Monitoring energy consumption leads to savings

Monitoring energy saving initiatives with benchmarking

Business can use the National Energy Barometer Survey as an opportunity to calculate their energy consumption to make improvements. This is what The Clicks Group did when they used the National Energy Barometer Survey (NEBS) as an opportunity to collate energy use information for the entry. This enabled them to see what the Group’s energy baseline was, in order to improve … [Read more...]

Carbon Footprinting Guide reaches over 53 000 downloads

Carbon Footprinting Guide Nedbank

Who would not like to read and consult a free Carbon Footprinting Guide to help tweak your life and business? Well, this is probably why this online guide has achieved more downloads than any other SA publication of its kind to date. Historically, such guides at best registered a few thousand downloads per annum, and the Guide is clocked over 53 000 six months after … [Read more...]

Stories of Lwandle evictees not OK, says ADR lawyer

Sheena St Clair Jonker

After 20 years of democracy, and celebrating the spirit of Madiba, the reality of the Lwandle evictions, as reported in Court last week, triggered memories of the old style police treatment in the sad history of this country. As part of a Ministerial Inquiry into the evictions Sheena St. Clair Jonker (main photo) made submissions on behalf of the community. She is the … [Read more...]

Natural Building part 1: What is it?

natural building1

Natural Building means different things to different people. Personally, I can’t view natural building in isolation from sustainability and sustainable building, writes Peter McIntosh, natural builder, in the first article in his series about this topic. Sustainability requires that we view ourselves as part of an ecosystem. In a sustainable system the materials your house … [Read more...]

Handwoven dew collecting tower aims to ease Africa’s water crisis

Design firm Architecture & Vision created dew collecting WarkaWater Towers

There are many places around the world where finding clean drinking water is a time-consuming and even dangerous daily task, with women and children walking for miles at a stretch to bring back what they can find - and often, it's water that's been contaminated by human and animal waste. Helping local people gain access to clean and abundant water Inspired by a native … [Read more...]

Sustainable design to address Cape Town’s rapid urbanisation

Chris Whelan - Private Edition photo

The challenges facing cities today are numerous. Rapid urbanisation is a growing reality and Cape Town has the highest rate in South Africa. This brings housing, infrastructure, social and biophysical challenges. Yet if we look for solutions across business, government and communities, we find tremendous energy and innovation to address the challenges. This was the outcome … [Read more...]

Most energy efficient buildings announced

Benchmarking South African buildings’ energy use: Results of the 4th National Energy Barometer Survey (NEBS)

Each year building owners and facility managers enter their buildings in the National Energy Barometer Survey (NEBS) to compare how they have improved their energy use against others in a similar industry – hospitals, offices, car dealers, hotels and shopping centers. The latest results are out and the top performing buildings for the 2012 utility year are: Head office: The … [Read more...]

Glow-in-the-Dark ‘Smart Highways’ Replace Street Lights in the Netherlands

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Light-absorbing glow-in-the-dark road markings have replaced standard street lighting on a 500 meter stretch of highway in The Netherlands. This project is the first stage of a concept first unveiled back in 2012 by designer and innovator Daan Roosegaarde, who presented his ‘Smart Highway’ plans during Dutch Design Week. The goal of the ‘Smart Highway’ is to make roads that … [Read more...]

Give your office a green thumbprint this Green Office Week

Green-Office-Art-Installation-In-Denver-6

Next week is Green Office Week (GOW) which is intended to raise awareness of the importance of eco-friendly offices and inform office workers that they too can make a positive impact on the environment whilst at work. Your office will be healthier and make financial sense Although some organisations are already making clear statements about their green products or services … [Read more...]