Recycling used billboards made from end of life PVC banners not only help keep thousands of homeless city dwellers warm and dry, but has now also received the recognition it deserves from South Africa’s plastic recycling fraternity by walking away with a Gold Award in the category “Novel and Artistic Products” during the South African Plastic Recyclers Organisation (SAPRO) Best … [Read more...]
150 firefighters deployed to tackle Camps Bay blaze
Three helicopters and 150 firefighters have been deployed to tackle the blazing fire near the 12 Apostles Hotel in Camps Bay on Friday. Fire manager for Table Mountain National Parks (TMNP) Philip Prins said the ground crew would tackle the left and right flanks of the fire, while the helicopters would spray seawater to prevent it from spreading further. Prins said one … [Read more...]
Only 23% of SA toddlers eat a proper diet
The latest major health survey from Stats SA reveals that only 23 percent of South African toddlers are fed a diet considered to be adequate in terms of child nutrition. This is a figure which should concern us all: its implications for the future development of this demographic cohort are frightening. As a new book by agricultural economist Dr Tracy Ledger makes clear, at … [Read more...]
Fears of another Fukushima linger as tropical storm pummels Texas
In the midst of Tropical Storm Harvey's drenching onslaught, energy watchdogs are sounding the alarm over the continued operation of two nuclear reactors in East Texas that are running at full capacity despite what they claim is the clear potential for a major disaster. Located near Bay City, Texas, the reactors belong to the South Texas Project, a 12,200-acre nuclear power … [Read more...]
Help ban toxic dicamba and protect seed sovereignty
This pesticide flies through the air, destroying most plants in its path - even on neighbouring land. Almost no crop survives but Monsanto GMOs. It’s a greedy scheme that will make Monsanto billions and destroy our food system! But now 1,000 farmers are fighting back. They've forced the governor in a major US farm state to issue a temporary ban and now he’s deciding … [Read more...]
East Rand hospital the latest to take on zero waste challenge
Bertha Gxowa Hospital is the latest health care facility to join the internationally recognised Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH) initiative, which serves to create a global network of hospitals and health systems seeking to improve environmental performance, while sharing best practices and finding solutions to the common challenges they share. The hospital has … [Read more...]
Climate change could push staple food prices up 130%
Climate change could lead to shortages and punishing 130% price rises in staple foods within our lifetime, raising the spectre of riots and civil unrest, a new study warned today. The report, by the International Food Policy Research Institute, warned that warming of even one degree by 2050 could play havoc with food production – with hotter, wetter temperatures cutting crop … [Read more...]
Indian farmers mourn dead after debt crisis turns violent
Six protesters were killed in the Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh in June. Meet the bereaved families driven to despair by erratic weather and a tough market. Abhishek Patidar was 17 years old when he died. A farmer’s son, he had planned on becoming a doctor. “Abhishek studied in the 11th grade,” said his mother Alka Patidar, proudly. Her eldest son had only finished … [Read more...]
Climate change is killing us right now
The most obvious effect of global warming is not a doomsday scenario. Extreme heat is happening today, and wreaking havoc on vulnerable bodies. A young, fit U.S. soldier is marching in a Middle Eastern desert, under a blazing summer sun. He’s wearing insulated clothing and lugging more than 100 pounds of gear, and thus sweating profusely as his body attempts to regulate the … [Read more...]
Help Project Sunshine bring light to the children of Diepsloot
Diepsloot is a densely populated neighbourhood situated in the north of Johannesburg, South Africa. Over 200 000 inhabitants live in self made shacks, with living conditions worsened by a lack of access to basic facilities, like water, proper sanitation, education and public lighting. The Philile Foundation is a non-profit organisation that aims to transform the lives of … [Read more...]
Joburg Mayor joins Miss Earth SA for World Environment Day street clean-up
One hundred street and park clean-ups formed part of the World Environment Day celebrations for the Miss Earth South Africa Leadership programme in partnership with the City of Joburg and Pikitup. From the 1st – 5th June, 100 Miss Earth SA regional finalists have been hard at work connecting with their communities across the country. Under the banner of the international … [Read more...]
Western Cape declared a disaster area amid worst drought in 100 years
Premier Helen Zille has officially declared the Western Cape a disaster area in response to the current drought – the worst since 1904. “The disaster declaration will accelerate the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre’s project 'Avoiding Day Zero', the province’s strategy to ensure that taps do not run dry,” said Zille. The declaration will be formally gazetted … [Read more...]
Health and water impacts of coal still missing from energy plans
The Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle campaign, [1] together with Greenpeace Africa, welcome the rigorous research undertaken by the energy unit of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). [2] This research has been described as a “comprehensive alternative” to the draft Integrated Resource Plan Base Case (IRP) published for comment by the … [Read more...]
