The economic downturn is a perfect opportunity to fix rather than throw. ‘It’s cheaper to get a new one’ – how often have we heard or said that? Or ‘beyond its sell-by date’. Built-in – or planned – obsolescence, with us since the 1930s, means manufacturers design their products’ demise or non-functionality within a certain planned timeframe specifically to pressurize the consumer to make another purchase.
A decent cup of coffee could set you back R24, you’ll pay about R1.62 for a glass of milk, and squeezed citrus will cost around R13 per litre. But how much should we pay for a sip of clean water. And what’s the value of a glass of fresh, unpolluted air, asks Leonie Joubert?
Part 9 of Eric Mair's Energy 101 Series, exploring building planning and design, using sustainable materials.
Dear friends, Eric Mair, from Capstone Renewables, will be hosting a Demystifying Renewable Energy presentation on the 8th of August 2009. This is a 90 minute presentation on what can be and, indeed, is being achieved both in the domestic and utility scale markets with renewable energy resources and technology available today. It is an [...]
Sue Bellinger re-imagine National Cleanup Week. One of the most sustainable activities that I’ve come across is ‘cleanups’. We do them over and over again, in the same places and the same way. Come September we’ll ‘celebrate’ National Cleanup Week. Hordes of community members, schoolchildren and corporate employees will be urged to ‘celebrate’ and participate. [...]
Energy 101: Planning and design of buildings. Bearing in mind the energy efficiency mantra: The cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use (where “cheapest” refers to both finance and environment). The most efficient way to keep your spaces warm in winter and cool in summer is to design and build them with energy [...]
This December, all eyes turn to Denmark, when scientists and governments will come together to discuss the fate of the planet’s atmosphere. Leonie Joubert visits some of the country’s green solutions ahead of the all-important United Nations climate summit.
With the world's attention on the Copenhagen climate change negotiations happening later this year, a group of NGO's have drafted a climate treaty as a guide for governments to use at the negotiations. The proposes treaty brings together the need for ambitious and urgent action on adaptation and emissions reduction.
A summary of our latest climate change adaptation workshop with small scale farmers within the Swartland region of the Western Cape. This workshop is part of a larger pilot study which provides farmers with information about climate change and tools to adapt of shift their farming practices.
Two students at Michaelhouse private school in the Midlands, KZN have started their own small scale biogas system. Read their story of what they did, what worked and the successes they've had. Hopefully this project can the foundation a school wide biogas generation project.