I have never felt the need to read a book about Mandela, though I have always adored him. But by grace a little book came across my path … Knowing Mandela by John Carlin. Of course I want to learn more now, but I also suspect that having started with this one, it will be very hard to match. John was the South Africa correspondent of London’s Independent newspaper from 1990 … [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...]
Defy the rules and change the world
“Don’t accept no for an answer. Defy the rules! It’s the only way we’re going to make the change.” This was the opening statement by Prof Gunter Pauli, Blue Economy entrepreneur from Belgium, who was the keynote speaker at the international Student Environmental Network summit hosted by the Stellenbosch University. He has written 20 books, published in 34 languages, … [Read more...]
Turning vicious business into virtuous business
Business seems to be slowly adopting ‘do good and do well’ thinking. Advocates Richard Branson and Al Gore have called for a ‘return to values’.1 The bad news is that there are just too many disconnects between their stated values and actual practices. The ‘do good and do well’ slogan is useful for public relations purposes, based on selective activities designed to bring … [Read more...]
Order Mother Earth Book
Here is a loving tribute to Mother Earth and a call to action for children, their parents and grandparents. "What if our religion was each other If our practice was our life If prayer, our words What if the temple was the Earth If forests were our church If holy water--the rivers, lakes, and ocean What if meditation was our relationships If the teacher was life If … [Read more...]
The rich are choosing a bleak future for humanity
It’s not too late to avert a climate crisis but “pervasive human short-termism” makes it highly unlikely that society will do so in the next 40 years. “Starvation of the poor is one of the inevitable consequences predicted, if we continue to live in a democratic system, where the major focus is on short-term gratification and crafting the best possible life for yourself,” … [Read more...]
The fly and how it could save the world
We know that our oceans are currently being depleted by the international reliance and consumption of fishmeal. In fact, more than 90% of the large predatory fish like cod and tuna are gone. Yet the production of fishmeal has remained relatively constant over the past two decades, consuming about a third of the global catch of fish. We are talking about 30 million metric tons … [Read more...]
New guide to teach SA government about renewable energy
A new book was launched recently to assist local government officials, city managers and politicians to adopt renewable energy systems. A South African Renewable Energy Guide for Local Government aims to help government to cut greenhouse gas emissions while increasing energy supply from renewable sources. According to the book’s editor Lisa Thompson, Western Cape Premier Helen … [Read more...]
SU marine biologist writes new sea guide for children
Did you know that a starfish feeds by pushing its stomach out through its mouth and placing it directly over its prey? Did you also know that octopuses are quite clever? Or that Columbus’ crabs are sky blue? These are some of the facts contained in a new marine guide for children by Stellenbosch University marine biologist Dr Sophie von der Heyden. Her 88-page Southern … [Read more...]
The new energy book by sarah ward
This book was the first basic book about saving energy in the household that I have found. It educates people like me who only know Eskom as a monopoly and all the bad press around it. It informed me of all the other parties involved and that there are plans in place to make Eskom one of many to supply energy and also in different more sustainable ways. 'REDs (Regional … [Read more...]
The last hours of Ancient Sunlight
The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight is one of those books that every now and then someone mentions and you make a mental note to read it someday. Well 'someday' just arrived and now I'm left wondering what direction my life might have taken if I'd read it before. Perhaps though, 23 years ago when this was published, most of us were too laid back about environmental issues and … [Read more...]
WATER: The Epic Struggle For Wealth, Power, and Civilization
In an except from Steven Solomon's Water: The Epic Struggle For Wealth, Power, and Civilization, Mesopotamia is the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which largely corresponds to modern day Iraq and surrounding lands. The violent floods from those two rivers gave rise to the earliest flood myths. The word Mesopotamia literally means "between the rivers," and it … [Read more...]
Sustaining Cape Town – imagining a livable city
Sustainable development in a city where everything is moving and changing at a tremendous pace is not a challenge for the faint-hearted. The harsh reality is that Cape Town is going through an extraordinarily rapid urban growth and transformation process which will have far-reaching consequences if not managed properly. But are we even aware that the city is changing and, if … [Read more...]
