YOUR LEADER IN ECO-BUSINESS & LIFESTYLE

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News 10 General14 SA Eco Film Fest36 Water91 Conservation

Reviews 70 Cooking72 General

Features17 The global water crisis is here22 Blue-green algae26 How SA water shapes up?30 SANBWA32 Water in SA35 SAWEA40 Does COP21's Paris agreement mean anything?44 COP21 report back

Publisher Robbie Sammersrobbie@insightspublishing.co.za

Editor Chris Erasmuseditor@simplygreen.co.za

Creative DirectorSilke Erasmussilke@simplygreen.co.za

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Office 52 Greening your office54 E-waste

Lifestyle60 Greening your home66 Microgreens: vegetables all year round68 Recipes74 Tintswalo: risen from the ashes80 Wheeling the globe

Conservation86 Why the albatross matters85 Garden route walking

Issue 1 • 2016Volume 9 • No.1

Flagship Member

SOUTH AFRICA'S ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPAIGN www.indaloyethu.co.za

Publishing HouseInsights Publishing176 Main Road, ClaremontTel 021 683 0005

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CopyrightSimply Green is a registered trademark and is copyright protected worldwide. Material published in Simply Green, including all artwork, may not be reproduced without the permission of the editor.

ISSN 1998-1309

SG 6

'Water, water everywhere' goes part of the famous poem by Coleridge (more fully quoted elsewhere in this edition). But these days, not even that part applies. We are so grateful for the very late summer rains that are now falling in some parts of the desperately-affected drought region across Southern Africa. This year's especially severe summer drought has devastated the livestock, crops and lives of millions of people living in a swathe of territory across the southern and central parts of Africa, putting many in dire danger of death by both dehydration and/or starvation. By some estimates it will take up to 15 years for many agriculturalists to recover from these hard times, especially those who have lost most of their livestock to the drought. But even if the late rains break the current drought – doubtful in many areas – they cannot solve the underlying problem. Water is, despite its occasional propensity to invade our land spaces from swollen river systems or from the sea, a scarce resources. And fresh, potable drinking water is even more scarce.

One may throw around statistics, like the fact that even though earth is by all reasonable measures a water planet, with more than 70% of its surface covered in oceans, barely 3% of that total is 'fresh', and most of that is, in turn, locked up in ice or deep underground in hard-to-reach aquifers. We are using, in effect, around 1% of the planet's water supply as potable drinking water – and even with recycling and effluent removal, that figure is falling all the time as a growing percentage of the water 'meant' for our drinking needs is becoming toxified beyond use – take, for example, what has happened in Flint, Michigan, in the USA. And that is by far not the only such event in America, here in South Africa or elsewhere.

We have, in Southern Africa, even more pressing issues given that we are already a water-scarce region and likely to suffer increasingly severe and frequent bouts of serious water under-supply as a warmer, more urbanised and more populated future looms before us.

So what to do? As with all big problems, one should start to address this question with the small, easy steps which fall within everyone's ambit of 'do-ability'. Stop wasting water is the first and most important step. Then we move onto other forms of conservation and to ensure that what fresh water

bodies we have, such as the Hartebeespoort Dam, and any number of rivers, are not continuing to be contaminated with sewerage and other effluent. We also have to stop the spread of blue-green algae, which the alarming report on page 22 of this issue demonstrates is yet another threat to our fresh water resources.

It's hard to know exactly what to say about water since everyone is aware that it is essential to life. And yet we act, so often in our day-to-day lives, as if it is a 'given', that it will always be there and that we can do with it as we like, without consequence.

Well, the hard news is that there are consequences, that water is scarce and rapidly getting scarcer and that the 'good old days' of plenty of water for all, and cheap too, are long gone.

We have to start treating water like the prescious source of life that it is. This issue, therefore, is dedicated, to water and its proper use – as well as some of threats we face around water, its availability and how to deal with those threats.

Water-saving is not merely good for the bottom line, good as a general idea or a 'feel good' thing to do. It is a necessity and we should all be applying ourselves to it rigorously and with focused intensity.

People say that when the chips are down, and when the food runs out, everyone will find that chasing the 'great god of money' has been a fool's enterprise because one can't eat money. Cynics reply that one can use money to buy food.

Perhaps, but only if there is any food to buy. If we run out of water – and every indication is that we are facing exactly that scary prospect in just some few years time – then there certainly won't be enough food for all, and those with water will be protecting it with all their might against those without. No-one has to play that scenario out to its logical conclusions to see that is something we all want to avoid.

So let's think about water in a different way. Let's try to adopt a respect for our precious water and treat it like the critical life-source that it is and without which we are all doomed. Then maybe we have a chance at a future which is something other than dusty, deathly dry and littered with the whitening bones of the animals and people that once lived in a green and pleasant land.

Green greetingsChris & the Team

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Jeunesse Park established ProGreen, SA’s first environmental communications and public relations company, as well as Food & Trees for Africa and has won many awards. She continues her work as a social activator with the African Climate Reality Project.

Susanne Karcher is a chemical engineer who runs her own Environmental Consultancy called EnviroSense. Her company specialises in the planning, development and facilitation of tailor-made governmental, industrial/commercial and residential 'Integrated Resource and Waste Management' programmes. Susanne is also the coordinator and chair(wo)man of the Southern African e-Waste Alliance (SAEWA).

Brian Wilkinson is the CEO of the Green Building Council. He joined the GBC in 2011 as Chief Executive Officer after some creative encouragement out of what he thought was his ‘early retirement’. At the time he was working with ILIMA Trust, an NPO involved in supporting leaders in the public sector.

Kevin James Kevin James is a sustainable business strategist and futurist. He applies systems thinking to tackle some of the most pressing environmental and social challenges facing business today, He believes that the only way to solve the many problems that our current sustainability conundrum presents to us, is to connect the dots between stakeholders, their activities and the various systems within which they all interact.

Lise Pretorius is a sustainability economist at GCX Africa and heads up the Sustainable Investment division. Lise has worked on various sustainable investment/economics projects in South Africa, the UK, and Bhutan. She was previously a senior writer at Financial Mail – mostly on energy and sustainability issues – and still likes to write about things to do with new economic thinking. She has a masters degree in Environmental Economics from the London School of Economics.

Bernard Jacobs is water management specialist and associate at GCX Africa. He has been involved in the development of global water treatment solutions for the marine and potable water sector for the last 14 years. His financial background coupled with the legislative requirements for international approvals of the water systems, test facilities and regulative water standards has established him as an authority on the design, implementation and management of water related challenges.

Mark Ledger is a water management specialist and associate at GCX Africa. Mark is a highly qualified and experienced water management professional. He holds a BSc Chem Micro degree from UCT and has over 20 years in the field of industrial water treatment and water resource management. Companies he has worked with include Anikem. Chemical Services Group, Nalco Chemserve, Nalco Global, Ondeo Nalco, ImproChem and besides being part of GCX expert advisory panel he is also the managing partner of Agua Africa / Liquid Science.

Mark Matthews is a proudly South African earth observation scientist and entrepreneur specialising in the detection of harmful cyanobacteria blooms from space. Mark is an honorary research associate at the university of Cape Town and is registered as a professional natural scientist. He is the founder and director of CyanoLakes, a startup company aimed at significantly advancing the use of earth observation for monitoring harmful cyanobacteria blooms and eutrophication in the world’s lakes.

Carole Knight is a freelance environmental writer with specialisations in sustainability, emerging trends, and globalisation. She lives in the Western Cape of South Africa. The website for BirdLife South Africa is www.birdlife.org.za

Jaco Du Toit holds a BA and an MPhil from Stellenbosch University. He has lectured on Decision Making Theory and Economics and completed research projects on solar energy for local government and business. He currently works for WWF International as a Programme Manager in the Global Climate and Energy Initiative, primarily on policy coordination and team management for the WWF delegation to the UNFCCC.

Gareth Burley is the CEO of Green Business Synergy, a company that brings business together for sustainable energy solutions and projects. He consults to companies and organisations such as the SAEE, Measurement and Verification Council, Energy Saving Company QDM, Microcare Solar Manufacturers and local government.

Richard Duckitt has a BSc in Environmental and Geographical Studies (UCT), an Honors degree in Oceanography and is a registered Green Star Accredited Professional for New Buildings and a Green Star SA Assessor. Promoting sustainability solutions through an integrated and collaborative approach, he considers how all elements of a building’s design, construction and management work together to meet the needs of its owners, occupants and the environment.

Jane Griffiths is a television producer, writer, artist and traveller, who has grown organic vegetables and herbs in her Johannesburg garden for 20 years. Her best-selling book Jane’s Delicious Garden has led to a vegetable revolution in South Africa, with thousands of people now following in Jane's green footsteps.

Richard Sherman serves as a technical advisor on multilateral environmental agreements, international environmental governance, climate change and sustainable development. He is a member of South Africa’s Official Negotiating Delegation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and is currently the Advisor to the Co-Chair of the Board of the Green Climate Fund and is the convenor of the African Group of Negotiators Finance Working Group.

Johan van den Berg is the CEO of the South African Wind Energy Association, the Chair of the South African Renewable Energy Council and the African Private Sector Focal Point for the Africa-EU Energy Partnership. A barrister, he has spent 18 years in dispute resolution; environmental mediation; climate change avoidance/emissions trading; and efforts to deploy renewable energy in Southern Africa.

Prof Mark Swilling is an internationally-recognised expert in sustainable development and is Academic Director of The Sustainability Institute, University of Stellenbosch. Swilling has published eight edited and co-authored books, over 54 book chapters, 37 articles in refereed journals, and compiled 22 major technical reports.

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News

5 reasons not to underestimate the power of plants and treesWe humans have a wide range of feelings about members of the kingdom Plantae, from total disregard to thinking they are clever friends, but what does science have to say about our botanical cohabitants? This is what the BBC World Service Inquiry program wondered when they asked four scientists what they thought about plants. Here are their responses:

1. Plants could be cognitive and intelligent Professor Stefano Mancuso runs the International Laboratory for Plant Neurobiology at the University of Florence. In an experiment with two climbing plants, they found that both competed for a single support when it was placed between them. The plant that didn’t make it to the pole first immediately 'sensed' the other plant had succeeded and started to find an alternative. 'This was astonishing and it demonstrates the plants were aware of their physical environment and the behaviour of the other plant. In animals we call this consciousness. We are convinced that plants are cognitive and intelligent.'

2. They're all brain; and we're dependent on themMancuso continues, 'Plants distribute all along the body the functions that in animals are concentrated in single organs. Whereas in animals almost the only cells producing electrical signals are in the brain, the plant is a kind of distributed brain in which almost every cell is able to produce them.' Underestimating plants can be very dangerous, he says, 'because our life depends on plants and our actions are destroying their environments.'

3. They could be sentient beingsProfessor of Forest Ecology in the Department Of Forest and Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Suzanne Simard talks about the ways in which trees are linked together underground. 'We grew Douglas fir in a neighbourhood of strangers and its own kin and found that they can recognise their own kin and we also grew Douglas fir and ponderosa pine together. We injured the Douglas fir by pulling its needles off and by attacking it with western spruce bud worm, and it then sent a lot of carbon in its network into the neighbouring ponderosa pine. My interpretation was

the Douglas fir knew it was dying and wanted to pass its legacy of carbon on to its neighbour, because that would be beneficial for the associated fungi and the community. 'We haven't treated them with respect that they are sentient beings.'

4. They can help us better understand nature to advance our futureDr Barbara Mazzolai is the co-ordinator at the Centre for Micro-BioRobotics at the Italian Institute of Technology. She uses plants as a biomimetic starting point to design robots. She says they can use a plant-inspired robot for environmental monitoring, space applications or rescue under debris, because, as she says: 'It can adapt to the environment like a natural system. The robot doesn't have a predefined structure, but can create on the basis of need. Medical robotics could also be a key application.'

