When the news broke it hit me in the chest. I have a high-risk child on immune suppressant drugs. Have fought so hard for him. My own lungs are damaged from embolisms. My other 2 smoke. Brutal. Yet all of life is at any given moment perched on the tip of a pin. Life had taught me that many times. The news unfolded in waves of shock… then the conflicting stories… matched by … [Read more...]
Getting into a prepping state of mind
At last the Cape Town society has moved out of the first stage of grief – denial. This condition which is the nemesis for environmentalists over the years. How to break through the naïve hope that all will be fine, no matter how we live? How to inspire the courage to face the science? Inevitably Mother Earth is now pitching in to teach first hand. We have to accept that … [Read more...]
Green goes platinum for cool hotel
When a local green hotel receives the honour of becoming the first Elite Platinum building on the African continent, there is cause for celebration. A celebration which we were happy to share, inspired by a range of magnificent green tweaks which confirms that indeed the world is changing and all the hard work in the green industry is not in vain. Hotel Verde also … [Read more...]
Build your own floating island for a natural pool
You might remember my battles to convert our harmful saltwater pool into a natural pool last year. Well, I have finally succeeded. We now swim in a clear mountain pool – yes, the natural colour of water is brown. White or sea-through water is bleached and therefore chemically laden and not good for you or the environment. Why would one bother to convert your pool? A 2010 … [Read more...]
Embrace and learn the way forward
I am amazed to see the interest in our swimming pool conversion into a natural habitat for wildlife, which might also include ourselves, if needs be. Some readers would also like to put their pools to better use, so I will share my learning as we go along. Happily I am receiving advice from many sources, but herein lies the next challenge too. There are those that recommend I … [Read more...]
Water: the currency of the future
Water is essential to all life on earth. Now water is set to head in the same direction as oil, with prices rising as demand is increased and supplies are depleted. The fundamental difference is that whilst oil equals money, water equals life. We use so much water in our day to day lives that we often take it for granted. Neither do we realize that every product we buy, or … [Read more...]
Save water in your home and garden
With the rainstorms and snowfalls that have accompanied the winter of 2011, it might be hard to imagine that South Africa could be facing a water crisis - but experts say that unless we start taking water saving measures seriously, we could see demand exceeding supply as soon as 2020. With another scorching summer just around the corner, South Africans will need to be … [Read more...]
Oxygen replaces chemicals in new healing pools
A recent research report by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) reveals that exposure to disinfection by-products (DPB) such as chlorine found in swimming pools, is a possible cause of bladder cancer. Most regular swimmers know that a high chlorine content in swimming pools causes skin and eye irritation. But the health risks posed by swimming … [Read more...]
