The South African Organic Sector Organisation (SAOSO) in collaboration with Participatory Guarantee System South Africa (PGSSA) has launched SA’s first Ecological Organic Agriculture Pollinator programme. The programme is training 20 people to set up PGSs throughout South Africa that will help build more connected local food systems, provide organic assurance for consumers … [Read more...]
The road to ending plastic waste in SA
The South African Initiative to End Plastic Waste has already made important progress in its efforts to find workable solutions that will prevent plastic from polluting the environment. According to Plastics SA executive director Anton Hanekom, this initiative was formed earlier this year and enjoys the support and active participation of the entire packaging value chain – … [Read more...]
HBO documentary focuses on solutions to environmental crisis
Ice On Fire, a new HBO documentary focusing on solutions to our escalating environmental crisis, is now streaming first on Showmax in South Africa, just months after its world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. The documentary has a 90% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and “should be essential viewing for anyone who plans to carry on living on the planet,” to quote … [Read more...]
Social cost of carbon six times higher than thought
The economic damage inflicted by climate change could be six times worse than previously thought, US scientists have warned. The US government takes climate policy decisions on the basis that emitting one tonne of carbon dioxide incurs US$37 of social costs. In a study published in Nature Climate Change, researchers from Stanford University reached a figure of US$220 a … [Read more...]
Tread lightly on your travels
The Vineyard Hotel & Spa, a leader in sustainability in the South African hotel sector, has made huge strides in implementing various “green” initiatives over the last couple of years. Chris van Zyl (pictured below), group sustainability manager and horticulturist at the Vineyard Hotel & Spa, has highlighted a few essential tips that hotel guests can implement in … [Read more...]
One year’s PET recycling saves 75,000 tons of carbon emissions
PETCO’s Annual General Meeting took place on Wednesday, 28 August at the SAB World of Beer in Newtown, Johannesburg. The event was well attended by close on 100 stakeholders, shareholders and friends and was an opportunity for the PETCO Board and Management team to report back on the PETCO model and activities that contributed to the increased recovery and recycling of PET … [Read more...]
400 parts per million – now what?
On 26 June 2013 CO2 in the atmosphere rocketed to 400 parts per million, partly due to emissions caused by human actions. This carbon concentration was recorded in the Southern Hemisphere in the region of Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica. According to the Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii already had carbon recorded at this staggering amount in May. This last happened 3 to … [Read more...]
Thinking ahead for a future worth living
“Ask yourself: Are you thinking of now, or are you thinking of your grandchild’s future?” This was the question posed by climate scientist Inez Fung, a professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of California and co-director of the Berkeley Institute of the Environment. Prof Fung was giving a lecture entitled ‘Climate Math,’ which was hosted by the African Institute … [Read more...]
Thanks for Connecting the Dots
This is a thank you note, a thank you note to the whole planet. From every corner of the earth people have been doing their best to Connect the Dots on climate change. And their best has been pretty amazing — we have photos from beneath the ocean waves and from high-altitude glaciers, from the middle of big cities fighting sea level rise and remote deserts battling … [Read more...]
Who’s the greenest – printed or online newspapers?
The history of the South African English newspaper industry goes back hundreds of years as mining tycoons acquired newspapers through Johannesburg Consolidated Investments, a subsidiary of mining giant Anglo American. Independent Newspapers, South Africa's largest newspaper group, traces its history back to 1889 when Francis Dormer established the Argus Printing Company, … [Read more...]
Plastic recycling: moving & shaking our world
We don't realise how lucky we are in this country. Did you know that almost all our PET (clear) plastic beverage bottles collected are recycled into a local end-use and not exported to China, as is done by many other countries? This means that as more and more post-consumer PET bottles are collected, so end-use markets need to expand and develop. The largest end-use market … [Read more...]
Future carbon budget already almost gone
In the red: We've already eaten into - and substantially so - our future carbon budget, explained Prof Harald Winkler of UCT's Energy Research Centre in his inaugural lecture, 'Climate Change Mitigation in the Context of Development'. "We don't know all the answers, but we do know more than enough to take action now. It's clear from a South African point of view that we need … [Read more...]
Business quiet on SA’s carbon future
Energy continues to be big news. In South Africa, there's a focus on our future energy mix: that is, to say how much energy we should be generating from fossil fuels, nuclear or renewable energy resources. It's a critical issue, not just from an environmental perspective but also from an economic viewpoint. Surprisingly, we've heard little from business on the issue and … [Read more...]