5. Their ability to adapt is crucial for us to learn fromProfessor Daniel Chamovitz, the Dean of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University, pulls back from declaring that plants are smart. 'Anyone who claims they're studying plant "intelligence" is either trying to be very controversial or is on the borderline of pseudoscience,' he says. But he admits they are exquisitely aware of their environment and how to adapt to that and understanding them is important for our survival. 'We've completely underestimated plants. We look at them as inanimate objects, completely unaware of the amazing, complex biology that allows that plant to survive. If we don’t learn from them,' he says, 'we might find ourselves in a big problem 50 to 100 years from now.'

The great 'green wall' of AfricaEleven African countries (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Senegal) are moving ahead with an ambitious pan-African effort in the Sahel-Saharan region of the continent to protect arable land from the encroaching Sahara desert – by planting trees. The countries came together in 2007 to execute the $2bn dollar project to arrest the creeping desertification in the region. The 15km wide and 7.8km long tree wall will stretch all the way from Senegal in west Africa to Djibouti in the east. The original idea for the tree wall was first proposed by former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005 and the African Union took it up in 2007. The World Bank helped co-finance it and the UN has been a supporter. Senegal has so far been able to plant over 12 million trees up 150km covering 40 000ha worth of land.

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Power from the peopleA renewable energy project in Lagos, Nigeria, has taken an incredibly smart — and sporty — approach to people-generated power through the reinvention of the humble soccer pitch. The people-powered soccer pitch in question, located at the Federal College of Education in Akoka, is the result of two rather unlikely entities, Anglo-Dutch oil behemoth Shell and frequently shirtless 'Smack That' rapper Akon, coming together for a single good cause. Grammy-nominated Akon, a St Louis-born Senegalese-American hip-hop star-turned-solar entrepreneur, has dedicated much of his recent energy to Akon Lighting Africa, an organisation dedicated to spearheading various electricity-providing clean energy projects across Africa. For the project, Akon and Shell collaborated with Pavegen, a lauded British clean tech startup and self-described 'market leader in the footfall energy harvesting sector' headed by Laurence Kemball-Cook. While the recently unveiled Lagos project isn’t the first of its kind in the world – nor the largest – it is a first for Africa, a continent that’s seen a flurry of sustainable energy projects that aim to help bring light to communities where it’s needed most. With 100 energy-harnessing tiles hidden away under the artificial turf (the Rio installation, by comparison, has 200), the soccer pitch at the Federal College of Education helps to power floodlights that illuminate the grounds at night along with supplementary help from an on-site solar array. Normally, the area is plunged into darkness after the sun sets while the college itself is powered by polluting diesel generators. The very hustle of the players that use the field has, in effect, rendered the pitch a safer and more accessible place for all.

'City of Habitarbres'One of the biggest and most pressing issues today is making our cities more livable, efficient and self-sufficient – especially as urbanisation is projected to increase dramatically in the next few decades. For more than 30 years, Belgian architect Luc Schuiten has taken a visionary approach to rethinking cities, in a biomimetic fashion. In his lush and fantastical renderings of what he calls 'vegetal cities', urban centres are transformed into living, responsive architectures that merge nature with the man-made.Watch Schuiten's speech above to hear his incredible take on future living (turn on subtitles in the video's settings).

Disruption: The movie‘When it comes to climate change, why do we do so little when we know so much?’ Through a relentless investigation to find the answer, Disruption takes an unflinching look at the devastating consequences of our inaction.The exploration lays bare the terrifying science, the shattered political process, the unrelenting industry special interests and the civic stasis that have brought us to this social, moral and ecological crossroads. The film also takes us behind-the-scenes of the efforts to organise the largest climate rally in the history of the planet during the UN world climate summit.This is the story of an unique moment in history. We are living through an age of tipping points and rapid social and planetary change. We’re the first generation to feel the impacts of climate disruption, and the last generation that can do something about it. The film enlarges the issue beyond climate impacts and makes a compelling call for bold action that is strong enough to tip the balance to build a clean energy future.For more and to download the movie click here.

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News

SA cities score at COP21The City of Cape Town and Johannesburg have been named international winners for climate action at the Paris Climate Conference (COP21).The City of Cape Town was presented with the C40 Cities Award for 'Adaptation Implementation', recognising the City’s Water Conservation and Demand Management (WCWDM) Programme, while Johannesburg was the winner in the Finance and Development category for its Green Bond initiative.The two cities were Africa’s only winners. The C40 Cities Awards spans 10 categories, all recognising cities demonstrating 'climate action leadership', this according the awards’ website.The WCWDM programme began in 2007 and focuses on water conservation and water demand management, aiming to minimise water waste and promoting the efficient use of water. It includes raising public awareness, free of charge plumbing repairs for low-income households, and the training of 'community plumbers'.Johannesburg’s award-winning Green Bond is a funding model for green projects which previously did not have any financing and could thus not be implemented.

What lies beneath?Geologists studying satellite imagery of the remote Princess Elizabeth Land in East Antarctica, one of the largest unsurveyed land surfaces on Earth, have discovered evidence of a massive subglacial canyon system buried beneath the ice.Tipped off by the physical hints, the team of researchers utilised radio-echo sounding to pull back the white curtain and peer through the ice. What they found is an absolute monstrosity of geology, a canyon system believed to be more than 1 096km long and as much as a kilometre deep. In some places, the measurements failed simply because they were too deep to be recorded.Should the initial study's results be verified, the Princess Elizabeth canyon system will take the title of largest ever discovered, dwarfing the Grand Canyon and stealing the crown from Greenland's Grand Canyon, itself buried under thick ice. A more comprehensive radio-echo sounding analysis of the remote region is expected to be completed later this year.

This new matter mattersResearchers at Japan's Tohoku University are making a bold claim: an entirely new state of matter. The team, led by Kosmas Prassides, says they've created what's called a Jahn-Teller metal by inserting rubidium, a strange alkali metal element, into buckyballs, a pure carbon structure which has a spherical shape from a series of interlocking polygons. While combining buckyballs and rubidium, the researchers created a complex crystalline structure that seemed to conduct, insulate and magnetise while acting as a metal. According to the researchers, It goes far beyond what ordinary matter can do. Applying pressure to the compound when it's in the conductor/insulator phase turns it into the weird state of matter, and also makes it superconductive at (relatively) high temperatures. Understanding and then mastering high-temperature superconductors, which this strange state of matter could help researchers to do, could make all sorts of new things possible in computing, transportation and infrastructure among others.

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TRUTH IN PICTURES'When the Last Tree Is Cut Down, the Last Fish Eaten, and the Last Stream Poisoned, You Will Realise That You Cannot Eat Money.' This prophecy is becoming a more and more brutal reality. But, even today, not every person is aware of the horrible effects our lifestyles have on nature. Hefty.com recently published a series of evocative photographs that will leave you speechless. We will share a few of them over the next few editions.

Leo the Eco-heroLeonardo DiCaprio announced that his foundation will be give more than $15m to fast-track cutting edge sustainability and conservation projects around the world, during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.While giving an acceptance speech for the Crystal Award (which celebrates the achievements of leading artists who have shown exemplary commitment to improving the state of the world), Dicaprio shared his astonishment at seeing ancient glaciers rapidly disappearing while travelling making a new documentary on how the climate crisis is changing the natural balance of our planet. 'We simply cannot afford to allow the corporate greed of the coal, oil and gas industries to determine the future of humanity. Those entities with a financial interest in preserving this destructive system have denied – and even covered-up – the evidence of our changing climate. Enough is enough. You know better. The world knows better. History will place the blame for this devastation squarely at their feet.'DiCaprio announced that his grants will support projects that have expanded protected areas on land and at sea, protecting iconic endangered species and empowered indigenous communities to fight back against corporate encroachment on their lands for the past decade. The donations are divided up among a number of organisations: $6m to Oceana and Skytruth for Global Fishing Watch; $1m to the Nature Conservancy for its Seychelles debt-for-nature swap project; $3.2m to Rainforest Action Network and Haka to protect the Sumatran rainforest, $3.4m to Clearwater and the Ceibo Alliance in South America; and $1.5m to the Solutions Project.

'We simply cannot afford to allow the corporate greed of the coal, oil and gas industries to determine the future of humanity.'

'Our oil-based society depends on non-renewable resources. It requires relentless probing into vast reaches of pristine land, sacrificing vital bioregions, and irreplaceable cultures. The possibility of catastrophic climate change is substantially increased by the 40 million barrels of oil burned every day by vehicles. We must all move shoulder to shoulder in a unified front to show this administration that the true majority of people are willing to vote for a cleaner environment and won't back down.' – Leonardo DiCaprio

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With the festival growing each year, we're experimenting a

little with Multiple screenings, a focus on local content in our

shorts and the very first SA Directors Showcase.

Like us on Facebook, we'll be doing some fun thing's there

too: www.facebook.com/ecofilmsa

Full Programme and Festival Time Table available for

download at saecofilmfestival.com

TICkETS AVAILABLE AT WEBTICkETS.CO.zA

The SA Eco Film Festival will take place at the Labia Theatre in Cape Town and will aim to bring

you a world-class programme of beautifully shot and engaging short and feature-length films exploring a

wide range of environmental topics. And in 2016 we'll be bringing you some environmental surprises too,

under the theme 'Future Possible'

LANDFILL HARMONIC

Preceded by Short Film: Sak en Pak (SA)

Thursday 1 April 18:15Saturday 2 April 12:00

BIKES VS CARS

Preceded by Short Film:Unwieldy Beast

Friday 1 April 18:15Sunday 3 April 12:00

RACING EXTINCTION

Preceded by Short Film:Vulture Culture (SA)

Saturday 2 April 14:00Sunday 3 April 16:00

HOPE FOR ALL

Preceded by Short Film:The Spinach King (SA)

Sunday 3 April 14:00

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SG 16

THE GLOBAL WATER CRISIS

IS HERE ALREADY

Online entries for the 2015/16 AfriSam-SAIA Award for Sustainable Architecture + Innovation are open for submissions in four categories:

ARCHITECTURE

AFRISAM-SAIA AWARD

4 SUSTAINABLE

+

INNOVATION

4SA4tmrw @4SA4tmrw

sustainabledesign.co.zafor all the details

Visit our website

THE WORLD NEEDS VISIONARIES. WE RECOGNISE THEM.

ENTRIES CLOSE 24 MARCH 2016ENTER NOW

• Sustainable Architecture • Research in Sustainability • Sustainable Products and Technology • Sustainable Social Programmes

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Feature

THE GLOBAL WATER CRISIS

IS HERE ALREADY

The day we started writing this story there was no water at our office in Westlake. There was no water in the block of offices; or in the office park; or in the entire suburb. As a consultancy whose main inputs are computers and human capital, the effect of this supply disruption was mere inconvenience. But for sectors such as agriculture, energy, mining and industry, where water is indispensable for production, a day without water could mean millions in lost revenue. Lise Pretorius and Mark Ledger of GCX Africa report.

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T he risk of days like this is becoming a fact

of life as the demand for water continues

to grow. In many regions around the world, the

confluence of economic, urban and population

growth, combined with an emerging middle class

demanding improved services, means that almost

exponentially more people are starting to demand

water-intensive foods and products. At the same

time, urban sanitation and treatment systems often

can't keep up with the amount of waste water

going into them. Add to this that climate change

is rendering floods and droughts the norm, and

it is not hard to understand why, by 2030, global

demand is likely to outstrip supply by 50%.

The challenge has become so pressing that the

World Economic Forum (WEF) named water as one of

its top challenges in 2013 and 2014, and it reached

the top of the list last year. This year WEF recognised

it as the defining risk of the next decade.

Nature of waterTo understand the implications of this, we need

only to take a moment to think about the nature of

water. Water is indispensable to economic activity,

but more importantly, to all life on earth. There are

also no substitutes or alternatives. In other words,

the one resource needed for human survival and

progress, and which has no substitute, is becoming

increasingly scarce and of increasingly poor quality.

This makes the water crisis unique.

