A local empowerment project hopes to raise awareness of the importance of re-using, re-purposing and recycling plastics. Woolworths will be giving a new spin on the concept of a ‘waste not, want not’ festive season this year as locally-made repurposed plastic flower artworks are the focal point of their Christmas windows in the top 15 stores. The show-stopping designs … [Read more...]
Exciting journey ahead for Somkhanda
Somkhanda Game Reserve covers over 12 000 hectares of land and is a community reserve owned by the Emvokweni Community Trust (ECT) and co-managed with WILDLANDS, a programme of the WILDTRUST. Since its establishment in 2005, it has achieved major milestones and has in the process earned its status of being a ‘Big Five’ reserve. Currently, over 80 community members are employed … [Read more...]
New partnership aims to improve nutrition for SA children
Stunting or impaired growth remains prevalent amongst the poorest South African children. This can result in increased episodes of illness, poor cognitive function and poor educational attainment. Woolworths has announced a new partnership with UNICEF South Africa to help increase South African children’s access to good nutrition. In line with its aim to support … [Read more...]
Be part of SA’s national food drive this #MandelaDay
The goal: Collect 250 tonnes of food over three days to provide over a million meals. This is the task ahead for the second consecutive Mandela Day Food Drive, and South Africans encouraged to unite together to reach this goal. “The reality in our country today is that millions continue to go to bed hungry every day,” says Suzanne Ackerman-Berman, director of transformation … [Read more...]
Public participation needed for effective environmental governance
“I think we understand why we are all here,” said Janet Munakamwe, Action 24 workshop facilitator, as she held a copy of the Constitution of South Africa in the air. “The key is in the preamble of the Constitution – the first three words are ‘We, the people’,” replied Bongani Dlamini, from Youth@SAIIA. These were the opening remarks of the Action 24 workshop in Gauteng, one … [Read more...]
Children may be eating cereal laced with toxic weed killer
The probable carcinogen glyphosate has been detected in popular cereals, but the EPA is ready to approve its use for 15 more years. Quaker Oats “Life” and “Squares” cereals. Gerber and Beechnut baby oatmeal. Cheerios. Store brand “O” cereals from Target, Safeway, Walmart, Trader Joe’s and Kroger. All those products were contaminated with glyphosate (often sold as Roundup) in … [Read more...]
Chevron attacked for poisoning ancestral lands in the Amazon rainforest
A prominent Canadian Indigenous leader and lawyer, Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild, has issued a blistering critique of Chevron in a United Nations speech for poisoning ancestral lands in the Amazon rainforest and engaging in “countless violations” of Indigenous peoples’ rights related to the dumping of billions of gallons of oil waste in Ecuador. The speech by Chief … [Read more...]
Wildlands praise recycling efforts in Colesberg
A group of nine hard-working residents in Colesberg (Northern Cape) signed up as Wildlands’ Waste-preneurs in 2016 with a goal of keeping their communities clean and green, while providing for their families. Continuous efforts made by this group have resulted in them forming a company known as A9. This allows them to be formally recognised as a business and draw more attention … [Read more...]
Pesticides and human health: the UK government’s ‘elephant in the room’
The UK Government currently has a consultation running until 8th May entitled ‘Health and Harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit.’ A promising title I thought! That was until I read the various consultation documents - produced by DEFRA - where it became abundantly clear that, despite the title, there is a glaring omission of anything human … [Read more...]
Water expert talks drought lessons at Mensa
In South Africa 98% of all potential raw water sources are already allocated for use. Increasing urbanisation and demand for safe sanitation place heavy demands on our water resources. The Department of Water & Sanitation estimates that R7-billion in potable water is lost annually. That amounts to 36% of the clean drinking water supply! Dr Jo Barnes, epidemiologist and … [Read more...]
UK government’s hypocrisy over ‘nerve agent’ spy poisoning
Anyone seeing the sight of the specialists investigating the nerve agent attack in Salisbury totally cocooned from head to toe in the most advanced chemical protective equipment and gas mask style respirators, will have raised an eyebrow or two. Not only because of the spaceman style appearance, but most strikingly because of the sight of innocent members of the public, with no … [Read more...]
Triple stacked GM maize destined for SA food
South Africa’s staple food, maize, could soon be loaded with new combinations of foreign genes, and sprayed with new cocktails of agrochemicals. Agribusiness giant, Dow, is applying to South African authorities for the right to sell yet another GM maize variety for cultivation and ultimately consumption. The variety in question is designated as MON 89034 x TC1507 x NK603. It … [Read more...]
Converting race waste into Green Desks
The #GOGREEN campaign – a waste management and anti-littering movement (a partnership between Old Mutual and WILDLANDS, supported by Polyco) was launched at the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon (OMTOM) in 2017. Similarly, the Comrades Marathon Association were inspired by the success of this campaign in Cape Town and implemented #GOGREEN along 27km of the 87km Comrades route in … [Read more...]
