The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting many Kenyan communities, which depend on the tea sector, as the tea sector's output and demand in tea is falling. However, an innovative Kenyan project running three years is continuing to create thousands of healthier homes, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, while reducing the demand for firewood which helps reduce … [Read more...]
City of Cape Town smokes out emissions culprits
Nearly 8,000 diesel vehicles were tested for dark smoke emissions in a 12-month period, with 68 failures and fines issued totalling just under R30,000, the City of Cape Town said on Saturday. The city was reasonably satisfied with efforts to tackle vehicles emitting dark smoke while using public roads, in contravention of the Air Quality Management by-law, mayoral committee … [Read more...]
Contentious incineration plant for Wellington?
A controversial waste to energy project in the Boland – a planned incineration plant in Wellington – has raised much concern among residents. The long knives are out for Drakenstein Municipality and its plans to erect an incineration plant in Wellington's industrial area. Drakenstein Environmental Watch (DEW) has among others already approached the Public Protector, … [Read more...]
City slickers are full of lead
There are six minerals that are considered non-essential toxic minerals. These are aluminum, mercury, cadmium, silver, gold and lead. Exposure to lead, which is considered a heavy metal, is almost impossible to avoid in an urban society. Among the most common exposures to lead are inhaling exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke and industrial airborne pollutants, paint in homes … [Read more...]
Burning wetland stops us in our tracks
On Friday afternoon we were about to hit ‘send’ to release this issue, when a thick smoke invaded our office like a ghost. We ran outside to see the wetland beyond our wall go up in flames – fanned by a strong wind blowing in our direction. Ironically we were just focusing on the importance of wetlands as central to healthy ecosystems and here they are destroyed again. This … [Read more...]
Beekeeping for dummies
Every house should have a beehive, it has been said. But how do we get started? It is advisable, but not essential, to have two hives. While you're busy with one, taking away honeycomb or just checking, the other one can be left alone to get on with its work. Here is a breakdown of your initial needs: Top Bar Hive: According to the fundis, this simple type of hive is best … [Read more...]
Clean cookstoves will save millions of lives
The invention of fire tens of thousands of years ago was one of the most powerful developments in all of human history. Fire for cooking made it possible for us to eat a whole range of foods that were previously left out of our diets or perhaps consumed raw. Fire for heating allowed us to expand our living area to higher latitudes. This transformed our patterns of social … [Read more...]
