Environment | The Water and Solar Company

Knysna starts green Swop Shop

Oct 302010

ECO-FRIENDLY ... A group of school pupils bring their recyclables to the Swop Shop at Sinethemba in Knysna in exchange for basic items like toiletries and stationery.

A RUBBISH-SWOPPING initiative has been launched in Knysna’s Concordia area where children can exchange recyclable refuse for basic items such as food, toiletries and stationery.

A similar programme that has been running in Hermanus for seven years was adapted by Sue Swain, the bio-mimicry facilitator spearheading the municipality’s “Knysna Turns to Nature” campaign, Edge of Africa, the Knysna Economic Development Agency (Keda) and Knysna Tourism.

“The Swop Shop programme basically entails children collecting recyclables and bringing it to one of three Swop Shops where the waste will be weighed. Based on the weight collected, children will earn Edge tokens which may be redeemed at the shop for items such as basic toiletries, stationery, clothing, pet food or toys,” Swain said.

She said the waste would then be sorted and taken to a recycling centre in Concordia.

“We would also like to get adults involved with this programme. Over 18s will earn Edge tokens which may be exchanged for a variety of empowerment courses such as literacy, computer literacy and welding,” Keda representative Teres Goslett said.

The Swop Shop project relies heavily on donations from the public to stock the shop and Goslett said goods such as basic toiletries, stationery, non-battery operated toys and pet food could be delivered at the Keda Office in Woodmill Lane on weekdays.

Edge of Africa co-founder Dayne Davey said they were still looking for funding for three shipping containers to be used as shops but the sites had already been identified.

“It will be run as a mobile facility for now and children will be able to swop and shop at Sinethemba, Magdaleentjie’s Creche and the BMW Love Life Centre on different afternoons of the week,” she said.

She said the project would not only contribute to a cleaner environment, but would provide children with the opportunity to be rewarded for their recycling efforts while meeting their basic needs.

“It will teach them the value of saving, as well as promote the learning of basic mathematical skills as the children will be involved with the weighing and calculations.

“Once this pilot project is up and running, the understanding of the impact of waste may be extended to the pricing of goods according to their carbon footprint,” she said.

She said children would also be helped to assess and understand the life cycles of products.

“This has become an essential practice in the commercial world as products are being increasingly judged on their impact on the environment.”

Swain said the pilot project was identified bearing in mind the basic principle that waste is a valuable resource in the natural world.

“Biomimicry asks us to look at the natural world to find better ways of conducting our day-to-day business. The natural world has been engineering, constructing, manufacturing and producing for billions of years without tapping into fossil fuels or producing harmful waste. All waste produced in nature is useful, either serving as food or as a resource for the next creature.”

Source – The Weekend Post

Nature's sting: The real cost of damaging Planet Earth

Wildlife matters 1 Response »

Oct 202010

By Richard Anderson Business reporter, BBC News

The global cost of replacing insect pollination is around $190bn every year

You don’t have to be an environmentalist to care about protecting the Earth’s wildlife.

Just ask a Chinese fruit farmer who now has to pay people to pollinate apple trees because there are no longer enough bees to do the job for free.

And it’s not just the number of bees that is dwindling rapidly – as a direct result of human activity, species are becoming extinct at a rate 1,000 times greater than the natural average.

The Earth’s natural environment is also suffering.

In the past few decades alone, 20% of the oceans’ coral reefs have been destroyed, with a further 20% badly degraded or under serious threat of collapse, while tropical forests equivalent in size to the UK are cut down every two years.

These statistics, and the many more just like them, impact on everyone, for the very simple reason that we will all end up footing the bill.

Costing nature

For the first time in history, we can now begin to quantify just how expensive degradation of nature really is.

Drivers of biodiversity loss

Land use change – for example cutting down forests that provide essential water regulation, flood protection and carbon storage, to make way for agriculture
Over exploitation – for example over-fishing or intensive farming that leads to soil degradation
Invasive species – for example the introduction of non-indigenous species that crowd out endemic insect populations
Climate change – for example rising temperatures that cause more extreme weather conditions.

