Valentine's Day can be full of useless stuff - but let's not do that! Give your loved one a tree this year instead, and spread some sustainable green love. Simply fill out this form, and Greenpop will send to your love on Valentine's Day a certificate to let them know that a tree was planted in their name - complete with a personalised e-card! Greenpop will plant the … [Read more...]
SA cities in the running for global eco challenge
Two South African cities have been selected as finalists in the 2014 World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Earth Hour City Challenge, a global competition that recognises the substantial long-term efforts of cities to combat climate change. The two contenders – Cape Town and Durban – were among six South African cities that participated in a collaborative programme between WWF … [Read more...]
Microsoft’s sustainability predictions for 2014
2013 was a busy year for sustainability activities: More companies purchased more green energy, we saw advances in wind and solar penetration and efficiency, "natural capital" became a better defined and more prominent phrase, and environmental reporting continued to spread to more companies. 2013 was a busy year for sustainability activities: More companies purchased more … [Read more...]
Environmental crimes the focus of new conference
According to the United Nations Environmental crime is often transnational in nature and involves organized crime activities such as trafficking in natural resources, the illegal trade in wildlife, illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing and illegal exploitation of and trafficking in minerals and precious stones. Environmental crime has fast become the most unpunished … [Read more...]
From linear into circular society
“There is no Planet B. We are all a part of the global market and live on a planet with finite resources. We have the same aspirations and visions but will have to find a unique strategy when it comes to our waste management and recycling challenges.“ This was the message from the first South African and European Colloquium on Recycling that took place in Cape Town last … [Read more...]
SA comes last on development index
The Standard Chartered Development Index (SCDI) was recently launched as part of a new report entitled ‘Measuring sustainable development’. The SCDI measures the change in various development indicators from 2000-12 using GDP per capita, years of education, life expectancy, environmental health (including air pollution and availability of fresh water) and ecosystem … [Read more...]
Tracing the fish on your dish
Are you eating the fish you ordered? Up to half of the fish is mislabelled in South Africa. Who can we trust? The traceability of fish is crucial according to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a global organization which promotes responsible fishing through a sustainable fishing certification process. Martin Purves, Southern Africa MSC Programme Manager, explained why … [Read more...]
Greening your office
What is the first step in bringing sustainability into your office? Green Times was invited to and ‘Office Recycling made Easy’ workshop hosted by Hotel Verde. Corporations play a leading role in implementing more sustainable practises in South Africa. It requires participation by all levels of staff and by practically involving more people there is hope for a shift towards … [Read more...]
Tracing the fish on your dish
Are you eating the fish you ordered? Up to half of the fish is mislabelled in South Africa. Who can we trust? Green Times was invited to visit Three Streams Holdings and the Salmon Bar restaurant in the picturesque town of Franschhoek. The event was arranged by the Marine Stewardship Council of South Africa to express the importance of traceability in … [Read more...]
Green music festival rocks
Green Times attended Rocking the Daisies, which was not only good for our souls, but also good for the environment. “You use things faster than they reproduce,” Andy le May reprimanded the crowd of keen listeners huddled against the wind at the Rocking the Daisies Hemp stage. This founder of Icologie says that we have the power to live sustainably and happily now, but that … [Read more...]
Exciting speakers announced for international recycling colloquium
PETCO, the PET Recycling Company (Pty) Ltd, has just released an exciting line-up of speakers and topics for its forthcoming colloquium with the European Plastics Recycling Organisation (EPRO) that will be taking place in Cape Town on Thursday, 21 November 2013. This exciting event not only sees global collaboration, but local partnerships with the National Research Foundation, … [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...]
Waste is the new dinosaur – it’s time is up
National Recycling Day is this weekend on 14 September. What are you doing with your “waste?” Do you still have such a word in your vocabulary? At the Green Times we regard it as a dinosaur – it’s time is up. Nothing can be wasted as there are limited resources on this planet. So we can speak about resources, or materials instead. Everything should remain in a cyclical system, … [Read more...]
