“This year has been a complete right-off for climate action and a massive knock for the people, especially the youth, of this country! We are in a race against time to keep temperatures well-below 2 degrees or stabilise at 1.5°C degrees, and as it stands, current levels of warming has already resulted in human rights’ violations.” So said Earthlife Africa Johannesburg … [Read more...]
Acclaim for first vegan and plant powered show
South Africa’s much anticipated inaugural Festive Vegan and Plant Powered Show (FVPPS) took place online at the weekend and proved to be hugely successful. More than 1000 people took part in the six-hour event which featured cooking demonstrations from top local and international chefs, expert health and wellness speakers and a virtual shopping mall. Speaking from his … [Read more...]
Developing a roadmap for managing SA’s plastic waste
Key role-players in the plastics manufacturing, collection and recycling industries, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) and other interested parties participated in the 2020 Plastics Colloquium feedback session, which was held virtually earlier this month. This was the second Plastics Colloquium following the inaugural event that took place in … [Read more...]
Somkhele environmental activist Fikile Ntshangase murdered
“I refused to sign. I cannot sell out my people. And if need be, I will die for my people.” Tragically, grandmother Fikile Ntshangase’s words became a reality when she was gunned down in her home at Ophondweni, near Mtubatuba, on the evening of 22 October 2020. Mama Ntshangashe was the Vice-Chairperson of a sub-committee of the Mfolozi Community Environmental Justice … [Read more...]
Highly allergenic ragweed invades South Africa
This week scientists made a landmark discovery when ragweed – a highly allergenic weed native to North America – was detected in South African pollen spore traps for the very first time. The discovery was made by Dr Dilys Berman, an aerobiologist at UCT and Prof Jonny Peter, who heads up the UCT Lung Institute’s Allergy Unit. Palynologist, Dr Frank Neumann, based at Wits … [Read more...]
No more eviction for crucial Joburg recycling NPO
A group of 110 waste collectors will not be thrown out of their waste-sorting depot at Pirates Sports Club in Greenside. WastePreneurs, an initiative that helps to uplift Joburg’s informal waste collectors, has won its first interdict against the City of Johannesburg Property Company (JPC), repealing its eviction from Pirates. In what has been hailed as a “small but … [Read more...]
Bloemfontein battling high levels of pollen this spring
Bloemfontein residents are in the grip of the hay fever season as tree and grass pollen levels surged to a whopping 115 grains per cubic metre (grains/m³) this spring. “It’s the first time that pollen levels are being monitored in the city of roses, which is an important milestone”, says Prof Jonny Peter, Head of the UCT Lung Institute’s Allergy Unit. “Bloemfontein … [Read more...]
Entrepreneurship initiative fights poverty with e-waste
South Africa’s unemployment rate is one of the highest in the world with our crippling economy being unable to provide adequate formal employment opportunities. In partnership with leading household appliance companies and retailers, one initiative is making a real difference by providing income-generating opportunities for the unemployed. By donating their customer returned … [Read more...]
Rhino awards recognises the people who protect wildlife
“It’s not whether animals will survive, it’s whether man has the will to save them.”- Anthony Douglas Williams. Africa’s wildlife is a vital part of the continent’s heritage. They are in many ways not a part of Africa, they are Africa. The increasing threats to Africa’s wildlife suggest that Africa could be in danger of losing a part of its identity. But there is hope. There … [Read more...]
Ring-fence the plastic bag levy to fight plastic pollution
Nobody is more disgusted at plastic pollution than those of us who work in the plastics industry. It is distressing to see our products washed up on beaches and littering the landscape. But the call to ban plastic products is a simplistic response to a complex problem. What’s required is a rational solution to the genuine crisis of plastic pollution, not an emotional … [Read more...]
Activists scale statues to protest deaths caused by air pollution
Activists from Greenpeace Africa scaled several iconic statues across Johannesburg and Pretoria this morning to demand action on air pollution. The activists fitted the statues with emergency gas masks to pressure the National Air Quality Officer to protect citizens’ right to clean air. Famous statues of the Mother with Child at Bree Taxi Rank, Brenda Fassie in Newtown, the … [Read more...]
Annual fest seeks to educate on wetlands and water birds
The main purpose of the Flufftail Festival, held in Joburg earlier this month, is to teach people of all ages about the importance of conserving water, wetlands and waterbirds. On 8 and 9 February 2019 BirdLife South Africa, in partnership with Rand Water (Water Wise), Toyota, the Rare Finch Conservation Group and Joburg City Parks and Zoo, hosted the annual Flufftail … [Read more...]
Dealing with invasive beetles in Cape Town
The City of Cape Town is ready to deal with an invasive beetle that poses a serious threat to trees in the metropole and surrounding areas. The City’s Recreation and Parks Department, together with the Invasive Species Unit, have put operational plans in place to deal with the polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB) which has invaded and damaged thousands of trees in other parts of … [Read more...]