The result will be felt in competition for water

between countries; between communities and

sectors within countries; and between companies

within sectors. There will also be tradeoffs between

economic and social goals as governments are

expected to increase the reach of water and

sanitation services to 768m people and 2.5bn people

respectively, while at the same time supporting the

growth of economic activity. Water consumption

by energy may need to increase by 85% by 2035 to

keep up with energy demand. Irrigated agriculture,

which gobbles up 70% of freshwater globally, will

need to use 15% more water to feed some 9bn

people by 2050. These sectors will also impact water

quality through their usage, further exasperating

the pressures.

The local challengeIn South Africa, the global challenge is amplified.

Average annual rainfall is around 464mm compared

to the global average of 860mm, making this a

relatively water-scarce country. The added effects

of climate change and this year's extreme El Niño

event have lead to five SA provinces being declared

drought disaster areas, with others severely affected

by water shortages (El Niño causes a reduction in

rainfall in Southern Africa while climate change

causes more extreme and variable rainfall patterns).

In 2015, only 403mm of rain fell on South African

soil (on average) according to the country's weather

service – the lowest rainfall in over 100 years. On

top of this, ever-increasing pollutants in our rivers,

neglected infrastructure, and a lack of capacity and

skills are putting strain on what is left. The result

is that demand has already outstripped available

supply in Gauteng, and is projected to do so

nationally by 2025.

Addressing these challenges will put huge

strain on the public purse – current infrastructure

challenges alone will cost the Department of Water

Affairs an estimated R671bn. This will be passed on

through higher water tariffs for all users – domestic,

IN 2015, ONLy 403MM OF RAIN FELL ON SOUTH AFRICAN SOIL (ON AVERAGE) ACCORDING TO THE

COUNTRy'S WEATHER SERVICE – THE LOWEST RAINFALL IN OVER 100 yEARS.

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industrial and commercial.

Vulnerable communities and economic sectors

are already feeling the social, economic and

environmental consequences of what is nothing

less than a national disaster. In some parts of the

country communities have gone weeks without

water, with News24 reporting cases of people

turning to drinking sewerage water. Food price

increases are predicted to go well past 10% as

shortages have forced the importation of staples

such as maize.

Ongoing water challenges will affect all business

in one way or another – through supply disruptions,

floods or droughts, deteriorating quality, price

increases, or other user regulations. There are also

less obvious risks like operation shut downs due

to competing interests for water rights between

industry agriculture, and local communities. Both

Pepsi and Coca-Cola learned this the hard way when

in 2007 they lost their social license to operate in

parts of India.

Closer to home, the unreliability of re-supply of

the national water reserves has been an evident and

growing concern for some years, while recycling

and sanitation capacity has diminished: extreme

flooding forced Sasol to shut down its Synfuels

plants at Secunda in 2010, causing R130m in

losses; water scarcity in the Garden Route area saw

a PetroSA shutdown; and, since 2014, we have been

experiencing contaminated municipal supplies in

growing number of towns and regions all across

the country.

South African business is inescapably intertwined

with this reality – businesses both impact and are

impacted by the quality and availability of water. To

continue operating, businesses are going to have to

become less reliant on water; or as McKinsey has

argued, they are going to have to start doing more

with less. But what has the business response been?

The responseThe latest CDP Water Report for South Africa

– an investor initiative to understand water-risk

in JSE-listed companies – suggests a sluggish

recognition of water risk in corporate South Africa.

In all, 58 companies were asked to respond to a

questionnaire; only 32 responded. Given that these

companies were chosen due to their vulnerability to

and impact on South Africa's water challenges, we

were intrigued by the lack of response. After all, the

platform is one of the first that allows businesses to

report their exposure to water in a way that assists

them in identifying risks and risk exposure.

Through engagements with industry we have

learned that there is still a general sense of willful

disbelief about the crisis. There is also uncertainty

around what value can be gained from understanding

the implications of water for business risk. Perhaps

more fundamentally, many companies just do not

have the relevant data to meaningfully understand –

let alone report on – their risks.

That being said, those that did respond gave a

clear message: 90% are exposed to risks in their

direct operations; and 57% to risks in their supply

chains.

As for the rest of the over 400 listed companies

on the JSE, as well as thousands of private companies,

the extent of preparedness for the physical,

regulatory, and reputational risks around water

remains unknown. In our experience with a wide

range of clients and industries, many companies

have not yet responded with the level of urgency

VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES ARE ALREADy FEELING THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL

CONSEqUENCES OF WHAT IS NOTHING LESS THAN A NATIONAL DISASTER.

SG 20

that a crisis of this magnitude and seriousness

should inspire.

To understand why, we need to look at the

drivers for corporate action on water: cost, risk, and

sustainability.

CostCost has always been, and will always be, a key

driver for corporate action on water. Almost all

companies that have implemented water solutions

to date have done so to save operating costs. To

date the business risk has largely been seen as

the embedded cost of water, and therefore risk

mitigation responses have mostly been geared

towards lowering this bill. But while these initiatives

have a positive impact on the bottom line, they

cannot guarantee that the taps won't run dry. In

this sense, it is now becoming clear that water is a

strategic risk factor for business, rather than just a

cost to be controlled.

Risk

A risk-based approach goes one step further. It

asks the following question: if there was no water in

your operations for 1 hour, 1 day, or 1 week, what

would it cost your business? For some industries

the answer would be shocking. This translation of

water risk into rands and cents begins to uncover

the true cost of water. This approach also goes

beyond merely trying to reduce the utility bill and

attempts to understand how water supply, quality,

regulations and prices can put entire business

processes at risk.

The first step is simply to identify and understand

company – and sector-specific risks. Questions to

ask include: where does my water come from? Is

the quality of the source water reliable? How much

water does my organisation use? How much water

will we use in the next 2, 5, or 10 years? Where and

how is my water discharged and what impact do I

have on the resulting quality?

Of course, a company can have two

manufacturing plants with exactly the same answers

to the above but in completely different contexts.

What really matters, then, is where your current

and planned operations are based geographically

and whether water availability and quality in these

areas are in line with your demand expectations.

Perhaps you will uncover that 80% of your revenue

comes from operations in extremely water-scarce

or contaminated areas. While this can be an

uncomfortable realisation, it is also critical business

intelligence.

To add to the complexity, some of the most

material risks can and do originate outside of the

boundaries of any one organisation. For many

large companies, the majority of water embedded

in their products is attributable to suppliers, which

often span international boarders. The question

then becomes: what happens to your business if

a supplier faces water disruptions or water quality

issues?

Understanding the true risks of water – the

risks beyond the utility bill – can leave directors of

companies in a difficult position. It now becomes a

fiduciary duty to address them, but to successfully

do so requires more than just installing waterless

urinals. This is where the third driver – sustainability

– comes in.

Sustainability Sustainability refers to the ability of solutions to

provide longevity for business and its stakeholders.

This is about integrating the use of and impact on

water with land, energy, waste, and local social and

economic contexts, with the aim of maximising

economic, social, and ecological values. The aim is

to create systems, ecosystems, and infrastructure

required to support businesses and societies in the

long run.

This context-driven approach is based on the

fact that it is too late to simply conserve our way

out of water scarcity. Conservation is about using

less water as an input and discharging less water as

While holistic water management strategies that integrate cost savings, risk mitigation, and sustainability in context are rare, many companies have started on this journey in one way or another. Any reason – even if it is experiencing a water-related impact – is a good reason to start this journey.

21 SG

a byproduct. But given the increasing population,

urbanisation, and demand dynamics that will play

out in the coming years and decades, even our best

efforts at becoming more efficient will still result

in increased demand for water in absolute terms.

If we are to lift millions out of poverty and give all

citizens access to toilets and showers, for example,

the conservation equation will never work out.

A water scarce futureIf we are to truly find solutions that will allow us all

to thrive in a water scarce future, two things need

to happen simultaneously:

• The first is that we need to implement a

circular approach to water management; we

need to reuse, recycle, and even to create new

sources of water through technologies like

desalination. This will allow us to continue

creating economic and social value with a

given supply of water. Initiatives based on

a combination of conservation, reuse and

recycling will assist in reducing both demand

for water and discharge volumes. This will

lighten the load on our crumbling wastewater

facilities' capacity-stretched infrastructure. But

this alone will not save us from water scarcity.

• The second half of the solution is ensuring that

technologies used are sustainable. Almost all

technical solutions are energy-intensive, which

means we cannot solve the water crisis except

through sustainable investment in renewable

energy technologies. Some of these renewable

energy-linked solutions, as well as innovative

water-harvesting solutions, are already in

development and have proven viable in certain

conditions.

The opportunityWhile holistic water management strategies

that integrate cost savings, risk mitigation, and

sustainability in context are rare, many companies

have started on this journey in one way or another.

Any reason – even if it is experiencing a water-related

impact – is a good reason to start this journey.

But the business case for water stewardship

changes significantly when the question changes.

The main question for determining a payback

period for water-related capital investment is not

how much money you'll save on current water

consumption, but rather what would it cost you

if you didn't have water at all. As water-risk and

sustainability increasingly make their way onto

boardroom tables, companies will be pushed further

along the journey of integrated water management.

Companies wishing to get a handle on

their risks and opportunities can start with the

disclosure process through CDP Water. The scoring

methodology is about supporting progress towards

water stewardship, so companies should use this

as a benchmark and guide, and approach it with

a no-judgment mind-frame. Disclosure is merely

about gaining insights into the current state of

things, which is already one step further than many

businesses currently go. Awareness, management,

leadership, and, ultimately, resilience all follow on

from there. S G

Legislation

carbon

tax

COSTS9.8% ELECTRICITY TARIFF HIKE landfill fees

resource scarcityLegislation

compliance

energy

Ca

rb

on

development

bio

-en

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gy

wa

st

e

optimisation

ris

k

wATER TARIFFS UP BY 20%Legislation

CD

PC

ar

bo

n

supply chain

environment

ESG

renewable

WASTE DISPOSAL FEES ARE UPInnovation

optimisation

Po

lic

y

strategyLegislation

efficiency

cl

ima

te

ch

an

ge

pe

na

lt

iesC

DP

re

sp

on

sib

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y

34% CARBON REDUCTION BY 2020

ESG WASTE MANAGEMENT

verification

SUSTAINABILITY

waterbiomimicry

circular economy

systems thinking

carbon neutral

solarbiomass

green economy

sustainable agriculture

aquaculture

aquaponics

windpowersustainable agriculture

zero

waste

green economy

FIND THE RIGHT STRATEGY

www.gcxafrica.co.za

CHANGE Is the only CONSTANT

SG 22

water

SA'S Blue-Green ProBlem

23 SG

SA'S Blue-Green ProBlem

At a time when much of South Africa is experiencing a crippling drought – the worst on record – it is difficult to swallow that 62% of the country's freshwater is, quite simply, toxic. Mark Matthews reports.

SG 24

A fter decades of all sorts of waste water

being discharged into SA's rivers and

dams, a build-up of nutrients from

fertilisers, households, and industrial wastewater

has exceeded nature's capacity to maintain its

natural nutrient balance. In theory, all effluent must

be treated to a certain standard that is in line with

keeping this balance, but often it is not (see story

pg17).

Nitrogen from fertilisers and phosphorus

from detergents are two of the main causes of

'eutrophication'. Just how 'trophic' water is depends

on how enriched with nutrients it is. Water can

be 'oligotrophic' (little-nourished), 'mesotrophic'

(medium-nourished), 'eutrophic' (well-nourished)

or 'hypertrophic' (very well-nourished). The latter

two are the problem and describe the majority of

the country's water supply. Consequences include

taste and odour problems, dying fish, and loss of

biodiversity.

CyANobACTeRiAEutrophic and hypertrophic waters also create

the perfect breeding ground for cyanobacteria, or

blue-green algae. This is more than just a green

nuisance; it poses significant health risks. Some

species contain toxins that are fatal when ingested

in large quantities by humans or animals. Poisonings

of domestic and wild animals by cyanobacterial

toxins are widespread and threaten the supply of

drinking water across the entire country. It also

makes treating water much more difficult as cells

build up in the water and release toxic compounds

when treated.

