The Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, the key outcome of the 17th Conference of Parties (COP17) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December 2011, has been dubbed by many as the platform for inaction, with the decision to find agreement by 2015 being seen as the agreement to disagree at a later date. COP17 did little to directly answer the … [Read more...]
Youth Environmental Summit talks inspire
My journey with BlueBuck Network started like any exciting American teenage movie would. With a road trip. On 14 July I travelled up to Rhodes University in Grahamstown with EcoMaties for the Youth Environmental Summit, stopping at all the relevant places: Wilderness, Storms River and Nanaga Deli near Port Elizabeth. My excitement for the summit, organised by the BlueBuck … [Read more...]
The voyage that changed me
My mind was racing back to that first plastic sample we found in the ocean. Clear navy blue water filled with small coloured pieces of plastic. I stood in line at the supermarket, bursting with excitement because I had finally remembered to bring along my own shopping bag. When is the message of sustainability going to filter through to staff at this level? Unfortunately … [Read more...]
Earth is treasured in Uruquay
I am back in South Africa and more than ready to tell everyone about my experience on the 5 Gyres expedition from Walvis Bay to Uruguay. The last few days I found myself pondering our arrival. How would we be received? When we entered the harbour, the long-awaited pathway to land and freedom, we were surprized to find the following scene: Little 'green' men and women … [Read more...]
Cycling to solarise Africa
One in four people on this planet, including 550 million Africans living in rural areas, do not have access to electricity. This lack inhibits their economic development. Electricity can power their mobile phones, light their homes, and pump up water for irrigation. Renewable energy provides an affordable and eco-friendly way to improve their lives. The Dutchman, Rick de … [Read more...]
