Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Today, 22 March 2011, is World Water Day, in which we acknowledge the crucial importance of the life-giving substance, and the crisis we face as it becomes more and more scarce.
World Water Day was initiated at the United Nations Conferences on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The UN General Assembly declared that the 22nd of March would be devoted to implementing the UN’s recommendations for dealing with the water shortage and organising activities related to the cause.
World Water Day in SA
In South Africa, the main World Water Day event is taking place at the Cape Town Convention Centre. Three interactive pannels of high level dignitaries and water experts will discuss the issue of water in the South African context. For more details visit www.worldwaterday2011.org.
Are you doing anything for World Water Day today?
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
The tragedy unfolding in Japan has sparked much discussion and debate on nuclear power. Since the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant took place, shares in renewable energy (solar, wind and wave power for example) have reportedley surged in value, while most other energy shares dropped.
Experts predict that investment in renwable energy, solar in particular, will continue to rise as nuclear will be considered “politically unacceptable” for the next few years, just as it was after the incident at Chernobyl in 1986.
Advocates of nuclear power are fighting hard to redeem its image and dispell “myths” about it’s damaging effects. The Guardian quoted climate scientist, James Lovelock, who said that people are unreasonably prejudiced against nuclear:
“It is very safe. Chernobyl, for instance, was “an idiotic mess-up that could only have occurred in the Soviet Union…More people are routinely killed in oil refineries and coal mines.”
Closer to home
Even our own parliament seems to be demonstrating fresh enthusiasm for renewable energy sources. News24 reports that just yesterday at a joint meeting of Parliament’s energy and public enterprises portfolio committees, ANC MP Chris Gololo enquired about the feasibility of placing wind turbines on and around Table Mountain, an especially windy area of the Cape.
A representative from Eskom said that such a decision would fall with the City of Cape Town. It’s nice to see government taking an interest in renewable energy, just perhaps not at the expense of one of our most cherished natural landmarks.
What do you think?
Monday, 14 March 2011
February was the month in which many SEED Award winners received their awards and prizes at ceremonies in their home countries. The SEED Initiative is a global partnership that supports innovative grass-roots entrepreneurships demonstrating a strong integration of social and environmental benefits into their business model.
SEED’s role is to empower small-scale businesses that show potential, and enable them to increase their contribution to their local communities, whilst promoting sustainable management of resources and alleviating poverty.
We were very proud to see that six out of the 30 international winners were South African! Here are the fantastic small businesses that embody the dontbeapassenger ethos by making a significant difference to our communities and the environment:
- Amatola Wild Trout Fishery: based in East London. This is South Africa’s first recreational fly-fishery that’s owned and managed by a local community, bringing high-end tourism into a rural area and contributing to local job creation and skills development.
- Claire Reid Reel Gardening: this small business supplies pre-fertilised seed strips that encase seeds at the optimal depth and distance apart, with planting instructions in seven different languages. This makes subsistence gardening easy and accessible to anyone.
- Food & Trees for Africa: this organisation has thrived since its inception in 1990, and now facilitates a number of projects to do with climate change adaptation; food security, forestry and non-timers forest products.
- IziWasha: two social enterprises and a private company developed a handheld device that facilitates washing without the need for electricity or a home water supply. This makes the washing process remarkably easier for low-income communities and significantly reduces water and electricity wastage.
- Reclaiming Livelihoods – Mooi River Waste Reclaiming: this Pietermaritzburg-based project employs local people to recycle waste, creating a formalised workforce and providing shelter, protective clothing and technical equipment. This is an attractive opportunity to people in the area and it’s been very impactful in terms of job creation.
- Resentse Sinqobile Trust Trading as Zondi BuyBack Initiative aka Collect a Can: this buyback centre recycles and reshapes household waste, particularly tin cans and plastic. Over the years the initiative has impressed with its contributions to natural resource protection, litter reduction, job creation and education.
If you’re looking to help out this year, why not contact one of these great ventures and get involved or make or a donation?
SEED was founded by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at the 2002 Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.
Monday, 14 March 2011
The 81st Geneva International Motor Show took place from 3 to 13 March at the Geneva Palexpo in Switzerland. Each year the exhibitions get more exciting in terms of green vehicle technology (Joule was showcased last year), with forty-four new vehicles incorporating eco-friendly technologies on display at the 2011 showcase.
Due to the success of the Green Pavilion at last year’s convention, organisers gave the star attraction a prime location at the 2011 event. The Green Pavilion was placed near one of the show’s main entrances, giving the sustainable models fantastic exposure to the crowd of around 700 000.
At a press conference held on 1 March at the autoshow, three finalists were named for the World Green Car award – the Nissan Leaf, the Chevrolet Volt, and the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Edition. Three experts, specially appointed by the World Car Steering Committee, selected these finalists. The judges will carefully review each aspect of the energy efficient vehicles, and winners will be announced on 21 April at the New York International Auto Show.
Nissan’s Leaf is also a top three finalist for the coveted World Car of the Year title, marking the first time an electric vehicle has appeared in this category, a major milestone for green technology.
There were many other notable green vehicles that appeared at this year’s show. The Rolls-Royce’s Phantom Experimental Electric is the most expensive battery-electric vehicle the world has ever seen. At $1.6 million, the car is not intended for production, but rather to spark discussion and dialogue amongst eco-conscious millionaires.
Nissan unveiled its ESFLOW electric sports car and Opel premiered its Ampera, which will be available by the end of 2011. Jaguar Land Rover, Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, Ford and Daimler all had their own unique energy efficient models.
It’s clear that major manufacturing brands are feeling pressure to present consumers with a green product due to climate change, but also in light of oil prices which have recently surged. The Geneva Motor Show is considered one of the most important annual motoring events, with nearly all major internal combustion engine models in the history of the automobile having been showcased there since the first show in 1905. The fact that green vehicles have an increasingly strong presence at the prestigious event speaks volumes about their significance in the automotive industry of today.
Monday, 14 March 2011
Earth Hour has become a pretty big deal on the environmental calendar. Organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), it’s an opportunity for ordinary citizens to take a united stand in demanding stronger action in the fight against climate change, by switching off their lights for an hour.
The idea is to plunge familiar skylines into darkness, drawing attention to the cause and urging people contemplate the planet and their roll in its wellbeing for the 60-minute duration.
The first Earth Hour demonstration took place in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, when 2.2 million people and more than 2000 business pulled the plug on their lights for an hour. Three years later, the movement had become a global phenomenon, with 1.3 billion people from 4616 cities and towns in 128 countries participating in 2010.
Even major landmarks like CN Tower in Toronto, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Rome’s Colosseum, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and our own Table Mountain have become involved, adding significant momentum to the movement.
Earth Hour SA
Earth Hour 2011 will take place on Saturday 26 March at 20.30 local time. This year the organisers are encouraging participants to go beyond the hour by considering how they can make a difference once the lights go back on, and sharing it online to create a worldwide network of great ideas.
2011 is a particularly important year for South Africa as we gear up to host the 17th United Nations Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP 17) in Durban in December, where world leaders will convene to assess progress with climate change and discuss their commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Sign up to pledge your support for Earth Hour here, and receive updates about the events taking place before, during and after Earth Hour.
If you’re still not convinced, check out the official Earth Hour 2011 video:
Do you fancy yourself a writer? Or do you have an opinion you want to share? You don't have to be a blogosphere guru for this one. Simply contact us and tell us what you want to write about. Your article may just make it onto the featured posts category on the DBAP blog.