A recent, two-year study for the United Nations Environment Programme, entitled The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (Teeb), put the damage done to the natural world by human activity in 2008 at between $2tn (£1.3tn) and $4.5tn.

At the lower estimate, that is roughly equivalent to the entire annual economic output of the UK or Italy.

A second study, for the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), puts the cost considerably higher. Taking what research lead Dr Richard Mattison calls a more “hard-nosed, economic approach”, corporate environmental research group Trucost estimates the figure at $6.6tn, or 11% of global economic output.

This, says Trucost, compares with a $5.4tn fall in the value of pension funds in developed countries caused by the global financial crisis in 2007 and 2008.

Of course these figures are just estimates – there is no exact science to measuring humans’ impact on the natural world – but they show that the risks to the global economy of large-scale environmental destruction are huge.

Natural services

The reason the world is waking up to the real cost of the degradation of the Earth’s wildlife and resources – commonly referred to as biodiversity loss – is because, until now, no one has had to pay for it.

“It’s pretty terrifying. Nobody in business thinks that at some point this is not going to hurt us” Gavin Neath Unilever

Businesses and individuals have largely operated on the basis that the natural resources and services that the planet provides are infinite.

But of course they are not. And only when the value of protecting them, and in some cases replacing them, is calculated, does their vital role in the global economy become clear.

Some are obvious, for example the clean and accessible water that is needed to grow crops to eat, and the fish that provide one-sixth of the protein consumed by the human population.

But others are less so, for example the mangrove swamps and coral reefs that provide natural barriers against storms that devastate coastal regions; the vast array of plant species that provide pharmaceutical companies with endless genetic resources used for live-saving drugs; and the insects that provide essential pollination for growing around 70% of the world’s most productive crops.

Bee collapse

It is a hugely complex process, but an economic value can be placed on these resources and services.

In the US in 2007, for example, the cost to farmers of a collapse in the number of bees was $15bn, according to the US Department of Agriculture, contributing to a global cost of pollination services of $190bn, according to Teeb.

An illegal logger cuts down trees in Indonesia

Deforestation increases the risk of flooding in surrounding areas

As Paven Sukhdev, a career banker and team leader of Teeb, says: “Bees don’t send invoices”.

Research by consultancy group PricewaterhouseCoopers also suggests the economic losses caused by the introduction of non-indigenous, agricultural pests in Australia, Brazil, India, South Africa, the US and the UK are more than $100bn a year.

In 1998, flash flooding in the Yangtze River in China killed more than 4,000 people, displaced millions more and caused damage estimated at $30bn. The Chinese government established that extensive logging in the region over the previous 50 years had removed the trees that provided essential protection from floods. It promptly banned logging.

Indeed the Centre for International Forestry Research has estimated that, in the 50 years prior to the ban, deforestation cost the Chinese economy around $12bn a year.

Business costs

The impact of biodiversity loss is felt hardest by the world’s poor. The livelihood and employment of hundreds of millions of people depend upon the world’s natural resources, whether it be fish to eat or sell, fertile soil for farming or trees for fuel, construction and flood control, to name just three.

As Mr Sukhdev explains: “Biodiversity is valuable for everyone, but it is an absolute necessity for the poor”.

For example, Teeb has calculated that the Earth’s natural resources and the services they provide contribute 75% of the total economic output of Indonesia, and almost half of India’s output.

But it’s not only the poor who suffer.

Businesses will increasingly be hit as they start paying for their part in biodiversity loss.

Not only will they have to pay to protect or replace services that nature has historically provided for free, but they will be forced to pay by regulatory instruments such as pollution taxes, like carbon credits and landfill taxes that already exist, and higher insurance premiums.

Increased flooding is partly due to land conversion by humans

Then there is the cost of paying for the increased number of natural disasters, resulting in part from more extreme weather conditions caused by rising temperatures due to greenhouse gases, and even reputational damage among consumers that are becoming increasingly sensitive to environmental issues.

Trucost and PRI have estimated the cost of environmental damage caused by the world’s largest 3,000 companies in 2008 at $2.15tn.