Apart from the obvious environmental impacts,

eutrophication – and its sidekick cyanobacteria – is

a significant economic burden. It affects the cost

of water treatment (which is already costly and

over-burdened); it has negative effects on water-side

property values; it impacts recreational use of water

and therefore tourism; and it worsens public health

from its association with diarrhea, cholera, and

other water-borne diseases.

The economic cost of eutrophication is likely to

extend to hundreds of millions of rands per year,

and although it will affect all levels of society, the

livelihoods and health of the poor and vulnerable

will be hardest hit. Studies in the USA and Great

Britain found that the cost of eutrophication was

greater than $2.2bn per year in 2009, and $160m

per year in 2003 respectively.

SA SiTuATioNBut how dire is the situation in South Africa? Until

recently, the monitoring of water quality in SA

has been dependent on taking samples of surface

water quality from around 160 dams, lakes, and

rivers every month. But the efficacy of this method

is under pressure from rising costs of sampling,

limited budgets, an uneven distribution of skills and

Recent advances in space technology and remote sensing have made it

possible to monitor eutrophication and cyanobacterial blooms from space. Supplementing national and local government statistics with this data can help us to get a clearer picture of the country's water quality.

25 SG

laboratories, and the need to constantly sample

more widely. Recent advances in space technology

and remote sensing have made it possible to

monitor eutrophication and cyanobacterial blooms

from space. Supplementing national and local

government statistics with this data can help us to

get a clearer picture of the country's water quality.

Using this technology, 50 of South Africa's

largest water bodies were studied in almost-real-time

from 2002 to 2012. They were analysed for their

chlorophyll levels (a proxy for eutrophication), their

cyanobacteria area coverage, and instances where

concentrations of cyanobacteria pose extremely

high health risks.

In most cases the findings were broadly aligned

with national data. Of the 50 water bodies, 36

were hypertrophic and three were eutrophic.

Cyanobacterial blooms were identified in all 50

of the water bodies. Five of these had visible

cyanobacteria covering more than 30% of their

surface area (including Hartebeespoort Dam with a

shocking 48.5%). The Barberspan and Koppies dams

were also severely impacted with an average area

coverage greater than 45%. Lake Chrissiesmeer,

Spitskop and Vaal dams were also heavily impacted

with close to 30% average coverage. Cyanobacteria

blooms posing a high health risk were recorded in

26 of the 50 water bodies in varying extents.

But some of the results differed from national

data. The Vaal Dam, for example, was found not to

be the rosy picture suggested by national quality

tests.

Across all quality measures, the most impacted

reservoir was Hartbeespoort, which may come

as no surprise to anyone familiar with area. This

reservoir is hypertrophic and heavily impacted

by frequent and extensive cyanobacterial blooms

and often exceedingly dangerous concentrations.

These findings support many studies which have

found this reservoir to be one of the most affected

in the world.

CoNSequeNCeSThese findings have significant consequences

for potable, recreational and agricultural uses.

Government is attempting to tackle the problem

on two main fronts. Firstly, remediation plans are

targeting isolated cases that are most impacted,

such as Hartebeespoort Dam. Secondly, a number

of Catchment Management Agencies have been

set up to deal with catchment scale problems like

eutrophication. While these can play a key role

going forward, not all have been established and

those that have are not yet mature.

The reality is that government is facing

significant constraints. The success of interventions

is limited by stretched resources, a high staff

turnover rate, tightening budgets and rising costs.

big buSiNeSS'S RoleWhat is needed is a more concentrated effort from

all players; one that focuses on proactive solutions

rather than remedial ones. Big business has both

the capacity and responsibility to innovate to find

solutions. Legislation and appropriate regulations

must also create the appropriate incentives.

We can start with the most impacted catchments

and come up with holistic strategies for these

catchments. Are the farmers in the area educated

about their impact? Are local agencies adequately

funded and resourced? How can we engage with

sources of nutrients such as agricultural feedlots

or water treatment works?

Of course, there is an urgent need to get our

non-functional water treatment works functioning

properly, but we also need to reduce the amount

of nutrients coming into them. Particularly, an

active commitment to reduce runoff and the use

of fertilisers is needed from the agricultural sector.

We can optimise water treatment systems by

harnessing the power of nature itself. For example,

by putting water through biological filters such

as wetlands before applying chemical treatment,

we can significantly reduce the pressure on our

reservoirs and river systems. This is one of the

cleanest and most cost-effective solutions.

WATeR iNveSTmeNTWhat is ultimately required of all South Africans is

a greater appreciation of what our natural water

resources mean for our livelihoods. That water is

the one input into all life and economic activity that

has no substitute is enough of a business case for

investing in solutions. S G

water

How does SA shape up in water stakes?

SG 26

27 SG

T he only way out of the water crunch we are facing is

innovation. Not only do we need to develop affordable

technologies that will allow us to reuse and recycle

water sources, these technologies must also be powered by

energy sources which themselves do not put undue demand on

water, do not compete with other sectors' energy needs, and do

not contribute to climate change.

Like with many innovations, countries that have already felt

the urgency of severe scarcity are leading the way in finding

solutions. This is certainly the driver behind Israel's, Singapore's

and Namibia's leadership in this space.

ISrAelFor Israel, efforts to accelerate solutions in an already

water-stressed country were spurred during the seven year

drought that started in 2005. Through a combination of

desalinating Mediterranean Sea water and recycling waste water,

the country now has enough water to meet its needs, even in

the face of drought. Today, according to The New York Times,

over half of Israel's water used by households, agriculture

and industry, is produced 'artificially' – 86% domestic water is

treated and reused in agriculture, for example. To put this into

perspective, the country with the second highest reuse rate is

Spain at 17%.

SInGAPoreFor Singapore the driver for innovation was more independence

from Malaysia. Despite high rainfall, the densely-populated

nation has little space to collect and store rainwater and has

therefore been dependent in imports from its neighbour. Under

a programme called NEWater, the country further purifies

treated waste water to make it safe to drink. This already makes

up 30% of Singapore's water needs. Desalination meets another

25%.

nAmIBIAIn Namibia, where evaporation exceeds rainfall, water authorities

have for decades been turning sewerage into drinking water

at the Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant in Windhoek.

Following an upgrade in 2002, the now high-technology plant

is set to remain a global leader in potable water research and

technology.

SouTh AfrIcASolutions for South Africa must take into a variety of factors

including cost, energy demands, energy type, and accessibility.

In this context, how viable are some of the leading technologies

discussed above?

In terms of treatment technologies for re-using water, the

As global demand for water starts to

outstrip supply, efforts to become more efficient are

intensifying. But this can only ever

be part of the solution. In the

coming years, as a growing proportion

of a growing population enters the middle class, absolute demand

for water will almost certainly rise no

matter how efficient we become. Lise

Pretorius and Bernard Jacobs of GCX Africa report.?

SG 28

economics of water innovation look a little different

in SA. The costs for treating water are generally very

high, while the option exists for organisations to pay a

fine to the municipalities rather than to treat effluent

water that comes from their production processes. As

long as this balance exists, it becomes difficult to find

the business case for capital expenditure for water

treatment initiatives.

A further problem is that the municipalities have

become used to receiving the income from the fines

and would find it difficult to operate without this

additional income source.

The upshot is that water municipal treatment

plants are put under extra strain and are unable

to treat these volumes of wastewater. A surplus of

untreated water is therefore landing up back in our

water sources without being treated. This is one of

the major causes of South Africa's cyanobacteria

crisis (see page 22). Solutions were being developed

through a partnership between the University of

Johannesburg and Israel's Ben-Gurion University –

which has expertise in this space – but this partnership

was severed in 2011 due to political reasons.

The obvious solution to solve this would be to find

innovative ways to treat water that are cost-effective.

TreATmenT TechnoloGIeSViable treatment technologies are already emerging

and being implemented where the business case

makes sense. For example, trickling filter technologies

are able to treat domestic or industrial waste water to

standards safe for re-use in agricultural or industrial

processes or for potable use. Home-grown innovations

include HWT's SOG filter treatment plants, which use

earthworms, fungus, and bacteria to treat sewerage.

The technology allows sewerage to drip through

layers of this biological filtration system, cleaning it

such that when this water reaches the bottom it is

sufficiently cleansed to be ready to be re-directed for

its next use.

DeSAlInATIon & renewABle enerGyDesalination has traditionally been an extremely

energy-intensive water solution, with energy costs

accounting for up to half of the cost of desalination.

Until recently, this has meant that renewable

energy sources have not been viable. This has

made desalination a difficult sell in energy-stressed

29 SG

countries, while going forward it would also be

impossible to reconcile with climate change mitigation

efforts. But with advances in both renewable energy

technologies and with desalination technologies

becoming more energy-efficient, this is changing.

It has now become viable, for example, to produce

fresh water from sea or brackish water using the

energy of the sun alone. On its own, desalination was

already a game-changing solution for water-starved

areas like the Middle East and North Africa (the most

water scarce areas on Earth). But given that many

of the direst places on Earth also have the highest

potential for solar power, this could be a global

game-changer if the economics are right. Saudi Arabia

(which runs 38% of global desalination capacity) is

at the forefront of investment into solutions that

merge solar energy and desalination technologies.

Other areas investigating solar desalination include

Australia, Chile and California.

SA DeSAlInISATIonSouth Africa already has at least 13 publicly-run

sea-water desalination plants, as well as a few

privately-owned plants which treat brackish water

from industrial use. All of these are fossil fuel-based,

which makes the water they produce vulnerable

to energy price increases. Local research has been

looking at whether there are optimal combinations

of renewable energies and desalination, and while

not yet competitive with municipal water rates, this

is expected to change as water starts reflecting its

true cost and as renewable energies become more

efficient.

whAT'S nexT?

No single entity or technology will be able to solve SA's

water issues. Individuals, all levels of government,

and private and public companies will all have to work

together to achieve a sustainable solution to the crisis

this country is facing. Some of the solutions will be

structural or technical, such as infrastructure systems

that allow us to separate potable from other water

(so that we no longer flush our toilets with drinking

water); some of them will be behavioural; some of

them will be about getting the business case right.

Maybe the silver lining of the current drought is that it

will get us thinking out the box – if business as usual

is based on the assumption of cheap and available

water, what will business unusual look like? S G

No single entity or technology will be able to solve SA's water issues. Individuals, all levels of government, and private and public companies will all have to work together to achieve a sustainable solution to the crisis this country is facing.

SG 30

Mis

lea

din

g

i nfo

rM

atio

nO

ne O

f key

C

halle

nges The formation of the South

African National Bottled Water Association (SANBWA) in 1997 addressed the biggest challenges facing the fledgling industry at that time, namely a lack of standards and legislative uncertainty. We take a look.

water

31 SG

f ollowing representation from SANBWA,

and in line with international trends,

the Department of Health drew up new

legislation specific to the bottled (packaged) water

industry based on the Codex Alimentarius. This

legislation classified bottled water as a food product

category of its own, and is therefore regulated by

the Department of Health as such.

It means that, for the first time, all enterprises in

the country producing bottled water for sale to the

public were officially regulated and monitored by

the Department of Health. It also means that South

Africa has amongst the best legislation in the world

when it comes to the packaged water industry.

And, that the challenges facing the industry have

changed.

