As part of the Design Indaba Festival 2020, Paris-based futurist Li Edelkoort will host inspiring new trend seminars in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Edelkoort’s ever-popular three-hour presentations form part of the official programme for the event’s 25th anniversary celebration. Her upcoming talks will take place in two parts. For the first part of the seminar, the … [Read more...]
Solar-powered winery puts sunshine in each bottle
Villiera Wines in Stellenbosch has done the largest roof-mounted solar installation in South Africa. The 539 solar modules installed across three of the Cellar's roofs will generate enough energy to power the Winery's entire daytime requirement out of harvest time, providing electricity to its staff housing, offices, kitchens, processing and bottling facilities, cellars and … [Read more...]
Want to save money, lose weight, have more time, live healthy and be happy?
So starts the No Carbon Week guide - our guideline to navigate through a week of becoming more aware and living this awareness together with people from across the planet. The Green Times office is joining this united world-wide experimental effort, which starts this Sunday, 18 April. The No Impact Experiment is a truncated version of Colin Beavan's experience trying to live … [Read more...]
Wine club tree planting event
On a recent Saturday morning a group of members of our wine club and their family and friends gathered at the farm for a day of tree planting, wine tasting and a well-earned lunch. Part of being a Backsberg Wine Club member involves the opportunity to plant a tree in your family's name, on the farm. This ties into our philosophy of care for the environment; it was important for … [Read more...]
Wine in plastic bottles?
Pick n Pay is now offering wine bottled in plastic - to be correct, PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate). There are considerable benefits to using PET bottles for wine. They are light-weight and therefore significantly more eco-friendly as they require less energy to produce. Traditionally, PET was used for sporting events or in-flight catering, where there is a very fast … [Read more...]
Soybean candles official for world cup
The greenest candles in the country - Soylites Candles - landed the license as the official candle range for the FIFA World Cup. SoyLites are our country's first specialists in hand-poured and scented Soybean Massage and Moisturising Candles. All FIFA long burning candles will be poured into re-usable glass or travel metal containers (with lids) and branded with various FIFA … [Read more...]
Porter estate market
...any fresher and pigs might fly. Porter's is a fresh food market, no mistake. The smell of moer koffie and bacon greet you. 'We styled it after old European markets where people come to hand-select fresh produce and catch up with friends,' said Gail Coetzee, the market manager, in a polo-neck jersey with her hair in a pony tail. "About a quarter of the stalls are … [Read more...]
Stoep Harvest part 4: Spring planting
This month on Stoep Harvest its time for Spring planting! In the southern hemisphere, the first of September is officially the beginning of spring. This is the time to be planting the vegetables that will feed you throughout summer and the early stages of autumn. If you are planting seeds directly into the soil, it is important that no new compost has been added in the … [Read more...]
The wells of not-so-ancient wisdom
My bookcase groans with the weight of green literature. Permaculture for idiots, double digging for novices, you get the picture. You see I am passionate about gardens, food and the planet. My garden should, in theory, be prolific with delicious organic food. Despite my cerebral imbibing of all knowledge organic, I have never been able to translate that knowledge into a food … [Read more...]
Organic policy to help SADEC countries
'Organic farming has been there for many years, sitting on the fringe, but not receiving much attention,' said Thabo Ramashala, Director of Plant Production for the Department Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries at a national organic policy workshop in Cape Town. 'Government wants to find a way for the organic sector to grow and find its place.' Consumers worldwide are … [Read more...]
Owls and silver trees reward biodiversity champion
The Uitkyk wine estate is the newest winery to become a Biodiversity & Wine Initiative (BWI) Champion and the 20th to do so. The estate is at 591 ha one of the largest in the Stellenbosch area. Uitkyk has set aside more than 312 ha of virgin veld, or 52% of the total property for conservation! The standard requirement for championship status is 10 ha of virgin … [Read more...]
Mr T Pot’s veggie patch
Mr T Pot sounds more like a character from a Beatrix Potter story than a farm worker from Mooi River. However, our Mr T Pot has a wonderful tale to tell about cabbages and kale. Last year, the Midlands Meander Education Project received funding from Thatu UK to assist Carshalton School get their food garden growing well and able to provide fresh, organic veggies to … [Read more...]
Companies shirk GM labelling responsibilities
All South Africans need to act urgently and immediately to the proposed regulations in the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) governing the labelling of Genetically Modified (GM) food. The regulations are weak and undermine the consumer's right to know and consumer choice, while addressing the needs of big business instead. An essential element for the labelling of GM Foods is to … [Read more...]
