If there is one time when this nation speaks with one voice it’s when we experience power cuts. We seem unified in our addiction to fossil fuels. Suddenly the complaints roll in from business, domestic, rich and poor alike. We can’t cook, we can’t run our factories, the aeroplanes are delayed. Chaos ensues. Of course we need power. We are dependent on Uncle Eskom and if he struggles, we are the innocent victims. Read in browser »
When thousands of cyclists and spectators take to the streets to participate in the annual Cape Argus Pick n Pay Momentum Cycle Tour this weekend, very few people will spare a thought for the dedicated and hardworking team of waste pickers and collectors who are working quietly and often unseen to ensure the litter discarded along the route is picked up and recycled. Read in browser »
Our electricity supply is becoming more and more precarious. Eskom should be able to supply 42 GW of electricity but on a regular basis it can only supply only around 30 GW. The grid infrastructure is overloaded which puts a large burden on transformers which are reaching end of life in half of their usual life, ie 12 years life instead of 25 years life. Read in browser »
According to Greenpeace, this technology can establish itself as the third largest player in the sustainable power generation industry. A study published in 2009 predicted that solar power could supply all the world’s energy needs, with minimal space.
Greenpeace estimates that it would take only two percent of the Sahara Desert’s land area to supply the entire planet’s electricity needs. Read in browser »
Electricity was cut across large parts of South Africa, including the country’s economic centre, Johannesburg, on Thursday as state power utility Eskom cut power supply for the first time since load shedding in 2008 cost SA's economy billions as demand outstripped supply. Read in browser »
Thank you to each and every one of the hundreds of people who joined together for a march on Washington yesterday to ask the President to “Dec-line the Pipe-line”. And a special thanks to the 398 young people who put themselves on the line and were arrested in the XLDissent action. The marchers were demanding a rejection of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline - the key to unlocking the oil industry’s next phase of extracting tar sands from under Canada’s Boreal forest to reach the higher prices of overseas markets. Read in browser »
How will the shift in waste law change how you manage your business & grow the Green Economy? An information sharing workshop titled "Law and Order: an overview of waste law in South Africa" is aimed at giving a broad overview of the South African environmental legal framework, the implications for the waste management & recycling sector and the opportunities for stimulating & growing the Green Economy. Read in browser »
A red flag has literally been raised at Princess Vlei on the Cape Flats of Cape Town by the supporters of a People’s Plan for the Vlei. The intention behind the campaign launched in November 2013 - with the active involvement of civic, environmental and faith organisations, including SAFCEI - is to alert Cape Town’s citizens to the natural and social spaces in our city that are under threat of inappropriate commercial development. Read in browser »
As our knowledge increases of how wetlands work, they are being recognised as wet wonderlands. Beyond being biodiversity hotspots, wetlands also provide eco-services that are essential to our survival. These services include: clean water, water storage, buffering against flooding, economically important populations of fish and birds and eco-tourism opportunities. Read in browser »
“Water, like religion and ideology, has the power to move millions of people. Since the very birth of human civilization, people have moved to settle close to it. People move when there is too little of it. People move when there is too much of it. People write, sing and dance about it. People fight over it. And all people, everywhere and every day, need it,” Mikhail Gorbachev, President of Green Cross International quoted in Peter Swanson’s 'Water: The Drop of Life.' Read in browser »
Islands confront some of the most difficult energy challenges. Their size and remoteness means they pay extremely high energy costs for often unreliable and dirty energy. Yet many islands are blessed with large amounts of sun, wind and water, making renewable energy a promising solution. One small island off the coast of Africa has embraced these resources, most notably through an innovative hybrid hydro-wind system. Read in browser »
China became the biggest solar market in 2013, helping to end a two-year slump for manufacturers in the industry. State support for photovoltaic projects in the country, the largest energy-consuming nation, has seen installation costs tumble as the government speeds renewables' development to curb pollution. Read in browser »
If there is one time when this nation speaks with one voice it’s when we experience power cuts. We seem unified in our addiction to fossil fuels. Suddenly the complaints roll in from business, domestic, rich and poor alike. We can’t cook, we can’t run our factories, the aeroplanes are delayed. Chaos ensues. Of course we need power. We are dependent on Uncle Eskom and if he struggles, we are the innocent victims.
When thousands of cyclists and spectators take to the streets to participate in the annual Cape Argus Pick n Pay Momentum Cycle Tour this weekend, very few people will spare a thought for the dedicated and hardworking team of waste pickers and collectors who are working quietly and often unseen to ensure the litter discarded along the route is picked up and recycled.
Our electricity supply is becoming more and more precarious. Eskom should be able to supply 42 GW of electricity but on a regular basis it can only supply only around 30 GW. The grid infrastructure is overloaded which puts a large burden on transformers which are reaching end of life in half of their usual life, ie 12 years life instead of 25 years life.
According to Greenpeace, this technology can establish itself as the third largest player in the sustainable power generation industry. A study published in 2009 predicted that solar power could supply all the world’s energy needs, with minimal space.
Greenpeace estimates that it would take only two percent of the Sahara Desert’s land area to supply the entire planet’s electricity needs.
Electricity was cut across large parts of South Africa, including the country’s economic centre, Johannesburg, on Thursday as state power utility Eskom cut power supply for the first time since load shedding in 2008 cost SA's economy billions as demand outstripped supply.
Thank you to each and every one of the hundreds of people who joined together for a march on Washington yesterday to ask the President to “Dec-line the Pipe-line”. And a special thanks to the 398 young people who put themselves on the line and were arrested in the XLDissent action. The marchers were demanding a rejection of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline - the key to unlocking the oil industry’s next phase of extracting tar sands from under Canada’s Boreal forest to reach the higher prices of overseas markets.
How will the shift in waste law change how you manage your business & grow the Green Economy? An information sharing workshop titled "Law and Order: an overview of waste law in South Africa" is aimed at giving a broad overview of the South African environmental legal framework, the implications for the waste management & recycling sector and the opportunities for stimulating & growing the Green Economy.
A red flag has literally been raised at Princess Vlei on the Cape Flats of Cape Town by the supporters of a People’s Plan for the Vlei. The intention behind the campaign launched in November 2013 - with the active involvement of civic, environmental and faith organisations, including SAFCEI - is to alert Cape Town’s citizens to the natural and social spaces in our city that are under threat of inappropriate commercial development.
As our knowledge increases of how wetlands work, they are being recognised as wet wonderlands. Beyond being biodiversity hotspots, wetlands also provide eco-services that are essential to our survival. These services include: clean water, water storage, buffering against flooding, economically important populations of fish and birds and eco-tourism opportunities.
“Water, like religion and ideology, has the power to move millions of people. Since the very birth of human civilization, people have moved to settle close to it. People move when there is too little of it. People move when there is too much of it. People write, sing and dance about it. People fight over it. And all people, everywhere and every day, need it,” Mikhail Gorbachev, President of Green Cross International quoted in Peter Swanson’s 'Water: The Drop of Life.'
Islands confront some of the most difficult energy challenges. Their size and remoteness means they pay extremely high energy costs for often unreliable and dirty energy. Yet many islands are blessed with large amounts of sun, wind and water, making renewable energy a promising solution. One small island off the coast of Africa has embraced these resources, most notably through an innovative hybrid hydro-wind system.
China became the biggest solar market in 2013, helping to end a two-year slump for manufacturers in the industry. State support for photovoltaic projects in the country, the largest energy-consuming nation, has seen installation costs tumble as the government speeds renewables' development to curb pollution.