That equates to around one-third of their combined profits.

Again, these figures are only estimates, but the scale of the costs that will have to be paid by companies for their damage to the environment cannot be ignored.

As Gavin Neath, senior vice president of sustainability at consumer goods giant Unilever, says: “It’s pretty terrifying. Nobody in business thinks that at some point this is not going to hurt us”.

Pension values

And higher costs for business mean higher prices for consumers.

Only this summer, massive floods in Pakistan and China forced the global cotton price to 15-year highs, pushing up the costs of clothes, with retailers such as Primark, Next and H&M all warning of higher prices to come.

Drought and wildfires in Russia also sent wheat prices rocketing, sending global food prices sharply higher.

But consumers won’t just be hit by rising prices. As Trucost’s research shows, earnings and profits of the world’s largest companies will come under increasing pressure, undermining share price growth.

And it is precisely these companies that pension funds invest in.

Pension values, therefore, are likely to suffer, reducing retirement incomes for all.

The cost of the current, rapid rate of degradation of the earth’s natural resources will, then, be borne by everyone, environmentalist or not.

This is the first in a series of three articles on the economic cost of human activity on the natural world.

The second will look at which sectors and businesses have been hit hardest, and the third will look at what can be done to slow biodiversity loss, and what opportunities it presents.

UN turns to wiki power for wildlife conservation

Wildlife matters No Responses »

Oct 192010

By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News, Nagoya, Japan

The website allows surfers to virtually visit the world’s wildlife refuges and protected areas

The UN Environment Programme is turning to the wiki-world in an attempt to improve protection of the natural one.

Its new venture – protectedplanet.net – aims to help people visit little-known protected areas, so generating revenue and improving knowledge about them.

The launch at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting came amid reports warning that protection of the sea needs to be increased rapidly.

A target to protect 10% of oceans by 2012 will be missed by a long way.

Protected areas are one of the most effective ways of safeguarding plants, animals and ecosystems, said Charles Besancon, head of the protected areas programme at the UN Environment Programme (Unep).

“We know national parks and protected areas are important for many functions – they provide fresh water to one-third of the world’s largest urban areas, they protect carbon, they protect endangered species,” he told BBC News.

“For example, the last 600 mountain gorillas are in protected areas surrounded by communities – without the protected areas, we’d lose the mountain gorilla.”

Unep maintains a database of protected areas around the world, based on data from governments and other authorities.

But with an estimated 150,000 sites in existence, data on what is in the sites and how they are protected is, in many cases, scanty.

“[The database] doesn’t get updated as much as we’d like; so we’ve recognised that the best way is to reach out to the public,” said Mr Besancon.

Park life

Protectedplanet.net links into and from existing web-based resources, such as Google maps, Wikipedia and the Google-owned photo-sharing site Panoramio.

Scientists are worried about the extent of a “major die-off” of coral in waters around South-East Asia

Species information comes from the less well-known Global Biodiversity Information Facility (Gbif).

Users can search for sites close to a holiday destination, for example – and may find there are protected areas or national parks that do not usually feature in tourist itineraries.

Unep hopes this will increase the number of people visiting such sites, generating revenue that can help with their upkeep.

It will also allow first-time visitors to create Wikipedia entries on the areas, or post photos, that can attract others.

Meanwhile, public feedback on how sites are managing their wildlife could enhance standards.

Protecting land and sea features in a number of targets agreed under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

But whereas about 13% of the Earth’s land area is now under some form of protection, the record for marine areas is barely 1% – way short of the 10% by 2012 target, for example.

“Tt is certainly the worst coral die-off we have seen since 1998” Andrew Baird James Cook University

In a major report a number of organisations including the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) say that needs to be increased rapidly.

Failing to do so, they warn, will make it harder for marine ecosystems to survive in a world where ocean water is becoming on average warmer and more acidic as a consequence of greenhouse gas emissions.

As the report was being launched here, scientists were warning that coral reefs in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean are seeing a major die-off due to unusually warm water conditions.

The Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, a network of university research facilities, said the warming caused coral “bleaching” in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Burma and Sri Lanka.

