The South African Organic Sector Organisation (SAOSO) in collaboration with Participatory Guarantee System South Africa (PGSSA) has launched SA’s first Ecological Organic Agriculture Pollinator programme. The programme is training 20 people to set up PGSs throughout South Africa that will help build more connected local food systems, provide organic assurance for consumers … [Read more...]
iShack for upgraded greener living
"This house is more comfortable than our previous place, and I am very happy that we have lights because there is no electricity here,” says Nosango Victoria Plaatjie, proud occupant of a prototype eco-friendly dwelling in the informal settlement of Enkanini, Stellenbosch, called the iShack. The “i” stands for “improved”, and it entails cost-effective and sustainable … [Read more...]
Local professor co-authors UN sustainability report
By 2050, humanity could devour an estimated 140 billion tons of minerals, ores, fossil fuels and biomass per year - three times the current appetite - unless the economic growth rate is 'decoupled' from the rate of natural resource consumption. This is according to a new United Nations report released this Thursday and lead co-authored by Professor Mark Swilling, the Head … [Read more...]
Tragic World Bank decision leads to many questions
'This is a tragic decision,' said David Parry-Davies, environmentalist and editor of the yearly landmark publication Enviropaedia, about the news that the World Bank had approved a loan of US3,75-billion to Eskom to build a coal-fired power plant at Medupi, northern Limpopo. Shockwaves rippled through the South African green community, as David verbalized what many hard … [Read more...]
KWV to clean up their vineyards
Progress on the poison front! The KWV head office has put plans in place to reduce their use of poison sprays during the next season and have made a commitment to sharing their learnings with others in the industry. During the past season the newly established group TATIB (The Air That I Breathe) received complaints from residents living in the vicinity of the KWV vineyards … [Read more...]
