It’s that time of year again: Time to put 2019 — a tumultuous year of ups and downs for our planet — to bed and start fresh with renewed energy and vision for 2020. And there’s no better time, because 2020 is going to be a pivotal year for our planet. Five years into the adoption of the Paris Agreement, 2020 will mark the year where we assess our collective progress on our … [Read more...]
Durban named greenest city in the world
Durban is the greenest city in the world as reported by the first Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index. The HUGSI Index is an AI-powered satellite solution to help decision makers monitor the proportion and health of green spaces in cities across the globe. Jenna Robinson, Husqvarna South Africa marketing manager for this leading global manufacturer of outdoor power products, … [Read more...]
Bioplastics are not the same as biodegradable plastics
When it comes to plastic alternatives, there are two materials that consumers are likely to encounter; bioplastics and biodegradable plastics. These are separate products that are often confused. People think that bioplastics and biodegradable plastics are one and the same, but in reality, they are not. Both of these materials are fairly new developments that are growing in … [Read more...]
Recycling ‘too much effort’ for most South Africans
Data from a new survey tapping into the public’s attitudes towards recycling has revealed that the majority of working and middle-class South Africans simply find recycling too much effort. In the largest consumer research in South Africa of its kind, almost 1,000 adults – mostly from major cities in South Africa, but including peri-urban and rural areas – spanning living … [Read more...]
How can we take action to fight climate change?
The words ‘climate change’ are known by 41% of South Africans, according to a recent August 2019 Afro barometer Survey. However, there is quite a stark difference between having a term in our lexicon, and knowing what it means. There seems to be a stream of never-ending news on events like the April 2019 KwaZulu-Natal floods, and severe drought leaving several provinces … [Read more...]
Fossil fuel divestment: will UCT finally heed the call?
It is now six years since Fossil Free SA first called on the University of Cape Town (UCT) to phase out all investments in climate-destroying fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. In those six years, the global fossil fuel divestment movement has grown from a handful of institutions to well over a thousand, including New York, Paris, London, our own city of Cape Town; a whole … [Read more...]
Achieving a sustainable festive festive season
Keeping the holidays eco-friendly may seem like a daunting and perhaps, at times, even a somewhat impossible task. However, there are entirely manageable strategies to ensure that you can celebrate the Festive Season fully while also achieving sustainability. The Festive Season is often a time where waste increases. Many products that are not eco-friendly and/or … [Read more...]
IT entrepreneur tackles e-waste one town at a time
Cracked mobile phones, leaking batteries, broken kitchen appliances, obsolete televisions… The twisted cords of toxic electronic waste are strangling South Africans. Seeing the danger, a North West entrepreneur has taken matters into his own hands, reports Rebekah Funk. As the use of technology grows at a seemingly insatiable pace, so too does the staggering amount of … [Read more...]
Save the planet, work in sustainable energy
As students contemplate their next step in their careers in 2020, the energy sector offers current and future employment opportunities, as South Africa renews its efforts to create alternative energy sources (renewables) and better manage current energy production (coal-fired). This is the opinion of Barry Bredenkamp, General Manager for Energy Efficiency at the South … [Read more...]
Public comment sought on carbon tax regulations
Following the coming into effect of the Carbon Tax Act, National Treasury is seeking public comment into the Draft Regulations for Trade Exposure Allowance and the Draft Regulations for the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Intensity Benchmarks. “The National Treasury has published for public comment two further sets of regulations, namely Draft Regulations for the Trade … [Read more...]
EWT embarks on project to save endangered tree
The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) are embarking on a new project to save nature’s life-givers – trees. The Pepper Bark Tree (Warburgia salutaris) is listed as Endangered, both globally and nationally, on the IUCN Red List. This is largely due to illegal and unsustainable harvesting of these trees for their bark, which is commonly used in traditional medicine, including … [Read more...]
YouLead Warriors receive youth empowerment award
One of South Africa’s prominent youth climate activists, Ayakha Melithafa along with her fellow ‘YouLead Warriors’ who have completed the year-long YouLead Initiative, have received their Bronze Presidents’ Awards for Youth Empowerment at a ceremony on the 22 November 2019 at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa. The YouLead Initiative is run by local environmental … [Read more...]
Eliminating marine pollution with innovative design
Finalists in the Commonwealth Litter Programme (CLIP) STOMP Awards have been announced. The STOMP (Stamp Out Marine Plastic Pollution) Awards made a call out in October for South Africans to enter ideas and solutions that could reduce, or eliminate plastic pollution, which ultimately ends up in the ocean destroying habitats, and endangering marine species. Over 60 entries … [Read more...]