“It is certainly the worst coral die-off we have seen since 1998,” said Andrew Baird, a scientist at James Cook University.

“It may prove to be the worst such event known to science.”

Warm water causes coral to expel the algae with which they usually live in a symbiotic relationship – without which they die.

The unusually high temperatures of 1998 were caused by El Nino conditions in combination with the gradual warming attributable to greenhouse gas emissions.

Francois Simard, deputy head of IUCN’s Marine Programme and an author on the new report, suggested the issues of climate change and marine protection were closely linked.

“Marine life is under threat, that’s absolutely clear – and (with warming and acidification) it’s not a matter of management of the sea, it’s a matter of management of our activities as human beings, of our emissions.

“But at least we should take care of what we have in a proper way.”

Dirt in the air, water and soil

Water matters 5 Responses »

Oct 172010

About 250000 hectares of potentially high-yielding farm land in the Middelburg, Wonderfontein, Hendrina and Ermelo areas in Mpumalanga have been lost as mining companies scramble for prospecting and mining rights in the mineral-rich province.

MINE YOUR OWN BUSINESS: Agricultural land in Mpumalanga is being ripped open and polluted Pictures: KATHERINE MUICK-MERE

Many farmers tried all they could to fight off the mining companies

The Transvaal Agricultural Union SA (TAU) says the land expropriated from farmers could have yielded between eight and 10 tons of maize per hectare.

The fields now look like a war zone, filled with heavy trucks and bulldozers, with dust from blasting operations and hills of open-pit mining residuals.

Farmer Piet Kemp, the Ermelo-based TAU SA regional manager for Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, estimates that 15 coal mining companies operate in Ermelo alone and a further 64 have already prospected and are now waiting for mining rights to be granted.

“It seems like the only sector that the government does not want to see is farming. I understand that coal mining has a lot of money and creates many more jobs than agriculture, but we need to think about food production also,” Kemp said.

“Mostly the mines in the province use open-cast mining methods. They remove the top soil in order to reach coal. This leads to coal dust polluting the air, obviously affecting human health and livestock and degrading the environment generally,” he said.

He said farming in the area had come to a virtual standstill as dust from mining explosions coats the grass and prevents cattle from grazing – and also causes plants such as maize and soya beans to fail to pollinate.

“Many livestock farmers were forced to sell because they had to resort to buying feed – and chickens bearing eggs had their capacity severely hampered because they were frightened by the blast noise,” Kemp said.

Farmers complain that they were not adequately consulted about the process. They claim consultation took the form of notices at public places calling for meetings for interested and affected parties.

“Now when you are a farmer, where are you going to find time to produce food for yourself and the rest of the country when you have to constantly go to town and see if the notice is not about your farm?” asked Kemp.

Mining operations along the N2 route from Ermelo to Piet Retief in KwaZulu-Natal are being conducted on wetlands which were home to various endangered species.

The farms on the route are subject to prospecting, or companies are awaiting mining rights.

All the farms are near the Witpunt Spruit which flows into the Vaal River – a source of water for household consumption for about 62% of South Africans.

“You should remember that the problem concerns not only the people in Mpumalanga. The mine drainage carried by the Witpunt Spruit into the Vaal River carries heavy metals which are dangerous for humans. It gets more concentrated as it moves on. I would not want to imagine the rate of concentration by the time it reaches Gauteng,” Kemp said.

He added that many farmers tried all they could to fight off the mining companies, but “these guys (mining companies) have thick chequebooks.

“Let me tell you that if you go to seek legal advice, it can cost a minimum of R100000 just to look into the case. Many people give up because they cannot afford it.”

Kemp and Dr Koos Pretorius, director of the Federation for a Sustainable Environment, agree that a handful of companies near the Vaal and the Komati rivers are operating without water licences, even though they have applied for them. This means the manner in which they discharge their waste water is largely unregulated.

Pretorius warned that, in certain areas that have been mined for more than 100 years, the acid mine drainage has polluted rivers to a point where water sources are no longer sustainable for either industrial or human consumption.

