The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) will be joining Green Building Councils across the globe to celebrate World Green Building Week, and has invited all South Africans to take part in the celebration by getting involved in making their homes and work spaces greener. The GBCSA will use the week, which takes place from 21 to 27 September 2015, to highlight the … [Read more...]
Hemp house coming for Khayelitsha soup kitchen
The Yiza Ekhaya Soup Kitchen feeds, cares for and offers a safe place for around 200 - 250 children in the local community. Recently, some of the children have started sleeping there as their home situations are unsafe. Up until now, it has operated from founder, Mickey Linda’s RDP house. Mickey and the children need a safer building. Tony Budden from Hemporium, Wolf Oliver, … [Read more...]
Monitoring energy consumption leads to savings
Business can use the National Energy Barometer Survey as an opportunity to calculate their energy consumption to make improvements. This is what The Clicks Group did when they used the National Energy Barometer Survey (NEBS) as an opportunity to collate energy use information for the entry. This enabled them to see what the Group’s energy baseline was, in order to improve … [Read more...]
Carbon Footprinting Guide reaches over 53 000 downloads
Who would not like to read and consult a free Carbon Footprinting Guide to help tweak your life and business? Well, this is probably why this online guide has achieved more downloads than any other SA publication of its kind to date. Historically, such guides at best registered a few thousand downloads per annum, and the Guide is clocked over 53 000 six months after … [Read more...]
Stories of Lwandle evictees not OK, says ADR lawyer
After 20 years of democracy, and celebrating the spirit of Madiba, the reality of the Lwandle evictions, as reported in Court last week, triggered memories of the old style police treatment in the sad history of this country. As part of a Ministerial Inquiry into the evictions Sheena St. Clair Jonker (main photo) made submissions on behalf of the community. She is the … [Read more...]
Natural Building part 1: What is it?
Natural Building means different things to different people. Personally, I can’t view natural building in isolation from sustainability and sustainable building, writes Peter McIntosh, natural builder, in the first article in his series about this topic. Sustainability requires that we view ourselves as part of an ecosystem. In a sustainable system the materials your house … [Read more...]
Sustainable design to address Cape Town’s rapid urbanisation
The challenges facing cities today are numerous. Rapid urbanisation is a growing reality and Cape Town has the highest rate in South Africa. This brings housing, infrastructure, social and biophysical challenges. Yet if we look for solutions across business, government and communities, we find tremendous energy and innovation to address the challenges. This was the outcome … [Read more...]
Most energy efficient buildings announced
Each year building owners and facility managers enter their buildings in the National Energy Barometer Survey (NEBS) to compare how they have improved their energy use against others in a similar industry – hospitals, offices, car dealers, hotels and shopping centers. The latest results are out and the top performing buildings for the 2012 utility year are: Head office: The … [Read more...]
Give your office a green thumbprint this Green Office Week
Next week is Green Office Week (GOW) which is intended to raise awareness of the importance of eco-friendly offices and inform office workers that they too can make a positive impact on the environment whilst at work. Your office will be healthier and make financial sense Although some organisations are already making clear statements about their green products or services … [Read more...]
SA’s top employers are thinking green
By adjusting company policies to reduce travel and keep buildings greener, organisations can play a significant role in reducing South Africa’s concerning carbon footprint. South Africa is one of the least green countries in the world – in the top 15 for highest carbon emissions; just a few paces behind Japan, the UK and South Korea. The country emits 435 878 000 tonnes of … [Read more...]
Growing SA’s solar water heating industry
Since the light bulb wired the world we can no longer live without electricity and the abundance thereof. However, in South Africa we have become used to living with less electricity, because of the energy shortages at Eskom. The endeavour to supply South Africa with alternative energy recourses is underway, but could definitely use a much needed power boost. The solar water … [Read more...]
Benefits of working in a sustainable building
Imagine an office space that uses the latest eco-friendly materials and technologies to create a completely sustainable environment; a tranquil, airy workspace filled with natural sunlight and surrounded by natural foliage. My team and I are lucky enough to occupy just such a workspace - a sustainable building in Westlake Business Park, Cape Town. Known as The Green … [Read more...]
