At the turn of 2009/2010, local filmmaker Daréll Lourens and her friend Simone van Keulen had the vision of Earth Junkies, an eco- awareness journey aiming to travel overland through Africa, the Middle East and Europe and work with children to foster ecological citizenship in their foundation years. 2 years have passed and the project has finally realized. Daréll has now … [Read more...]
Civil society crucial to COP17 success
It is up to civil society to prevent a potential “genocide” or “ecocide” being agreed to at the Durban Conference of the Parties (COP17) which starts in Durban this week. These are the weighty words of Pablo Solon, one of the world’s top climate change negotiators, who had stood his ground firmly against the world at last year’s COP16, held in Cancun, Mexico. There he … [Read more...]
Climate Train adventures: drawing Mother Earth
It was the morning of day nine of our journey across South Africa on the Climate Train. I found myself lying on the boardroom table in the conference carriage. Perfectly still, I lay on a large piece of canvas looking out at the dinky station with sunny yellow boarders. My dear friend and fellow cultural practitioner on the train, Dylan McGarry was sketching my body’s … [Read more...]
Diamond in the rough
Today we figured out from first hand experience why Kimberley is known as the city of diamonds. We might not have found a hidden bag of jewels, but what we did find was something far more valuable. A diamond in the rough, unspoiled treasure, with a shine so radiant that it lit up the entire room. Twelve year old Rethabile Senye of White City, Kimberley, showed herself to … [Read more...]
Youth debate Mother Earth’s rights
"The Earth Forum and exploration of the Charter enabled me to gain a deeper appreciation for nature, making me realise the desperate need for environmental education in vulnerable and poor communities,' said Youth Forum leader, Sofuthi Balungile (22) about his experience on the Climate Train at its first stop in Worcester. Sofuthi described the afternoon in a round table … [Read more...]
Who were we waiting for?
'Many hands make light work'. This idiom was particularly true for the Climate Train on Monday, 7 November, when the entire team came together for a collaborative AMbush (guerrilla gardening) on the corner of Market and George Street, Krugersdorp. A once dirty and filth ridden corner is now a cleaner, unpolluted area. The Climate Train team had removed a total of 25 garbage … [Read more...]
Dry, polluted spaces turn into lush gardens
'She is the frame of the unexpected. A young girl with no rank and no title, just two small hands that carry her entire community. There are no facilities here; there are no green bins that line the streets, just her understanding.' On Saturday, 5 November these profound words of poet Mbali Vilakazi came to life in the dusty community of Kanana, Klerksdorp. With a heart … [Read more...]
Klerksdorp – where climate change is more than talk
For the past week we've been doing a lot of climate talk, tree planting and painting with the aim to raise awareness about climate change. We've travelled through four cities and worked with over 3000 children and adults, but when we arrived in Klerksdorp on Friday, we were taught a couple new moves. Known as the 'city of people' the footprints of the first gold miners still … [Read more...]