Kemp said the situation could have been worse had mineral resources minister Susan Shabangu not put a moratorium on the granting of prospecting rights.

“We hail the decision. But it expires in February. Prior to the moratorium, you would have found more than 20 companies claiming to have prospecting rights because the DMR books are not in order,” he said.

DMR spokesman Jeremy Michaels said that, contrary to complaints from TAU that the department did not have any capacity to conduct inspections, his department does carry out compliance inspections and also responds to complaints as part of its enforcement initiatives.

Source – The Times

Eskom flouts environmental laws

Wildlife matters No Responses »

Oct 052010

Eskom appears to have started building at its Safari Sub-station without an approved environmental management plan (EMP), the environmental affairs department says.This emerged after the Green Scorpions conducted environmental law compliance campaign inspections at five sites in the Western Cape last week.

“Preliminary findings at the Eskom Safari Substation are that Eskom has commenced with construction without approval of the environmental management plan and construction activities are occurring outside the development footprint,” the department said in a statement.

Furthermore, the appointed environmental control officer (ECO) did not keep records of monitoring and audits as required by the authorisation, it said.

In Knysna, the upgrade of the east fort water scheme by the municipality had been placed on hold until funding had been sourced.

However, the municipality never appointed an ECO to monitor the initial work which had been undertaken as required by the authorisation.

Construction of the Transnet reverse osmosis desalination plant was still underway and Transnet had appointed the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to conduct baseline monitoring as well as to develop a monitoring programme to assess the impact of brine discharge into the environment to be implemented once the plant was operational.

An ECO had been appointed on site to monitor the project; however documents to demonstrate compliance with conditions of the authorisation were not readily available.

At the construction of the Kwanokuthula 66/22Kv substation and relocation of power lines in Plettenberg Bay, a large spillage of fuel at the construction site was observed, which had been there for a while and clean-up measures had not been put in place.

EMIs also observed unauthorised construction of a power line on a wetland drainage line.

A soil stockpiles storage area, as well as the construction site, were not demarcated.

In addition, alien vegetation had not been cleared on site and there was ponding of water at the construction site.

EMIs also established that there had been deviation from the original project description, which was not approved by the department.

Public works had ceased all activities of the illegal construction at the Langebaan Military Base as instructed in the compliance notice by the department and there was compliance with the notice.

Once the findings had been consolidated, decisions would be taken about the type of enforcement action required with regards to non-compliance.

Members of the public were urged to report environmental transgressions to 0800-205-005.

This week, inspections would be conducted at various sites in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State, the department said.

Source – The Times

We at www.waterandsolar.co.za want South Africa to start seriously looking now at renewable energy and reduce its need for coal fired power stations. As individuals we can start in our homes by introducing a greener way of living with greywater systems, rainwater harvesting and solar water heaters. Together we can start reducing our homes carbon footprint and our need for coal hungry Eskom and municipal water.

10 Easy ways to go green

Enviro Kids, Green Tips 3 Responses »

Sep 282010

going green

Are you itching to go green – to do your bit for the environment – but so overwhelmed by the concepts of carbon footprints, self-sustainable, and eco-friendly that you don’t know where to start? We’ve compiled a list of ten simple things that you can do to go green and reduce your impact on our beautiful earth.

1. Walk!

South African’s are hugely reliant on their cars to get from A to B but our obsession with our cars often goes far beyond necessity. We live in a beautiful country so why not enjoy it. If the place you are going is five minutes away relish the exercise and the fresh air you will get and the amount of petrol you will save from taking a stroll every now-and-then.

2. Re-use, re-use, re-use

Whenever possible try to buy second hand or used items. Instead of splashing out on a new car why not buy a reliable used car from the previous year? Humans are quick to dispose of perfectly suitable items in favour a new one. This obsession with discarding items which are in perfect working order is wasting valuable resources the world over. And if it isn’t in working order why not try to have it fixed before chucking it out? Many items can be restored and made as good as new with a little bit of TLC. Also, give things away if you have no use for them anymore. Donate unwanted clothes and household items to charity shops or friends.

