Imagine a people’s park where we can come together to picnic, enjoy nature, be creative and listen to great music? Help us make this happen at Princess Vlei. Come and enjoy: Spectacular live bands including the internationally acclaimed John Wizards and Isongo Livingstone High Jazz Band and our favourite DJ, Rozzano Great food on sale, or bring your own Pony rides … [Read more...]
Bringing sustainability back to Greyton
Greyton is a small rural community based in South Africa’s Western Cape. It lies in the foothills of the Riviersonderend Mountains in a dramatically beautiful region known as the Overberg, 140 kms east of Cape Town. In January 2012, Greyton became South Africa's first Transition Town. Inspired by Totnes in Devon, England, UK ex-pat Nicola Vernon undertook training in the … [Read more...]
Celebrate the important things this Valentine’s Day
Love is in the air. The weather is scorchingly beautiful and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. We live in a part of the world where there are plenty of eco-friendly and inexpensive ways to celebrate love on this day. As is the case with most special days, this day started out with noble intentions as a simple celebration of love, and has evolved into another … [Read more...]
What makes northern lights happen?
One of the most stunning natural events our atmosphere offers us is the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. Waves of color dance across the sky during the night, displaying different colors and patterns. But what makes this happen? The answer is an interesting combination of solar wind, magnetic fields, electrical currents, and at least one person standing around to go, … [Read more...]
Home-based transitions: a space of grace
Next up in our Green Afterlife series, we have a story by a transition facilitator who works with the dying to ease their journey. A few years ago I had the enormous privilege of assisting my mother through her transition. She was critically ill, and had expressed a strong desire to die in her familiar environment. We made a decision as a family to respect this wish, and … [Read more...]
Eco cosmetics save the earth and your health
The use of cosmetics has become a daily routine, so much so that often we apply beauty products without reading the labels. Even if we did have a peek at the ingredients in our products, most of us wouldn't know what they were. The list of ingredients is often a reminder of how complicated those chemistry lessons were. Even if we can pronounce the chemicals correctly, how many … [Read more...]
Beauty that benefits the earth
How deep do we need to go in greening our lives? As deep as it goes; to the bone. Of course it matters what we feed one of our biggest organs, the skin. Who would like to knowingly expose their lymph glands to a concoction of chemicals contained in 'regular,' often toxic, cosmetics and body products? Much of what goes onto the skin is absorbed and therefore consumed by the … [Read more...]