Plastic is a remarkable material which comes in more than fifty different forms and has almost countless uses.
Robben Island had her beaches swept of junk last Saturday when PETCO, the Plastics Federation and the Overberg community launched a big clean-up initiative.
The All Hands on Waste team engaging with the community at Njoli Taxi Rank on 15 April 2011.
The recent fire in the Somerset West area that destroyed ten homes and parts of the Helderberg Nature Reserve has put the spotlight on controlled fires once again.
With rhinos on the brink of extinction, it is no surprise that amazing conservation efforts are attempted in Africa to save them. Enough so to be noticed by an international panel of judges. Raoul du Toit, International Rhino Foundation€™s African Rhino Programme Coordinator, has received the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize (Africa).
Last week three more rhinos died in the Kruger National Park. The demand for illegal rhino horn this time also claimed the life of a calf. Gunshots were heard and rangers went to investigate. Tragically, it was too late: The poachers were already sawing the horns off one of the rhinos.
On 8 April 1933 a remarkable discovery was made in the Transvaal. A grave of unknown origin, filled with gold-work, was found on a natural rock stronghold in a wild region. This site was Mapungubwe Hill, which serves as the capital of the ancient Mapangubwe Kingdom, situated on the borders between South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
The unified voice of thousands against Karoo fracking paid off last week when government pressed pause on hydraulic fracturing. Cabinet has endorsed the decision by the Department of Minerals and Energy to invoke a moratorium on oil and gas exploration licenses in the semi-arid Karoo.
Millions of people living along the coast and elsewhere in rural Africa are dependent upon natural resources from which they harvest unsustainably. Some coastal communities are amongst the poorest in the world and are extremely vulnerable to the potential negative effects of climate change. They have no choice but to continue to use the diminishing resources upon which they depend, or face starvation.
As water resources in Southern Africa come under pressure from growing population, climate change and increasing industrial and agricultural use, economic accounting for water is among the tools that could aid better management.
What do you do when temperatures reach single digits and its pouring rain outside? You cling to your hot water bottle or snuggle under a bunch of blankets - sometimes you don€™t even know how many. When you absolutely have to go outside, you wear a thick coat or a waterproof jacket and a scarf.
'I am excited and look forward to representing the Abuse is Abuse campaign as an ambassador against abuse,€ says world acclaimed photographer Jodi Bieber. Jodi will act as an ambassador for the campaign aimed at raising awareness of abuse and highlighting the importance of taking action against all forms of abuse.
South Africa has got what it takes to increase wind energy opportunities. To elaborate on this, Africa Wind Energy Association (AfriWEA) is proud to announce the 3rd annual Wind Power Africa Conference and Renewable Energy Exhibition to take place on 9-11 May 2011 at the CTICC in Cape Town. The event brings together key African and international stakeholders from public and private sectors, with the aim to unlock Africa€™s wind energy potential.
Cape Town has experienced a significant number of disasters and events which have been associated with weather conditions. These include the Cape Flats floods (1994 and 2001), the Manenberg wind storms (1999 and 2002), the South Peninsula fires (2000), the Joe Slovo informal settlement fires (2000, 2004, 2005), cut-off low severe storms (2003, 2004, 2005) and recurrent severe droughts (2002-2005).
Africa€™s energy leaders and innovators were recognised and rewarded at this year€™s Africa Energy Awards evening. Winners of the fourth annual Africa Energy Awards were announced at a special gala event at the Sandton Sun on the 31st March. This prestigious event recognised and celebrated the leaders and innovators in Africa€™s energy sector. The awards are designed to highlight the continued growth and success of energy projects in Africa and focus on awarding exceptional performers within the industry each year. Winning an Africa Energy Award is seen as a recognisable standard of industry excellence.
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.
I€™m woken by the sound of rushing water. I get up and hang out of the window. A river rushing by? Indeed.
I have lived on dry river banks for many years, so it€™s a sound I know well. But now we€™re in a suburb of Windhoek. It€™s cool and damp and you might think you were in a Cape Town winter, as it never seems to stop raining. Yet this is March and Windhoek is the capital of the driest country in the Sahel.
Last week we celebrated Good Friday and Earth Day wrapped into one. Perhaps we could combine it as Good Earth Day in the future. Naturally my Christian roots honoured the day when we remember and revere the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his descent into the darkness of death in the ultimate sacrifice. Was it not also at that moment that the sun dimmed and the earth was shrouded in a cloak of darkness?
The results of the Fairlady Consumer Awards, which were recently announced in the April issue of the magazine, reflect the growing trend of South African consumers€™ movement towards choosing greener and more sustainable alternatives where possible.
Soylite Moisturising Candles took top honours in the Health & Wellness category; and Healing Earth Marula and Rose Face Serum scored top marks as the Best South African Product overall.
The Uitkyk wine estate is the newest winery to become a Biodiversity & Wine Initiative (BWI) Champion and the 20th to do so. The estate is at 591 ha one of the largest in the Stellenbosch area. Uitkyk has set aside more than 312 ha of virgin veld, or 52% of the total property for conservation! The standard requirement for championship status is 10 ha of virgin veld.