3. Local is better

Next time you are in the grocery store examine the labels of items to find products that are locally produced. These products use fewer resources to get to you and also help boost the economy. So if it’s available locally why spring for the proudly SA products instead.

4. Turn down the heat

Resist the temptation to turn up your household heating system in the cold. Use heaters to warm up a room and keep heat in by drawing the curtains and closing windows and doors. Whenever possible wrap yourself up in warm blanket and clothing instead of turning on a heater. Or, if you have a fireplace, light a fire and snuggle up in front of the fireplace. Use energy efficient heating like heated blankets, gas heaters, and wall heaters as these use less energy than conventional bar heaters.

5. Cut back on bottled water

South Africa is known for the quality of its drinking water so why not drink our natural H2O instead of buying the bottled stuff – which, in most cases, is nothing more than factory treated water. If you are addicted to your Adam’s Ale buy a swanky water bottle and keep it topped up with tap water. If you feel that you need more purification invest in a water purifier and drink with peace of mind.

6. Have a green thumb

Beautify your garden and plant a tree or two – or 5 – you will be doing your bit for the earth and your garden will look green and lush. If live in an apartment and don’t have a garden find some great clay pots and plant small tress in these to place on your balcony or in your lounge. Your home will look more welcoming with a plant or two.

7. Reduce your Vampire Power

Vampire power refers to the power consumed by electronic appliances while

they are switched off or in standby mode. Fifteen percent of your electricity is wasted on those beady-eyed little red lights that let you know your appliances are on standby mode. Although the power needed for standby mode is relatively small, because these are continuously plugged in the usage eventually adds up. We are all guilty of leaving our cell-phone chargers plugged into the socket and out TVs on standby all night long. Turn devices off at the wall while they aren’t in use to save on unnecessary electricity costs.

8. Recycle glass

Glass takes about one million years to fully decompose and why waste such a sturdy substance which can be used again and again in your home. Take glass soft drink bottles back to your local cafe – if the deposit isn’t of consequence to you put it in the nearest donation tin at the till point – re-use glass jars for nails, and bits-and-bobs at home; and recycle any glass items you can’t find a use for.

9. Get rid of junk mail

Spend some time de-registering from junk mail you applied for – or didn’t apply for – ages ago. If you can’t find the time to do this there are services which help you get rid of the copious amounts of junk mail you receive by opting out on your behalf. This small effort will lead to a lot less tress being chopped down to take up room in your mailbox.

10. Go online

Once you’ve rid your mail box of junk mail stop wasting paper by having your bills mailed to you every month. Instead, where possible, have your bank statement, bills, and other mail emailed to you. Pay your bills online and save time and millions of tress in the process.

Words by: Crystal Espin

We at www.waterandsolar.co.za want South Africa to start seriously looking now at renewable energy and reduce its need for coal fired power stations. As individuals we can start in our homes by following the 10 steps above and by switching to solar water heaters, introducing a greener way of living with greywater systems and rainwater harvesting. Together we can start reducing our homes carbon footprint and our need for coal hungry Eskom.

South Africa's solution to the drought.

Garden Route water, Greywater Harvesting, rainwater harvesting, water harvesting 5 Responses »

Sep 212010

A typical Rainwater Harvesting system, installed by Water Rhapsody.

Rainwater Harvesting is fast becoming a necessity to survival in some parts of South Africa. It’s the best way of going green and being kind to the environment. The Garden Route is currently going through the worst drought in 153 years, with heavy water restrictions imposed in Mosselbay.

Today it was confirmed that Beaufort West is experiencing its worst drought in over 100 years. Water levels of the Gamka dam reached an all-time low of minus nine percent last week. The town now rely on borehole water.

South Africa’s dams can no longer supply the volume of water required by ever growing population. There is not a single river left in the Western Cape that can be dammed anymore. We simply have no other options.

Water Conservation including Rainwater Harvesting and Greywater re-use, is the only long term sustainable solution to South Africa’s water crises. Continue reading »

21 Ways To Use Old Coffee Grounds

Green Tips 3 Responses »

Sep 202010

Finding new uses for the old is a creative and fun way to live green and help the environment.