The key challenge SANBWA faces today is

misinformation. Despite the fact that bottled

water is one of the safest, healthiest and most

environmentally-friendly packaged beverages in the

retailer's fridge, its detractors persist in repeating

disproved data and blatantly incorrect facts,

according to CEO Charlotte Metcalf.

myTh 1: Bottle or tap, never bothOne of the biggest misconceptions about bottled

water is that people drink it instead of tap water,

which is not the case. Research in the US shows

most people who drink bottled water also drink

tap water, and they choose accessible, calorie-free

bottled water as an alternative to less healthy

packaged drinks.

myTh 2: Bottled water is not necessarily pure Locally, about 90% of bottled water producers belong

to SANBWA and they are required to subscribe to

SANBWA's stringent standards. Developed over many

years and based on wide review and consultation,

this single standard benchmarks favourably against

international standards and provides existing and

new bottlers with a vision for future improvements.

myTh 3: PET bottles leach carcinogenic substances The myth that PET (polyethylene terephthalate)

leaches carcinogenic substances into bottled water

stems from a concern about phthalates and BPA –

which do not exist in PET. PET is approved as safe for

food and beverage contact by the FDA and similar

regulatory agencies throughout the world. It is

biologically inert if ingested and used for packaging

for many foods, including everything from ketchup,

peanut butter, soft drinks, and juices to beer, wine

and spirits.

myTh 4: The bottled water industry is a poor user of water resourcesBottled water production in South Africa is a very

water-efficient business in that it has an extremely

low 'water usage' factor (how much water is used

to make a finished product). The measure includes

both direct and indirect water usage (in the bottled

water industry, that would be water for rinsing

and sanitising bottles, plant and general cleaning

and sanitation, vehicle washing, floor washing,

toilets etc) and includes water from boreholes and

municipal sources.

The local industry benchmark is 1.8:1 (there

are plants that achieve ratios of as low as 1.3 – 1.4

by recycling their bottle rinse water). This means

it takes 1.8 litres of water to 'make' 1l of bottled

water, equivalent to 1kg. 'Manufacturing' 1kg of

beef takes 16 000l of water, 1kg of maize 900l and

one cup of coffee 140l.

myTh 5: All water sold in a bottle is the sameNot all water sold in a bottle is governed by the

same legislation. When a shop or a restaurant fills a

customer's own container with water (as can happen

in settlements where the reticulated water supply is

sporadic or residents don't like its taste or believe

it to be contaminated), this is regarded as 'drinking

water', and is not subject to legislation. However,

should a shop or restaurant fill their own containers

with water and seal those containers, the product

is regarded as 'packaged water'. Under South Africa

law this means it is a food (see above), falls under

the auspices of the Department of Health, and must

comply with all requirements including tamper

proof seals, hygienic filling area, periodic testing

regime, batch labelling, and so on. S G

FURTHER READING1. Thoroughly debunked as a junk science 2. SANBWA's stringent standards

The feature has been made possible with kind assistance of SANBWA

SG 32

E arth is known as the blue planet with

97% of its surface being covered

with water, though only 3% of the

water is fresh water. Of that 3% only 0.3%

is surface water, 30% is ground water with

some 97% of all ground water is available

for human consumption. With the number

of people on the planet having doubled in

the last century alone, the demand for fresh

water has increased six-fold. Figures suggest

that if the current population growth trend

continues that by 2025 as many as 4.2 billion

people will be living in countries which will be

unable to meet the minimum requirements

of 50l of water a day. This means that one

in two Africans will live within an area faced

with water scarcity or stress. Considering that

Africa has the world’s most unstable rainfall,

it is vital that conscious efforts are made

in conserving this water and using it in a

sustainable manner.

A way of ensuring water safety and security

into the future would be to not only look at the

river courses or ground water and the human

effects on them, but to conserve the water

towers of catchment areas. According to the

John Lucas is an award-winning nature conservationist, photographer, educator and youth developer, as well as the founder of explore4knowledge. He has found that the need for conservation in some instances is not purchasing land, fencing animals in and protecting vanishing species. Instead he sees the importance and need for the understanding of holistic systems, community-based conservation initiatives and connectivity through all industries for a common goal. His company has various projects to promote a better understanding of the planet's vanishing resources. In this article he explains what these projects have been doing for the last few years.

WatErin Sa

water

33 SG

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment any mountains

which act as water towers by storing water in

glaciers, permafrost, snow-packs, soil or ground

water are the source of major trans-boundary rivers

globally, with most water towers in arid regions

providing 70-95% of water to the downstream

catchment.

Recent stats released as part of the WWF South

Africa – Journey of Water campaign show that

8% of South Africa’s land mass produces 50%

of its drinking water and with current trends in

urbanisation, land use and industrial practices

this number is dwindling. Fresh drinking water is

considered a basic human need globally, but should

not be treated as a right. For this reason, it is

essential for consumers to share the responsibility

for water usage, using it efficiently and with little or

no waste. Considering the rate at which we utilise

and pollute water resources globally, water could

be considered to be our greatest non-renewable

resource on the planet.

Olifants River – Western CapeThis 260km river found on the South African West

SG 34

Coast forms the main stem of the second largest

water catchment area in South Africa at 46 625km2.

Second only to the Orange River Catchment, of

which historically it has been found that the Olifants

River mouth was once the mouth of our mighty

Orange River.

Much has changed along this river course from

its first European settlers in 1700s, though still

considered the citrus basin for South Africa the once

free-roaming wildlife has been hunted, urbanisation

has altered the riparian zones of rivers and the dam

and irrigation schemes have increased in size, but

its name has stood the test of time. Originally, it

was named by Jan Danckaert in 1660 on his siting

of a herd of 200-300 elephants in the vicinity of

Clanwilliam, and later described as the 'Nile of

South Africa' in 1970 by Burman on account of the

vast extent of the irrigation scheme along the lower

reaches of the river.

The Bulshoek barrage and canal system were

constructed in 1919, providing farms along 90km

of the lower Olifants River with irrigation water

up to the town of Ebenhaeser 15km from the sea.

Originally constructed in 1932, the Clanwilliam

Dam was raised 1966 and is currently being raised

once more to assist with the growing demands for

irrigation water.

This river and catchment area has been the

focus of my masters research project since 2013,

focusing on metal concentrations within the river

from source to sea as well as explore4knowledge

focus for sustainable community education projects

along the rivers course.

explore4knowledgeBetween 2013-2015, I have been able to work

with over 15 000 students and educators through

this self-funded sponsor supported, award-winning

syllabus-based environmental education and

citizen science orientated workshops, projects and

expeditions. This work has empowered participants

with a holistic and hands on understanding of

natural resources, the plight of fresh water and

how to make a sustainable difference into the

future. Through focusing on Biology (Life Science),

Science and Geography, the programs are able to

practically facilitate learning outcomes and provide

opportunities for schools to adopt rivers through

monitoring tools such as miniSASS and actively

become involved in his research project through

organised sampling sessions.

In addition to the award-winning

community-based projects managed alongside

conservation partners CapeNature, WWF South Africa,

The Fresh Water Research Centre and EWT within the

Olifants River Catchment, explore4knowledge also

facilitates 'learning expeditions'. Aimed at national

and international school, tertiary and corporate

institutions, these 'learning expeditions' aim to

provide participants with a holistic environmental

awakening through hands on environmental

research and educational camps managed within

Southern Africa.

35 SG

The Water Warrior ExpeditionIn addition to the educational camps and Learning

expeditions managed through explore4knowledge,

I am also proud to promote the plight of vanishing

resources through film productions and expeditions

managed through explore4knowledge.

September 2015, found the e4k team managing

the Water Warrior Project. Conceptualised in 2011,

having taken almost two years to plan due to high

river flows in 2014 and drought in 2015, this

10-day Source-to-Sea expedition on the Olifants

River was proudly supported and funded by

Land Rover N1 City, Total South Africa, Pick n

Pay and Cape Union Mart and K-Way. Our aim

was to take 10 students on a 10-day expedition

using five inflatable crocs, three Land Rovers

and inviting South Africa’s leading fresh water

researchers, conservationists and organisations

to host lectures, workshops and data collecting

sessions along the river course. Students from the

Cape Peninsula University of Technology together

with guides from Gravity Adventures embarked

on this first of its kind independently organised

expedition within the Western Cape.

Resulting in the first official sighting of the alien

species Sharptooth Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

in the Olifants River main stem, evenings were

spent under the starlit skies of the Cederberg

and watching a film on the impact we are having

on marine resources in a cave at the mouth of

the Olifants River covered in bushman rock art.

We believe we are truly promoting education

through adventure in all we do through managing

unique one-of-a-kind environmental research and

educational expeditions.

The FutureIn the first five years (September 2011-2016) we

have been able manage projects, expeditions and

environmental campaigns through the support of

numerous individuals, sponsors, organizations

and partnerships. Without belief in my vision for

explore4knowledge this would not have been

possible. To all the panels that have awarded

me with national and international recognition

through awards and fellowships for my work, I

thank you and most recently I thank The Explorers

Club for recognising my passion in merging

science, education and exploration.

Over the next five years we will be managing many

more unique environmental education projects,

workshops and expedition including our vision

for 2020.

I invite you to view our website, contact me

directly and discuss how we can host your schools,

tertiary or corporate institutions in the field as part

of our unique learning expeditions. S G

info@explore4knowledge.comwww.explore4knowledge.comAll Social Media: @explore4knowledge

Many thanks to Intrepid Explorer Magazine for permission to run this story.

SG 36

Place of Sweet Waters – Sven Harding – sH2Orts 2016

water News

Cape Town, like much of South Africa, is currently in the midst its worst drought in two decades, yet millions of litres of naturally-occurring fresh water run under the city's streets, to be dumped straight into the sea, every day. This film aims to raise awareness of this almost criminally neglected, but desperately needed, resource, in the hope that it might be reclaimed to help sustain Cape Town's booming, and increasingly water-stressed, population. The above video was made as part of the sH2Orts film competition – a film competition from WaterAid in partnership with Public Media Alliance's WorldView project.www.wateraid.org

DROUGHT: Cut red tape preventing farmers from accessing water In a presentation to a joint Standing Committee on Environmental Affairs and Development Planning and Economic Opportunities, Tourism and Agriculture in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, it was revealed that farms need immediate action to unblock the red tape and streamline the process of applying for water licensing. DA spoesmen have called for a water symposium, where all key stakeholders, together with Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture and the National Department of Water and Sanitation can find a common ground on how to solve the bottlenecks in drought alleviation. The Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning proposes that the environmental impact assessment process and the application for water licences should run concurrently, this will do much to streamline the lengthy application process. A report from the Department of Water and Sanitation on the outstanding water allocations has been called for.The livelihoods of agri-workers and farmers are on the line. The sustainability of farms in the long term may be at risk if government doesn’t adequately assist in alleviating the damage caused by the drought. Many seasonal farmworkers will now face a double blow, firstly by losing income and secondly an expected increase in food prices. The wheat industry has been the most severely affected and will continue to negatively impact wheat supply to the Southern African region. To battle the drought many farms have applied for water licenses and for the building of dams. It came to light in the committee that there is a lack of knowledge among farmers of the requirements for receiving approval of dams and water licences. This is in addition to an existing backlog, and lack of co-operation between different entities. This drought has highlighted the scarcity of water, and its importance for farmworkers, farms and food security. Government has been called upon to do everything in its power to assist farmers, so that South Africa can continue to have a sustainable agricultural sector.

37 SG

Bestmed joins ‘Water Shortage South Africa'In an effort to assist with the drought crisis, Bestmest staff members joined forces and collected 11 925l of water since the launch of the water drive during 20–22 January. Bestmed, as part of its commitment to healthy living, has pledged its support to Water Shortage South Africa, joining other corporates and individuals who seek to bring relief to affected areas.Click here for the Water Shortage SA Facebook page

Covered pools – the reservoir already in

your back yard South Africa is experiencing one of its driest periods in history and with

many provinces now under tough water restrictions, pool owners are being

called on to change behaviours and critically examine their pool’s water

footprint and water-saving practices. While tanks and boreholes enable a self-sufficient alternative when it

comes to water for the home, many homeowners overlook their existing

water storage solution – the swimming pool.

