The Minister of Environmental Affairs Dr Edna Molewa and the Minister of Water and Sanitation Gugile Nkwinti will be at the launch of an $7.2 million (approximately R90 million) worth Ecological Infrastructure for Water Security project in Johannesburg on Thursday, 31 May 2018. This five year investment from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) together with considerable … [Read more...]
Local musicians work together to create environmental awareness
The preservation of the environment is a matter which Jean Marais, owner of Tunes Studio in Stellenbosch and local drummer, has held dear since an early age. A few months ago, and to his utter dismay, he discovered that his hometown sports a severe lack of recycling infrastructure. After a few phone calls to the local municipality and recycling companies in Stellenbosch, … [Read more...]
Get recycling to make a difference in your community
Do you love where you live? Is your environment clean, healthy and free of litter? Are you helping to improve the appearance of your community? Even in highly built-up and poor areas, each of us can make a difference as individual. Every little bit helps – each of us can make a contribution to looking after the environment by recycling packaging materials and other … [Read more...]
Green entrepreneurs make magic with trees and waste
Improving your life whilst greening your environment is a match made in heaven. The Acornhoek community in rural Mpumalanga show us how it's done. The northeast of South Africa is home to some of its best-visited tourist attractions. On the one side is Kruger National Park and the upmarket, private game lodges that surround it. On the other there’s God’s Window and the … [Read more...]
Six lucky recyclers will receive loans to fund their projects
Recycling initiatives are often in need of seed support, whilst volumes escalate and the business becomes viable. This is why POLYCO, the Polyolefin Recycling Company, is helping 6 operations with supportive loans. They have released the names of the six successful applicants who will be receiving total investment loans of R7 million over the next 6 months to fund their … [Read more...]
Reaching out a sustainable hand of comfort to the needy
Can you believe that recycled bottles could turn into warm bedding for those in need? Well, it can, and it does. Legacy Project is a heart-warming initiative that reaches out a caring and comforting hand to challenged communities, and especially also to children. It was developed as part of the ten year birthday celebrations of the PET Recycling Company (Pty) Limited … [Read more...]
Home composting project reveals impressive results
The results of the City’s home composting project was at a WasteCon presentation. The roll-out of composting containers for residents to use at their homes, as well as education on how to use them, resulted in the diversion of significant amounts of organic waste from landfill sites. This was was met with enthusiasm from all areas where it was tested. As such, it is … [Read more...]
Technology driving young art in new project
When he was 18, the South African artist Bogosi Sekhukhuni sought out his father, whom he had never met, on Facebook. It didn’t go well. They had a terse and awkward online chat. Later, his father blocked him from contacting him on the site. Now 23, Mr. Sekhukhuni is using the experience for a new project: designing robot-generated imagined conversations between fathers and … [Read more...]
3683 trees planted in Livingstone!
"At first I didn't really understand the full benefits of planting more trees, but Greenpop explained it to me & it is really going to help. Speaking for the whole community, we have cut down many trees for fuel. We are grateful to Greenpop for bringing us so many trees. & we hope to spread the message to our friends & neighbours. It was a very exciting day!" … [Read more...]
Farmers in Chile to teach the region agroecology
An organisation that brings together some 10,000 peasant and indigenous women from Chile is launching an agroecology institute for women campesinos, or small farmers, in South America. For years, the National Association of Rural and Indigenous Women (ANAMURI) has been training thousands of people through La Vía Campesina, the international peasant movement, working on the … [Read more...]
Barcoding project aims to protect endangered species
Google, famous for their internet search engine, has made a US$3 million Global Impact Award to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC for a project on endangered species. South Africa is one of six countries selected as partners in the project. The others are Kenya, Nigeria, Mexico, Brazil and a Southeast Asian country to be selected soon. The Barcode of Wildlife … [Read more...]
Finding a way through water woes
Having gained a unique perspective of the local water environment through serving as chief director of the Department of Water Affairs, Dr Harrison Pienaar joined the CSIR last year as competence area manager of the Ecosystems Services research group. Chantelle Mattheus recently took the opportunity to discuss both his – and the CSIR’s – focus moving forward and where he sees … [Read more...]
Pondering the best renewable energy mix
“The road through South Africa's energy landscape is beset with detours, crossroads and conflicting signposts,” is a common assessment of the country's electrical power sector. Struggling to find the right mix to tackle chronic capacity shortages, stubborn red tape holding up new projects and mounting pressure by consumers to tariff hikes which, according to some economists, … [Read more...]