Have you ever wondered what other ways coffee grounds could be used after making that much needed morning pot of coffee. For all you java junkies, here are some tips for using coffee grounds.

Used coffee grounds get rid of cellulite. “Mix 1/4 cup warm, used coffee grounds and one tablespoon of olive oil. While standing over an old towel or newspaper, apply the mixture to your problem areas. Next, wrap the areas with shrink wrap and leave on for several minutes. Unwind the wrap, brush loose grounds off your skin and then shower with warm water. For best results, it is recommended to repeat this procedure twice a week.”

Now, on to other tips for using old coffee grounds.

1. Soften and add shine to hair. When washing your hair, rub coffee grounds through wet hair and rinse. For brown hair, coffee grounds add highlights.
2. Use coffee grounds as an exfoliant for skin. Pat on skin, massage over skin, rinse.
3. Add coffee grounds to your skin mask beauty routine.
4. Make homemade tattoos (temporary) with henna and coffee grounds.
5. Fertilize plants. Old coffee grounds are nutrient-rich for plants that thrive in an acidic soil.
6. Add used coffee grounds to the pots of indoor plants.
7. Work used coffee grounds into your garden soil before seed planting. After your plants start to emerge, work in coffee grounds near the plants. Used coffee grounds are said to repel snails and slugs as well as adding nutrients to the soil.
8. Increase your carrot and radish harvest by mixing seeds with dry coffee grounds before planting the seeds.
9. Use coffee grounds to repel ants.
10. Keep cats from using your garden as a kitty box by spreading used coffee grounds and orange peels throughout flower beds. Continue reading »

Eco-friendly Laundry

Greywater Harvesting 6 Responses »

Sep 152010

Fresh Laundry In the process of going green, people need to be informed properly; about available products and which product will suit there needs best. Before making use of your water tank and greywater for irrigation purposes, how do you go about making sure that the water being used in the garden will not be harmful to any plants or your lawn? Many atimes, when installing our Garden Rhapsody System, the questions are being raised about what laundry cleaning detergent to use and where it is distributed? Even if laundry water is not uses onto your garden, shouldn’t it be our responsibility to switch to the greener option for a healthier lifestyle and making a difference to the environment…..?

Why not use conventional laundry detergents? Continue reading »

EARTH CHILD PROJECT - A water tank for MM Mateza Primary

Water tanks 6 Responses »

Sep 152010

GEORGE NEWS – Nedbank donated a water tank to MM Mateza Primary School last Friday for catching up the rainwater to water the school’s vegetable garden. The initiative forms part of the Earth Child Project.

WESSA’s Corporate Volunteer Programme (CVP) offers volunteers from the corporate sector an opportunity to engage in meaningful and sustainable social and environmental actions that directly address the needs of the schools and the community. Through the CVP, Nedbank has implemented projects such as vegetable garden tunnels, rainwater harvesting tanks and solar cookers in schools throughout South Africa. Teams of volunteers from Nedbank branches work together with school learners and community members to install the projects, generously sponsored by Nedbank. These projects aim to improve certain aspects of environmental management at the school, encourage environmental learning and knowledge building, develop skills, build relationships, and instil a sense of ownership of and pride in the school or community environment. Continue reading »

Older Entries

Knysna starts green Swop Shop

Nature's sting: The real cost of damaging Planet Earth

UN turns to wiki power for wildlife conservation

Dirt in the air, water and soil

About 250000 hectares of potentially high-yielding farm land in the Middelburg, Wonderfontein, Hendrina and Ermelo areas in Mpumalanga have been lost as mining companies scramble for prospecting and mining rights in the mineral-rich province.

Eskom flouts environmental laws

10 Easy ways to go green

South Africa's solution to the drought.

21 Ways To Use Old Coffee Grounds

Eco-friendly Laundry

EARTH CHILD PROJECT - A water tank for MM Mateza Primary

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About 250000 hectares of potentially high-yielding farm land in the Middelburg, Wonderfontein, Hendrina and Ermelo areas in Mpumalanga have been lost as mining companies scramble for prospecting and mining rights in the mineral-rich province.

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