We had the pleasure this week to experience hands-on the largest single rooftop solar installation in Africa, generating 542.4kW power. The impressive “White House’ Vodacom office building in Century City, Cape Town had all of 3600m² of roof tiles removed and replaced by solar panels. The installation of the solar array is part of Vodacom’s ongoing drive to help reduce the … [Read more...]
An Olive Agenda: bridging economy and ecology
Proposing a theological engagement with a metaphor that could transcend the duality between the ‘green’ environmental agenda and the ‘brown’ poverty agenda that has disabled development discourse for the past twenty years, the late Steve de Gruche left his thoughts in a paper entitled 'An Olive Agenda: First thoughts on a metaphorical theology of development' before his … [Read more...]
Lessons from the journey
An amazing journey? Yes. In four weeks I saw 17 cities and witnessed some of the most interesting people tell stories of their struggles with climate change. I visited some really remote villages like Vatsonhga, gasped at some of the most beautiful sunsets and engaged with the country’s most courageous citizens. How I have changed since the Climate Train left Cape Town … [Read more...]
Leading South Africa to a greener future
A wave of green consciousness is sweeping South Africa as the world prepares for COP17, which is set to kick off in Durban from the 28th of November. World leaders debate in congress and we all look to one another for answers, while green warriors lead the way, demonstrating the pivotal role ordinary people like you and I can play in ensuring the call to “Go Green” is … [Read more...]
Cleaning up the peninsula
With Summer nearing, Capetonians can once again look forward to lounging on the iconic beaches that stretch around the peninsula. Spending long, hot days relaxing on the sand and staring out over the ocean is undoubtedly a happy prospect. The idea of those pearly beaches being covered in litter is never part of the fantasy. And it should never become be a reality. That is … [Read more...]
Waste mother leads her team to new heights
Today I salute a rising star in the waste industry in whose bright face I see recycling grow into a central instrument in the healing of our planet. Cynthia Vundisa supervises 64 staff members at the WastePlan recycling transfer station outside Somerset West. Her story illustrates the inter-dependence between a single mother with vision and recycling targets on which the … [Read more...]
Turning bread tags into wheelchairs
Some think it's an urban legend that all bread tags collected in boxes across the Cape Peninsula and further afield go to a granny in Noordhoek, who provides wheelchairs to the needy. Think again. I went to visit Mary Honeybun to experience her incredible Bread Tags for Wheelchairs project. And if you're still wondering what you can do to help this world, here is something … [Read more...]
Recycling champions can’t keep up with demand
I love win-win, which is what Oasis is. When I visited I smelled biscuits baking, saw recycling happening in every possible open space, and met lots of happy people, who save 24 000m3 of landfill each year. The people at Oasis are intellectually disabled. I don't know that one would find more meticulous recyclers. Linda, for instance, works with paper: one by one she takes … [Read more...]
Cycling to solarise Africa
One in four people on this planet, including 550 million Africans living in rural areas, do not have access to electricity. This lack inhibits their economic development. Electricity can power their mobile phones, light their homes, and pump up water for irrigation. Renewable energy provides an affordable and eco-friendly way to improve their lives. The Dutchman, Rick de … [Read more...]