Homeowners don’t always turn to pool water for domestic use as the chlorine

content can make it unsuitable for the home. The one alternative is to

stop chemical treatments but the pool quickly turns green and unsightly,

and becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The better solution is a

pool cover that allows for reduced chlorine input while maintaining water

hygiene at a level that makes the water suitable for use in the kitchen

and bathroom.www.powerplastics.co.za

SG 38

You may be aware of the water disaster in Flint, Michigan, USA, where tap water became contaminated with too much lead after the city switched its water supply in to save money while under state financial management. Local officials first declared a public health emergency in October in response to tests that showed children with elevated levels of lead.There have been stories about the National Guard being called in to assist with water distribution and filtration, others detailing water donations by other cities, church groups, families and the like, as well as those explaining how ordinary citizens can donate to help Flint residents in need. Meanwhile, here in South Africa, the South African National Bottled Water Association (SANBWA) has joined the Operation Hydrate Initiative that was recently formed following urgent calls for drinking water by several desperate communities impacted by the current drought (see page 30 for more).Since its formation, scores of volunteers from Gauteng have been deployed to Senekal, Aliwal North and other areas to distribute about two million litres of drinking

water donated by members of the public to affected towns in the Free State and Eastern Cape. However, it is currently appealing to the public to make financial donations. According to the operation's co-ordinator, Yaseen Theba, while the organisation is grateful for all water, it is unable to distribute re-filled water to humans as this has quality and health risk considerations. Re-filled water is used to water livestock and household pets while sealed bottled water is safe for distribution and consumption by humans. The preferred support from the public is donations of money, because this will allow us to purchase sealed water from producers closer to the stricken areas, which reduces the footprint of delivering water to the relevant communities. They use the funds to purchase water from bottlers at a subsidised price and distribute it.In terms of the support SANBWA has offered to #OperationHydrate, its members will – in addition to the donations several have already made – provide water at cost price and assist with transport. SANBWA is also using its Twitter and Facebook activity to call for donations. Visit www.sanbwa.org.za for more

Pick n Pay steps in on drought relief Pick n Pay is donating R500 000 through different initiatives to provide respite for communities in drought-stricken areas. This is just one of the measures the company is putting in place to help those who are affected, and to assist the public wanting to make contributions to those most in need. Smart Shopper members will also be able to donate Smart Shopper points to the drought relief fund, and Pick n Pay will match customer donations up to an amount of R100 000.There are a number of organisations which have been encouraging people to donate water at collection points for distribution. Pick n Pay will work with Water Shortage South Africa, who have representatives distributing water from collection points in all regions, and act as a drop-off point for bottled water.

Operation: Hydrate

water News

39 SG

Leading analytics company to mitigate the impact of droughtThe drought bringing vast farming regions to their knees has highlighted the importance of better management of the country’s scarce water resources, says Kroshlen Moodley, GM Public Sector and Utilities at SAS, Moodley says that while it isn’t possible to combat the El Niño weather pattern, better resource management and more effective water conservation could help prevent communities from running completely dry in future.'Averting future water crises is a matter of informed decision-making at local, regional and national level. And in order to make these informed decisions, the authorities must have all the relevant data to hand,' he says. With aggregated data and advanced analytics, the public sector is positioned to make more effective decisions about water conservation, allocation and management.'When talking about water management and advanced data analytics, we have to consider the whole picture. This includes water sources and treatment plants, the distribution network and usage, as well as overarching legislature and weather and demand/supply analysis to obtain a holistic view of the current situation,' Moodley says.He notes that the relevant data needed extends to rainfall data, historical and predicted weather patterns, waste water treatment management, water quality management, distribution systems maintenance, loss and wastage management, and even population growth and demand forecasting. Advanced analytics can also help government better understand population growth and the effect that new residential and industrial developments could have on supply and demand. This information, combined with weather data, can help government decide where to build new dams and reservoirs.Using Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, combined with mobile and social media to engage public participation in water management, as well as advanced data processing and analytics, the public sector would be able to monitor and manage water supply, distribution and treatment systems more effectively, Moodley says. These integrated systems could enable the public sector to better control usage by individual households and encourage public participation in water conservation efforts.'While the El Niño phenomenon may pass, all indications are that water will remain a scarce resource. It’s important that we look to all available solutions now to better manage the supplies that we have and avert future crises,' says Moodley. www.sas.com

Hippo Water Roller When the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership was launched in 2009, the average child in Lavavolo, Madagascar spent much of the day fetching water from a nearby well and few had the luxury of attending school. The introduction of Hippo Water Rollers has been a life-changing solution to the lack of water available in the region.Hippo Rollers allow women and children an opportunity to free up time spent collecting water, acting as a catalyst for conservation and education.The Hippo roller provides quick transport of water into a storage tank for reforestation to restore critical habitat for endangered species and reduces impacts of climate change.The addition of an aquaponics system, filled with water from the Hippo Water Roller, grows fresh produce and fish providing improved nutrition and income generation. www.hipporoller.org

SG 40

Climate ChaNge

Does CoP21's ParIs agreemeNt

meaN aNythINg?

41 SG

T he Paris Agreement has been hailed as

a turning point in global climate change

governance. This is the first time that a

comprehensive and universal agreement under the

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change (UNFCCC) has been adopted. The other legal

instrument under the UNFCCC is the Kyoto Protocol,

which only elaborates further emission reduction

commitments of developed countries. The Paris

Agreement is a decision in four parts: Adoption

of the Paris Agreement; Intended Nationally

Determined Contributions; Giving effect to the Paris

Agreement; and enhanced action prior to 2020.

While recognising the importance of the

outcome, it must be recognised at the same

time that substantial work remains to be done to

convert the potential of the agreement into an

outcome that keeps global warming to levels that

averts the worst impacts of dangerous climate

change on African and other developing countries.

With its focus on implementation, the Agreement

builds on the political momentum contained the

submissions made by countries on their intended

national contributions in the period before 2020. In

total, 145 countries submitted their so-called INDCs

by the October 2015 deadline. However, initial

assessments have shown that current commitments

will result in global warming of about 3°C, with

the UN Environment Programme suggesting that

an additional 12 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide

equivalent per year (GtCO2e/yr) is required by

2030 to keep the temperature below 2°C increase.

Under the Paris Agreement, these INDCs will be

translated into new commitments to be submitted

and reviewed every five years, starting in 2020.

AIMING foR 1.5°COne of the cornerstones of the Agreement and

resulting decisions is the focus on adaptation and

actions to limit global temperature increases below

1.5°C. The Paris Agreement established a global

goal on adaptation, with a link to the temperature

goal and ensuring an adequate adaptation response

to that. It further articulates adaptation as a global

effort, with a reflection of the relationship between

the adaptation burden and mitigation, including

the recognition of adaptation efforts by developing

countries.

Linked to these goals is the equally important

recognition that over time all financial flows

should be consistent with a pathway toward low

emission and climate resilient development. With

an estimated US$90tn in infrastructure investment

expected to be deployed by 2030, the linking

of avoiding dangerous climate change with the

concept of shifting investments and avoiding high

The Paris Agreement was the conclusion of a four-year multilateral diplomatic

exercise that was initiated in Durban in 2011. South Africa played a significant

role through this process, chairing and leading the developing country group

of 135 countries in the last year of this diplomatic effort. In the final days of the

negotiations, the French Presidency implemented a series of conversations

among Ministers and high-level officials using the 'Indaba' style setting first used

at the Durban Climate Conference (COP17). Reaching agreement with over 190

sovereign states is no minor effort, and it took almost four years of protracted

negotiations to reach a universal agreement to arrest rising levels of greenhouse

gas emission for the post-2020 period, while simultaneously increasing countries'

ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change. Richard Sherman

reports.

SG 42

carbon lock-in is now an agreed global priority. It

further implies a significant political signal to the

financial and public sectors to redirect flows of both

public and private investment away from high-risk,

high-emissions infrastructure towards low-risk,

low-emissions and more resilient infrastructure

investments.

In order to give effect to the Agreement, the

decision provides guidance and establishes elements

of a work programme for the period 2016-2020, in

order to provide more substance to the key issues

in the Agreement including mitigation, adaptation,

loss and damage, finance, technology development

and transfer, capacity-building, and transparency of

action and support.

LeGAL fuTuReIn terms of its legal future, the Agreement will be

open for signature for a year following the ceremony

to be convened by the UN Secretary General on 22nd

April 2016 in New York. The Agreement provides for

its entry into force on the 30th day after 55 parties

have acceded to the Agreement, while also covering

55% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions,

suggesting that the Agreement can enter into force

well before 2020.

On the sidelines in Paris, African ministers

launched two continental-wide initiatives. The first,

called the African Renewable Energy Initiative, aims

to increase the share of renewable energy to 10

GigaWatts (GW) by 2020 and to 300GW by 2030.

Germany France, UK and Canada committed to

mobilise at least $10bn between now and 2020 to

increase the number of countries accelerating efforts

to harness Africa's renewable energy potential and

expand energy access across the continent. The

second initiative, the Africa Adaptation and Loss

and Damage Initiative, aims to identify activities

that will enhance climate resilient development

throughout the continent, by focusing on measures

to increase countries access to climate finance.

For the South African delegation, the journey

that started in Durban and ended in Paris was

a significant achievement, and a display of the

country's multilateral standing in the climate

change negotiations. President Zuma summed up

South Africa's role as follows 'under South Africa's

leadership the Group of 77 plus China was more

united than ever before in the history of the climate

change negotiations and South Africa managed

to rally this group of developing countries, which

made a decisive difference in building the political

will that was required to reach agreement on this

important issue'.

In addition to providing the political direction

for developing countries, South Africa also played

a crucial role in the African Group of Negotiators,

co-ordinating the Group in the negotiations that led

to the overall agreement on the Paris outcome, as

well as on pre-2020 implementation, transparency

of support, pre-2020 action, components of the

mitigation outcomes, and on finance. S G

COP 21: Heads of delegations

The Paris Agreement established a global goal on adaptation, with a link to the temperature goal and ensuring an adequate adaptation response to that. It further articulates adaptation as a global effort, with a reflection of the relationship between the adaptation burden and mitigation, including the recognition of adaptation efforts by developing countries.

43 SG

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SG 44

looking bacthinking forward

COP21

k

45 SG

looking bacthinking forward

On 12 December 2015, in Paris, an exhausted Laurent Fabius, French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development and the President of COP21, brought the gavel down that signalled that all 195 countries of the United Nations had finally agreed on a single global agreement to combat climate change. Jaco du Toit, part of WWF's team that works on UNFCCC matters and who attended COP21, reports.

SG 46

A fter 21 years of negotiation the Paris Agreement

finally offers a fairly comprehensive accord

that calls on all signatories (virtually all

the world's countries) to take appropriate action

to combat climate change. However, as with any

compromise agreement, much room is left for

interpretation and much more work remains to

be done. The decisions on implementation and

national actions by countries that will follow in the

coming year will determine whether the Agreement

is ultimately an effective catalyst for much more

ambitious action or if it becomes another empty

international treaty that fails to drive any real action.

This is all the more pertinent when it is considered

that the Agreement is largely focussed on longer

term actions rather than the urgent interventions

that are needed to scale up collective efforts to be

in line with what is required to keep global warming

at safer levels.

The most important signals that the Paris

Agreement provides can be summarised as follows:

• All governments will work together to keep

warming well below 2ºC and to make strong

efforts to keep warming to under 1.5ºC. This is

the first time that these temperature thresholds

have been captured in an international climate

agreement. Yet, without urgent action these

goals will be unachievable – the global average

temperature in 2015 was already 1ºC above

pre-industrial levels.

• Almost all countries now have climate action

pledges as captured in Intended Nationally

Determined Contributions (INDCs)

• There is a clear recognition that vulnerable

communities everywhere are already having to

adapt to a changing climate and that they will

increasingly face irreversible loss and damage

due to climate change impacts.

• Countries will have to come back every five

years to take stock of collective progress and to

resubmit or update their targets.

As we look back almost three months later, a

more sober assessment of the agreement, beyond

these headline signals, is necessary and possible.

