturer is in taking … [Read more...]
The terrible tale of tuna
Are the words “dolphin-friendly” or “dolphin-safe” on local tuna cans truthful, considering that most of our canned tuna seems to be imported from the Philippines, or Thailand? This is also where it is very common for dolphins to get caught up in tuna fishing nets and subsequently killed. This is the issue I tried to clear up with some research. Some fishermen purposely … [Read more...]
eLabel: innovating consumer choice
Consumers are increasingly aware of nutrition and health. Worldwide, they want to be better informed about the foods they eat, particularly when it comes to food content and what is declared on the product label. In a 2008 survey, conducted by Ketchum on 1 000 consumers in the UK, US, Argentina, Germany and China, 53% of all respondents indicated that 'health benefits' were … [Read more...]
Are your Levi’s poisoning you?
Over the weekend South Africans joined the global call for Levi's to Detox. Over 700 activists in over 80 cities around the world made their voices heard and demanded that Levi's eliminate all hazardous chemicals from its clothing and supply chains. Through street art and creative confrontation Greenpeace demanded Levi's, the world's biggest jeans producer, to "go forth" and … [Read more...]
Dreaming of a green Christmas
While we were capturing and crafting stories to inspire you our readers and prove to you that our world carries close to her heart a bunch of caring folk who thrive on doing good work, while we were jumping around trying to attend and write up as many green events as possible and while we were teaching, sharing and generally having fun living our best lives … 2012 ran out. You … [Read more...]
Join the toxic-free clothing chorus
Zara, the world’s largest clothing retailer, today announced a commitment to go toxic-free following nine days of intense public pressure. This win belongs to the fashion-lovers, activists, bloggers and denizens of social media. This is people power in action. Greenpeace campaigners began a dialogue with Zara (a brand within the Inditex group) in 2011 about eliminating … [Read more...]
