Did you know that personal care products send cocktails of chemicals into the oceans? The sunscreen that snorkelers, beachgoers and children romping in the waves lather on for protection is killing coral and reefs around the globe. And a new study finds that a single drop in a small area is all it takes for the chemicals in the lotion to mount an attack. The study was … [Read more...]
10,000 farms to be explored in dubious KZN gas rights deal
A one-man show run from a shared office block in Cape Town has obtained the largest exploration rights in KwaZulu-Natal. Rhino Oil and Gas Exploration South Africa, which has its corporate office in the known tax haven of the British Virgin Islands, and with no known black economic empowerment partner, has landed not only a 1,5-million hectare exploration right in KZN, but … [Read more...]
Learners rewarded for addressing SA water challenges
Danville Park Girls' High School in Durban North, KZN, was awarded first place at the National Water Explorer Awards event that was held on Thursday 3 September at the Durban Botanical Gardens. The Water Explorer programme is a two-year collaboration between the UK NGO Global Action Plan (GAP) and the international banking firm HSBC that aims to engage learners in eleven … [Read more...]
Fight against Limpopo coal power station raises water issues
Earthlife Africa Johannesburg is determined to stop yet another coal-fired power station from being built in water-stressed Limpopo. Last month, attorneys in the Centre for Environmental Rights’ Pollution & Climate Change team filed further papers on behalf of environmental justice group Earthlife Africa Johannesburg in this battle. Under the National Environmental … [Read more...]
Rocking the Daisies keeps its green promise
Rocking green is the intention once again at the Daisies held this year in October, where the motto is 'play hard, tread lightly.' The green goals of Rocking the Daisies are an integral part of the organisation of the festival. Daisies aim to be as close to a carbon neutral event as possible by reducing where possible and off-setting any carbon that was expended in the … [Read more...]
Toxic EPA spill turns Colorado river orange
The mustard hue of the Animas River in Colorado - the most visible effect of a mistake by the Environmental Protection Agency that dumped millions of gallons of pollutants into the water - is striking. Just a glance at a photo of the orange-yellowish slush is enough to know that something seems wrong. Scientists will have to say just how wrong, and possibly dangerous, the … [Read more...]
Norway aims to become Europe’s ‘green battery pack’
Norway's 937 hydroelectric-generating plants provide the country with 96 percent of its electricity—making it the world’s sixth-largest hydropower producer. Now, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology are figuring out how to spread the water power wealth to other nations by turning Norway into the “green battery pack” of Europe. The idea is to … [Read more...]
Enter the 2015 Eco-Logic Awards today
The time has come for the Eco-Logic Awards 2015. Through these awards, The Enviropaedia recognises and honours organisations and individuals that provide products or services that nurture Planet Earth. Due to the rising popularity of the awards, the deadline for entries has been extended to 14 August. Be sure to tell them about your green activities, project, business or … [Read more...]
HOW TO SERIES PART 1: How to go off the grid with solar
Today starts our new HOW TO SERIES – on demand by you our readers. How do we take our environmental footprints into our own hands and radically reduce our negative impact on the planet we hope to leave behind to our children in a liveable state? How do we adapt to the realities of the environmental crisis and live with reverence and joy? Every second week we will publish the … [Read more...]
O + H2 = the greatest treasure
One oxygen atom and two hydrogen molecules can create treasure. The greatest treasure on this planet is not actually gold, diamonds or a rare painting by Picasso. Our greatest wealth and our most prized possession is … water. Johannesburg based environmental NGO, Green Beings, teamed up with Cosmo City schools, Rand Water and Smokolo to promote water conservation and … [Read more...]
WESSA project wins UN award for water commitment
A joint water project initiated by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) under the Chief Directorate Transformation and by WESSA Eco-Schools has won a United Nations-Water “Water for Life” Best Practices Award. The DWS/WESSA Eco-Schools Water Project was awarded in the category “Best participatory, communication, awareness-raising and education practices” and shares … [Read more...]
5 most shocking things people flush down the toilet
You may think no-one knows what you do in a bathroom behind closed doors, but the men and women working at the Department of Water and Sanitation definitely do. They get to sift through your water waste to remove blockages from our sewers so that water is able to move freely through water treatment facilities back into our rivers and lakes. As tempting as it might be to dump … [Read more...]
SONA: response to environmental commitments
WWF's Salim Fakir asked the Presidency to rethink the so called need for nuclear power in his response to President Jacob Zuma’s 2015 State of the Nation address. He commented on the address in terms of environmental matters: Fakir, Head of WWF’s Living Planet Unit, commended the focus on the energy crisis and the need for both short-term and long-term energy planning. … [Read more...]