Does the agreement 'solve' climate change?

Not yetThat answer, pretty obviously, is not yet, no. The

pledges of domestic actions that each country will

take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and

to adapt to the impacts of extreme weather and

changing weather patterns, fall far short of the

stated temperature objective. The most generous

estimates of the efficacy of pledged actions leave

the world on track for 2.7ºC of warming by 2100.

Some assessments still project global warming of

more than 3ºC by 2100. Most frighteningly – the

Paris agreement is only set to enter into force in

2020. Yet, at current emissions levels the total

amount of allowable emissions that still gives us

any chance of keeping warming below 1.5ºC will

be exhausted within 15 years, after which it will be

inevitable that warming will exceed levels that the

most vulnerable countries can bear.

So what does the Agreement do about this

shortfall in collective efforts?

One of the stronger points of the Paris

agreement is that it creates structured international

opportunities or 'stock-takes' at which countries

have to come together again and reconsider their

level of effort. The first trial run for a dialogue on

enhancing efforts takes place in 2018 and then

every five years from 2023. In the run up to COP15 in

Copenhagen and again in the months before COP21

in Paris we've seen that such moments of focus

Assessment of the remaining carbon budget

47 SG

on climate change action drive governments to

develop and/or update their climate change actions,

because they do not want to be left behind when all

other countries stand up and announce new actions.

Some of the decisions taken during the

negotiations in Paris also create an ongoing

action agenda under which countries can work

collaboratively on climate change actions that go

beyond the targets they have already pledged. In

a world where there is constantly a gap between

the level of effort required by climate science

and the political realities of politicians having to

win near-term elections, this platform for urgent,

incremental action creates a much-needed space for

an alternative approach. While countries will have

to continue to update their national targets every

five years, the urgent action platform should drive

state and non-state actors to take actions beyond

national targets as collaboration and technological

advances open up new opportunities.

Legally binding?Is the Agreement legally binding? Strictly speaking –

no, not really. But was it ever realistically going to be?

For a long time the legal nature of the international

climate agreement was seen as the most important

discussion point. The belief was that the only way

to get adequate action on climate change would be

to ensure that there is a strong legal framework that

entails sanctions for non-delivery on commitments.

Such an approach is particularly problematic for the

USA (currently the second largest emitter globally

and still the largest cumulative emitter) where the

domestic political context would make it extremely

hard for the Federal Government to sign and ratify

an internationally legally binding agreement on

climate change. The failure of the USA to ratify the

Kyoto Protocol, which meant that they escaped

having formal international targets, emphasised

the dangers of fixating on legal 'bindingness' above

all else. Even though the Kyoto Protocol contained

relatively stringent enforcement stipulations, and

penalties for non-compliance, Canada was still

able to find legal loopholes to 'withdraw' before

they could be found to be in contravention of their

commitments. After the first commitment period

ended, Russia and Japan also simply withdrew and

refused to take up further targets.

Given this Kyoto history, the emphasis on a

strong legal form was much-reduced in the Paris

negotiations. Ultimately, there is very little in

the final agreement that would legally bind any

country to a specific action. In the absence of an

international climate court or international climate

police force, it is debatable whether stronger legal

language would have made any difference to the

level of action or the intentions of countries to

deliver on their promises. In exchange for this

weaker legal form the likelihood that the USA will

be able to sign and ultimately ratify the agreement

is increased while the larger emerging economies Responsibility for Cumulative Global CO2 Emissions

One of the stronger points of the Paris agreement is that it creates structured international opportunities or 'stock-takes' at which countries have to come together again and reconsider their level of effort. The first trial run for a dialogue on enhancing efforts takes place in 2018 and then every five years from 2023.

SG 48

like China and India probably feel a little more

comfortable that there will be less international

interference in their domestic policies as well.

In lieu of strong legal sanction, the Paris

agreement sets up an international climate change

framework that requires countries to publicly report

on the action that they are taking and to resubmit or

update their targets as part of the five-yearly global

stock-taking exercise. These moments of public

scrutiny and reporting requirements are probably

the best form of accountability that can be created

under current international law and geopolitical

relations.

Is the Agreement fair?Equity and fairness were the largest casualties of the

Paris agreement. At the heart of the climate change

problem lies the harsh reality that poor developing

countries have to find alternate development

pathways that do not rely on fossil fuels, while

rich developed countries still reap the benefits of

centuries of fossil fuel exploitation without paying

the full cost of such resource use. On top of this, the

countries that are least responsible for causing the

problem are generally those that are geographically

positioned to face the worst impacts while they are

also the least able to afford adaptation actions or

reconstruction.

For this reason the original 1992 United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change recognised

that countries have 'common' but 'differentiated'

responsibilities and capabilities. This was translated

into a list or 'annex' of 'developed' countries that

had the responsibility to lead on climate change

action, while other 'developing' countries would

take voluntary actions and could request financial,

technological and capacity-building support.

Developed countries have largely failed to deliver

their fair share of action while some developing

countries have even exceeded the efforts that they

could fairly be expected to have made.

Despite this, the Paris agreement implicitly

breaks the strict divide between the categories of

countries that were established in 1992. Though

it is arguably legitimate, that those 'developing'

countries that have become rich since 1992 (such

as Singapore and Qatar, which are both in the top

10 of countries according to per capita income

levels) should have more responsibility, the lack of

clarity on who has to take on the bulk of actions

only leaves poorer, smaller countries more exposed

and unfairly treated. The new arrangement offers

almost no guidance on how the responsibility for

action should be divided between countries, which

only means that there will be a continued aggregate

shortfall and that developing countries will unfairly

be pushed to take more and more action.

On top of this, the Paris agreement failed to

secure clear pathways to scaled-up climate finance.

Though it is clear that trillions of dollars need to be

shifted from high-carbon investment to low – and

zero-carbon alternatives, the Paris agreement only

entrenches $100bn per annum between 2020 and

2025 as the floor for international climate finance.

Without access to international climate finance it is

hard to see how poorer developing countries will

be able to bear the initial costs of a transition to a

low – or even zero-carbon developmental pathway,

especially considering that they have been 'robbed'

of their fair share of the carbon budget in the

atmosphere.

In 2015 a broad coalition of civil society actors

presented an equity review process that illustrated

how indicators could be applied to determine more

equitable climate contributions based on both

domestic action and, where applicable, support for

action in developing countries. Many countries were

found wanting, notably, the EU, USA, Russia, Brazil

and Japan.

So what's next?As the final gavel came down in Paris many

civil society activists felt a momentary sense of

IPCC AR5 assessment of predicted climate risks

49 SG

relief. In an international context where so many

countries have sanctions against each other, or

where negotiators that faced each other over the

table in Paris were actively engaged in supporting

opposite sides of armed conflicts elsewhere, the

outcome could have been worse. From a political

perspective the Paris Agreement probably delivered

close to as much as was possible. However, from

the perspective of how little time we have left to

act decisively on climate change, the agreement is

probably 20 years behind schedule. At this point a

Marshall Plan or Apollo Programme level of action is

required. Paris does not give us that. All that it does

is to take us a step in that direction and by creating

spaces that have to be leveraged.

If we are to avoid catastrophic levels of climate

change, citizens and civic organisations will have to

work domestically on their governments to ensure

that leaders come back to the negotiation table

in subsequent years with much more ambitious

efforts and that they interpret the Paris decisions

in the most stringent possible manner while a

much stronger framework for equity and fairness

will have to be negotiated in the coming years. The

five-yearly stock-takes will provide opportunities

to hold governments accountable while the action

agenda provides a space for businesses, local

government and other actors to launch additional

initiatives to help to close the ambition gap and

build momentum for more action in future.

In her closing speech at COP21 SA's Energy

Minister Edna Molewa quoted President Mandela:

'I have discovered the secret that after climbing a

great hill, one only finds that there are many more

hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest,

to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds

me, to look back on the distance I have come. But

I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom

comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for

my long walk is not yet ended.' In the end that is

all that the Paris Agreement was. An important hill

that had to be climbed, but only one of many. The

time is now past to stare at the one little slope we

have overcome. We need to collectively ensure that

much more action is delivered in a much shorter

timeframe over the coming years. We cannot take

another 21 years to conquer the true peaks that

have to be summited for by then it will be far too

late. S G

Civil Society Equity Assessment of INDCs

We cannot take another 21 years to conquer the true peaks that have to be summited for by then it will be far too late.

SG 50

Toshiba paper reuse system

enables the creation of an

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where information is not kept

on hand as “paper” but is

saved, shared and used as

digital data, preventing the

accumulation of “paper” and

“information” in the office.

That is to say, it achieves a

no paper-stagnating

office.

With its ability to erase

print instantly, the

e-STuDIo306LP/

RD30 multifunction printing

system offers a new work

style that will reduce the

environmental impact,

reduce paper costs and

bring about changes in the

way of working in the office.

www.ecoToShIBA.co.zA

enVIronmenTAl BenefITS

• Reduces waste paper by 1/5

by reusing the paper over and

over again

• Reduction of energy used to

make paper by reduction of

paper consumption

• Reduction of water resource

by 800 tons

VAlue ADDeD BenefITS

• Reuse of the paper by

erasing the prints (average

recommendation of 5 times)

• Automatically scans and

archives

• Automatically sorts reusable

and nonreusable paper

• Writings with Pilots Frixon ball

point pen can be scanned and

erased

51 SG

OFF

ICE

greening your office 52e-waste 54

SG 52

OFFiCe

Greening the office is easy. Many businesses have undertaken at least some of the following steps, but have you done them all in your office? Read our list and find out – and if you have a great idea send it to us as we shall be looking at greening the office over the next few issues. Meanwhile, the following tips for greening your office should be under the belt in no time.

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WAYS TO GREEN YOuR OFFICE10

53 SG

USE ELECTRICITy WISELyTurn off all computers, printers,

photocopiers, and other equipment

that doesn't need to be left on at the end of the

day and leave them off until you need to use them

again. Check that all computers/monitors are set

to their most energy-efficient settings (monitors

should be set to shut off after 15 minutes of

no use). When leaving a room for more than a

few minutes, switch off the lights. Use compact

fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent ones.

Take advantage of natural sunlight as much as

possible.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECyCLE'Reduce, reuse, recycle' means more

than just throwing old notepaper in

the paper recycling bin (though you needn't stop

doing that). Really think about everything you use.

Do you need disposable cups at the water cooler?

Can you use the other side of the used sheets of

paper you've thrown in the recycle bin? Australia

has added a fourth R – Refuse. Simply put: Don't

buy stuff you don't need. And, when you do make

a purchase, bring your own bags.

USE ENVIRONMENTALLy-FRIENDLy PRODUCTSOn average, eco-friendly products only

cost around 5% more than their non-friendly

equivalents, which is a small price to pay to cut

down on waste and pollution. Start small – 100%

recycled paper, refillable ink cartridges, non-toxic

highlighters, etc. Check online to stock up on

office products that go easy on the environment.

NON-TOXIC CLEANING PRODUCTSThere are many brands available

nowadays. Check online for locally-produced

products with low carbon kilometres for the best

eco cleaning solution. Encourage your cleaning

company, if you have one, to use green cleaning

products and if they won't, switch to one of the

many companies that now do use environmentally-

friendly products.

MAKE ECO-FRIENDLy FOOD CHOICESEncourage use of the 100km diet: local

first; organic for high consumption foods. When

ordering lunch for an office meeting, how about

going vegetarian (or even vegan, if you dare)?

Cutting down on meat can have a huge impact on

the health of the planet.

TELECOMMUTINGEncourage working from home,

particularly for workers who would

normally drive to work. This cuts down on pollution

and increases time availability.

TRANSPORTATIONFor those who do come to the office on

a regular basis, encourage (and help

arrange) car-pooling, use of public transit, biking,

or walking.

