Many moving events are happening in the build up to the most important conference ever on the future of this planet. Last week parliament's Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs devoted one and a half days to holding Climate Hearings. Here was a bumper full hall of colourful people from our rainbow nation – from all sectors and walks of life – pleading with the … [Read more...]
Achieving practical sustainable goals for South Africa
We have constantly been made aware of the dangers of climate change in recent years, as global temperatures continue to rise and natural disasters affect human settlement more frequently. The dialogue of world leaders repeatedly emphasises the need to focus on the development of a green economy to ensure the wellbeing of our planet. In working towards achieving the county’s … [Read more...]
Green entrepreneurs make magic with trees and waste
Improving your life whilst greening your environment is a match made in heaven. The Acornhoek community in rural Mpumalanga show us how it's done. The northeast of South Africa is home to some of its best-visited tourist attractions. On the one side is Kruger National Park and the upmarket, private game lodges that surround it. On the other there’s God’s Window and the … [Read more...]
New eco ship in Cape Town for renewable power
Greenpeace’s iconic ship - the Rainbow Warrior – has arrived in Cape Town for a month long tour of the South African coastline, as part of a Greenpeace campaign to highlight the fact that renewable energy investments are the solution to the current electricity crisis. The environmentally friendly ship will dock at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront in South Africa from the 9th – … [Read more...]
Beyond the rubble, through the cracks
For years I have been passing by an old, roofless house on my route to work. Despite my hurried scramble to the office, I would always look out for her. Sad, abandoned and enigmatic, she has intrigued me. The romantic in me has, for years, been drawn to the poignant, abandoned beauty of this stoic, red brick structure with pink tibouchina bursting through the front veranda. … [Read more...]
Poo issues in Sir Lowry’s Pass Village
Ecoli in the Sir Lowrys Pass river and hence the ocean at Gordons Bay is an issue that activists from the Helderberg are now fed-up with. Squatter camps in the village are suffering from a shortage of proper sanitation and sufficient waste disposal, so the river is used to dump unwanted things into. The City of Cape Town responded with the folllowing statement by the Mayoral … [Read more...]
Bigsis Dr. Auma Obama joins World Future Council
The older sister of US President Barack Obama, Dr. Auma Obama, was appointed Councillor of the World Future Council. This Hamburg-based organisation works with decision-makers worldwide to implement policy solutions that secure the rights of future generations. At an official meeting with WFC board members Alexandra Wandel and Stefan Keinert, she signed the acceptance … [Read more...]
Partnerships drive the plastic recycling industry to success
“The focus of waste management in South Africa is changing. No longer is the emphasis on the disposal of waste, but rather on avoiding its generation and minimizing and recycling the waste stream wherever possible.” This was the key message conveyed by Lisa Parkes, Marketing Manager of PETCO, at a workshop held during Wastecon in Somerset West this month. “The law … [Read more...]
SA’s green economy transforms bottom lines
South Africa's fast emerging green economy is driven by factors such as radical cost savings, brand differentiation, sustainable futures, skills attraction and retention. Driving its uptake is business, particularly multinational companies (MNCs), which – through its global nature and the interconnectedness of markets – is harnessing green principles to do good and boost … [Read more...]
Home composting project reveals impressive results
The results of the City’s home composting project was at a WasteCon presentation. The roll-out of composting containers for residents to use at their homes, as well as education on how to use them, resulted in the diversion of significant amounts of organic waste from landfill sites. This was was met with enthusiasm from all areas where it was tested. As such, it is … [Read more...]
People’s Climate March: the day we changed history!
On 21 September 2014 nearly 400,000 people of all walks of life, economic status and nationalities, came together in one of the largest marches in a decade in New York, and one of the largest mobilisations for the environment ever! Most notable, whilst this was impressively large, global support for this event took place around the globe in over 3000 events in over 150 … [Read more...]
Russian nuclear deal the beginning of a downward spiral?
The shock announcement of an underhandedly-signed nuclear deal with Russia (where it was first announced) is of deep concern. Not least because so many organs of government, including our Energy Policy and the NDP, as well as the mainstream business media, think it will prove to be an extremely costly decision - financially, socially, environmentally and politically. The … [Read more...]
R1 trillion can take all homeowners off the grid
I think one would need a referendum to spend R1,000,000,000,000. But my calculations show that for about R1 trillion one can take the entire homeowner load off the grid between 6am and 10pm. This is a MUCH better use of resources than spending this on a new nuclear plant with the help of Russia, says David Lipschitz, solar energy expert. And in this system no government … [Read more...]
