A long-running campaign encouraging councils to let neatly-mown grass verges become mini meadows where wildflowers and wildlife can flourish appears to be building up a head of steam. Since 2013, Plantlife has been telling authorities the move could help them save money and boost their green credentials. Several have taken the message on board. An eight-mile "river of … [Read more...]
Company environmental disclosures often hide bad things
The Centre for Environmental Rights has submitted comments on the Draft King IV Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa 2016 (King IV). As with all other comments submitted to the Institute of Directors of Southern Africa (IODSA) as part of the King IV Public Commentary process, our comments were submitted using the IODSA online commenting platform, and are available … [Read more...]
Cape Town pushing ‘ambitious’ climate agenda
Cape Town's green projects have to deliver benefits to the poor and create jobs, said the City’s Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille, at the Cape Town Climate Change Coalition last week. The forum includes role players from the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape Government, civil society and business to discuss collective actions needed to address climate change … [Read more...]
100 Mayors adopt Seoul Declaration for sustainable cities
Over 100 Mayors and elected leaders today adopted the “Seoul Declaration”, which sets out how to make cities sustainable. The Seoul Declaration is one of the major outcomes of the ICLEI World Congress 2015 - the biggest gathering of urban sustainability leaders worldwide. Gino Van Begin explained: “The Seoul Declaration is a landmark commitment by our Members, our … [Read more...]
Achieving practical sustainable goals for South Africa
We have constantly been made aware of the dangers of climate change in recent years, as global temperatures continue to rise and natural disasters affect human settlement more frequently. The dialogue of world leaders repeatedly emphasises the need to focus on the development of a green economy to ensure the wellbeing of our planet. In working towards achieving the county’s … [Read more...]
Green entrepreneurs make magic with trees and waste
Improving your life whilst greening your environment is a match made in heaven. The Acornhoek community in rural Mpumalanga show us how it's done. The northeast of South Africa is home to some of its best-visited tourist attractions. On the one side is Kruger National Park and the upmarket, private game lodges that surround it. On the other there’s God’s Window and the … [Read more...]
Beyond the rubble, through the cracks
For years I have been passing by an old, roofless house on my route to work. Despite my hurried scramble to the office, I would always look out for her. Sad, abandoned and enigmatic, she has intrigued me. The romantic in me has, for years, been drawn to the poignant, abandoned beauty of this stoic, red brick structure with pink tibouchina bursting through the front veranda. … [Read more...]
Poo issues in Sir Lowry’s Pass Village
Ecoli in the Sir Lowrys Pass river and hence the ocean at Gordons Bay is an issue that activists from the Helderberg are now fed-up with. Squatter camps in the village are suffering from a shortage of proper sanitation and sufficient waste disposal, so the river is used to dump unwanted things into. The City of Cape Town responded with the folllowing statement by the Mayoral … [Read more...]
Partnerships drive the plastic recycling industry to success
“The focus of waste management in South Africa is changing. No longer is the emphasis on the disposal of waste, but rather on avoiding its generation and minimizing and recycling the waste stream wherever possible.” This was the key message conveyed by Lisa Parkes, Marketing Manager of PETCO, at a workshop held during Wastecon in Somerset West this month. “The law … [Read more...]
SA’s green economy transforms bottom lines
South Africa's fast emerging green economy is driven by factors such as radical cost savings, brand differentiation, sustainable futures, skills attraction and retention. Driving its uptake is business, particularly multinational companies (MNCs), which – through its global nature and the interconnectedness of markets – is harnessing green principles to do good and boost … [Read more...]
Home composting project reveals impressive results
The results of the City’s home composting project was at a WasteCon presentation. The roll-out of composting containers for residents to use at their homes, as well as education on how to use them, resulted in the diversion of significant amounts of organic waste from landfill sites. This was was met with enthusiasm from all areas where it was tested. As such, it is … [Read more...]
R1 trillion can take all homeowners off the grid
I think one would need a referendum to spend R1,000,000,000,000. But my calculations show that for about R1 trillion one can take the entire homeowner load off the grid between 6am and 10pm. This is a MUCH better use of resources than spending this on a new nuclear plant with the help of Russia, says David Lipschitz, solar energy expert. And in this system no government … [Read more...]
City concludes embedded electricity generation contract
Today the City of Cape Town signed the first small-scale embedded electricity generation contract with Black River Park Investments, an office block in Observatory. They commend Black River Park for leading the way in the commercial real estate sector by utilising large-scale solar power systems to generate environmentally sustainable energy. Black River will be producing … [Read more...]
