One Sunday morning earlier this month, Bolander received an urgent call from Somerset West resident Elma Pollard (previous environmental correspondent for Bolander, and editor of the Green Times), saying that there was a massive frog migration underway from Paardevlei dam, over the R44 to the Sanctuary dam. "The cars are driving over the frogs, it’s a massive slaughter, and … [Read more...]
Ecocide may become a crime
The Belgian Ecolo-Groen (Eco-Green) parties have been quick to seize the moment to propose establishing the crime of ‘Ecocide” in Belgium and in the wider international community, following French president Emmanuel Macron’s recent statement in support of a crime of ecocide. Proposals are being forwarded to the International Criminal Court, and the Pope and a number of world … [Read more...]
Reopening local tourism to secure employment for many
Under lockdown level 3, many sectors have been allowed to trade or operate to some degree. However, the tourism and leisure sectors have remained closed for months, impacting on thousands of jobs and the finances and well-being of millions of South Africans. Reopening local tourism may contribute to securing employment for many, which would act as a lifeboat for vulnerable … [Read more...]
Small personal actions make a difference in the climate fight
Do your small attempts really make a difference to the unfolding climate change? How? What meaningful changes can we make. How does your impact work? Is it really worth it? Elma Pollard unpacks some aspects of Drawdown by Paul Hawken, who writes about 100 things you can do to stop climate change, on Radio Cape Pulpit: … [Read more...]
Are we learning from the fires?
As the fire from Stellenbosch jumps across the Helderberg mountains and spreads down onto the Lourensford estate, Somerset West, everyone’s talking arson. That might be one of the reasons, though I think there is an obvious contributor that is conveniently left out of the discussion: climate change. We know that changing land uses and patterns of dryer and hotter climate has … [Read more...]
Rainbow Warrior Day 2: 14 nationalities, one passion
Robert is fun to have around the mess – always smiling and joking in his heavily accented but good English. It’s a game for me to try and guess where people are from. There are 14 nationalities on-board. People grew up in countries far apart from each other, in totally different cultures and with completely diverse types of educations or skills. What brings them all together … [Read more...]
Winter solstice liberates new light
Have you ever seen anything in your life more wonderful than the way the sun, every evening, relaxed and easy, floats toward the horizon and into the clouds or the hills, or the rumpled sea, and is gone and how it slides again out of the blackness, every morning, on the other side of the world, like a red flower streaming upward on its heavenly … [Read more...]
Towards an organic life
It's preposterous to presume that anybody can talk with any professional credibility about how to lead an organic life. But right now we certainly have to try! I have chosen to expose myself, in the run of a normal working week, to facts and figures that move me deeply. Can anyone listen to our desperate biodiversity loss over the past 30 years and not go into mourning for … [Read more...]