AIM FOR A PAPERLESS OFFICEThough the paperless office may still

seem unrealistic to many, at least try to cut down

on printed material when possible. Read on-screen

and only print documents when absolutely

necessary. Use only 100% recycled content

paper products in the office and when getting

promotional material professionally produced, ask

your printer for FSC-Certified paper.

INSTITUTE A CASUAL DRESS CODENot having to wear suits in hot summer

months can help keep cooling costs down (and

make for a happier workplace).

FAIR TRADE & ORGANICBuy fair trade, organic coffee and teas

for the office. If employees prefer to

go out for their hot beverages, encourage them

to take their cups or mugs so that there is an

automatic reduction in waste from not having

to throw out paper or polystyrene cups, if the

beverages are purchased from an outlet using

such containers.

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8

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3

4

Tech

Gamers can be Green too

SG 54

one does not tend to think of computer gamers as especially socially-aware and eco-aware people given media images of them being self-obsessed geeky types in darkened rooms with virtually the only light coming from their computer screen. But that picture, like so many others used to perpetuate stereotypes, is just plain wrong. We spoke to the folks at Landmark Computers, specialists in PC gaming components, and this is their story.

55 SG

I n the age of electronic storage it's hard to

imagine that many more trees are being cut

down in our forests for the production of paper.

The Amazon forest, for example, once covered 14%

of the Earth's surface but today, due to exploitation

and the need for more timber, it now only covers

less than half (6%) of that original area. Experts

believe that at the current rate the remaining forest

will be consumed in less than 40 years and many

species of plants and animals will be wiped out.

Some of these species may have special properties,

including medical and technological applications,

but once they are gone we will never know.

Besides that, the collapse and effective

disappearance of the intricate web of life that

rain forests embody represents a devastating loss

to the global eco-system, with knock-on effects

from increased local droughts through to changed

regional weather patterns that are incalculable

and very likely extremely harmful to the very

human beings now taking advantage of rain forest

resources.

Aware of facts such as outlined above, the

people behind Landmark Computers have made a

real effort to 'go green'. They have started with a

Zero Paper Policy whereby they commit themselves

to 'absolutely no paper usage internally'. They have

also urged their suppliers to issue no paper to

them in the form of invoices and receipts. All of the

traditional paperwork is now transmitted via email

and all their customers' invoices are kept online

in PDF format for download at their convenience.

This makes Landmark Computers among the first

companies locally to implement such a policy.

They have also collaborated with www.

greenworks.co.za in an effort to give back by

planting a tree for every 10 customers who place

confirmed orders with them. Translating words into

effects means that even spending R50 contributes

directly to some form of forestry rehabilitation or

re-afforestation.

E-WastE PolIcy Importantly for a company dealing exclusively

with specialist computer components, Landmark

has also aligned themselves with e-waste recycling

experts to safely recycle all left-over hardware and

accessories from old or broken computers.

All electric or electronic waste (e-waste) collected

by Landmark Computers is dismantled and divided

into the different material groups, which are mainly

steel, light steel, plastic, aluminium, copper and

several other materials. Hazardous materials are

cautiously removed and safely disposed of so that

they cannot harm the life and health of others. The

recovered materials are sold to other companies that

specialise in the recycling of each specific material

where this material goes through further processing.

While only some plastics can be effectively recycled,

metals can be reused almost without limit. Those

plastics that are suited for recycling can be made

into useful and long-lived products like garden

furniture. Printed circuit boards, which are the heart

of every PC and which are to be found in almost

every other electronic device these days, contain

many precious and special metals that can be

While only some plastics

can be effectively recycled,

metals can be reused

almost without limit. those

plastics that are suited

for recycling can be made

into useful and long-lived

products like garden

furniture. Printed circuit

boards, which are the heart

of every Pc and which are

to be found in almost every

other electronic device

these days, contain many

precious and special metals

that can be recovered by

specialised smelters.

SG 56

57 SG

EVGA GEFoRcE GTX 960 The EVGA GeForce GTX 960 delivers incredible performance, power efficiency, and gaming technologies that only NVIDIA Maxwell technology can offer. This is the perfect upgrade.

Click here for more... R4189.00

Asus Z170-A5-Way Optimization at your disposal it takes just one click to tune complex settings ensuring that your PC is perfect for gaming, entertainment, productivity or just about anything else!

Click here for more... R3599.00

cRuciAl BX200 240GB 2.5" SATA SSDYour computer should be ready when you are – not the other way around. Make long wait times a thing of the past by loading apps in seconds, booting up almost instantly, and accelerating nearly everything on your computer.

Click here for more... R1219.00

WD BluE 1TB 3.5" SATA DESkTop HARD DRiVEWestern Digital Blue drives are designed and manufactured with the proven technology found in WD’s original award-winning desktop and mobile hard drives. They offer the features and capacity ideal for everyday computing needs.

Click here for more... R879.00

SkylAkE i5-6600 WiTH FAnPair it up with the Coolermaster N300 chassis, a nice Asus Z170A Motherboard, Crucial SSD, some RAM and you're well on your way to a cool gaming rig and get ready to take your productivity, creativity and 3D gaming to the next level.

Click here for more... R4049.00

landmark computers is an online pc enthusiast store that was established in 2007 to offer customers competitve

prices with class-leading after-sales service and support

w w w.l a n d m a r k p c.c o.z a

SG 58

recovered by specialised smelters.

E-waste recyclers make sure that all data

on received electronic devices is physically or

technically destroyed, so you don't have to worry

about sensitive information falling into the wrong

hands – and will even issue destruction certificates,

if required.

What Is E-WastE madE of?By now almost everyone – and certainly most people

reading this – has heard of e-waste. But what is

it exactly? The list of substances found in your

otherwise not very exciting work or home computer

is surprisingly long and exotic. A read through the

list quickly makes it obvious why e-waste recycling

is both necessary and, when done correctly, not only

good for the environment, but actually profitable.

Most obvious is that e-waste constitutes all

electronic waste substances. Those substances

found in the highest quantities or volumes

include epoxy resins, fibreglass, PCBs (highly

toxic and carcinogenic), PVC (polyvinyl chlorides),

thermosetting plastics, lead, tin, copper, silicon,

beryllium, carbon, iron and aluminium.

Elements found in smaller but still significant

amounts include cadmium, mercury and thallium.

All three can be extremely hazardous to human

and all forms of organic life and must be removed

from waste streams whenever possible. To put this

into context, it is well know that the former Soviet

Union, among others, used thallium as a nearly

untraceable but universally fatal poison against its

foreign political opponents and critics.

The list of elements found in trace amounts

in e-waste, which is surprisingly long and varied,

include americium (which is somewhat radioactive

and rather rare), antimony, arsenic (another

well-known poison), barium, bismuth, boron, cobalt,

europium, gallium, germanium, gold, indium,

lithium, manganese, nickel, niobium, palladium,

platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, selenium, silver,

tantalum, terbium, thorium, titanium, vanadium,

and yttrium. Some of these elements are amongst

the rarest on the planet and are very expensive

to mine or isolate, so recycling them makes both

economic and eco sense.

Almost all electronics contain lead and tin (as

solder) and copper (as wire and printed circuit

board tracks), though the use of lead-free solder is

now spreading rapidly. The following are ordinary

hazardous substances:

• Americium: smoke alarms (radioactive source).

• Mercury: fluorescent tubes (numerous

applications), tilt switches (pinball games,

mechanical doorbells, thermostats). With new

technologies arising, the elimination of mercury

in many new-model computers is taking place.

• Sulphur: lead-acid batteries.

• PCBs: prior to their banning, almost all 1930s

to 1970s equipment, including capacitors,

transformers, wiring insulation, paints, inks,

and flexible sealants contained PCBs. This

means that while your new computer may not

have this particular substance in it, that old

radio sitting in the garage very well may have

– and it's one reason that e-waste products are

not to be burned.

• Cadmium: light-sensitive resistors,

corrosion-resistant alloys for marine and aviation

environments, nickel-cadmium batteries.

• Lead: old solder, CRT monitor glass, lead-acid

batteries, some formulations of PVC. A typical

15-inch cathode ray tube may contain 1.5

pounds of lead, but other CRTs have been

estimated as having up to 8 pounds of lead.

• Beryllium oxide: filler in some thermal interface

materials such as thermal grease used on

heat sinks for CPUs and power transistors,

magnetrons, X-ray-transparent ceramic

windows, heat transfer fins in vacuum tubes,

and gas lasers.

• Polyvinyl chloride: Third most widely produced

plastic, contains additional chemicals to change

the chemical consistency of the product. Some

of these additional chemicals called additives

can leach out of vinyl products. Plasticisers that

must be added to make PVC flexible have been

additives of particular concern.

Just reading through the list of what is in your

computer and other electronic gadgets is enough to

make anyone realise that e-waste is a very real and

growing problem. That a company like Landmark

Computers, who also do custom gaming systems,

has made its commitments to removing e-waste

from landfills, recycling and reducing its paper

consumption to as close to zero as possible is

therefore a positive which should be applauded and

emulated. S G

59 SG

LIFES

TYLE

greening your home 62microgreens 66recipes 68reviews 70tintswalo 74global Wheeling 80

SG 60

Many people believe that their car is the largest single source of air pollution

for which they are personally responsible. But, in fact, the average home

causes the emission of more than twice as much carbon dioxide – one

of the principal greenhouse gases – as the average car. This is because

most of the energy consumed in our homes is produced by burning fossil

fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas. This pollution is actually a hidden cost

for the energy we use. We take a look at how to green your home – or how

to green it even more, if you have already started this process.

how to green your hoMe

hOme

61 SG

I f you're going to do just one thing for the planet,

make it the switch to compact fluorescent

light bulbs (CFLs). Although they cost several

times more upfront than regular incandescent light

bulbs, they also last about 10 times longer, which

means that for every CFL you screw in, you'll be

saving eight incandescent light bulbs from landfill

purgatory. Plus, you'll save some serious cash in

the long run. This is because CFLs use 75% less

energy, so swapping one incandescent bulb for

a CFL reduces carbon dioxide by about 225kgs a

year. This is significant – replacing 17 such bulbs

has the equivalent effect of taking one car off the

road for a year. Just remember to recycle spent

bulbs responsibly – CFLs contain trace amounts

of mercury, which although not enough to be

hazardous to you, could pose a problem in landfills

when mercury from multiple bulbs leaches into the

ground and accumulate there.

Seeing StarS So the average home pumps out twice as much

greenhouse-gas emissions as the average car. Who

knew? Following on the light-bulbs story come all

the other domestic appliances which today are to

be found in ever-greener forms, which is to say,

that they are more energy-efficient, and perhaps

also water-efficient, than predecessor versions.

Purchasing energy-saving Energy Star-rated

appliances, electronics, and lighting can help

mitigate your home’s CO2 output, while slashing up

to a third off of your electric bill. (A power-guzzler

is nobody's friend.)

Simply Switch offA key to a greener home is something everyone

can do every day – switch off energy-consuming

appliances and devices when they are not in use.

First on the list is the geyser itself. Either install

a timer, with some companies supplying control

units at surprisingly low cost, or manually switch

the geyser off when continuous supplies of hot

water are not required. A hour’s heating should

suffice to get most geysers to an adequate heat.

Then switch off and everyone needing to shower

does so before the in-coming cold water makes the

remaining hot water merely tepid. The specifics of

every home will dictate exactly what schedule of

on or off is required to keep everyone in the home

how to green your hoMe

SG 62

lizette@freedomwon.co.za / +27 (0)82 256 7430 / www.freedomwon.co.za

The Current FuturePlug into

happy and clean, but this one step alone could save

as 40% of your entire electricity bill, and leave a lot

of carbon ‘unburnt’, as it were.

paper nor plaStic Eschew plastic bags by bringing your own

reusable canvas totes the next time you're at the

supermarket or store. Because petroleum-based

plastic isn't biodegradable, it's certain to outlive you

– by up to a millennium or so. Each year, thousands

of marine animals, including the endangered

leatherback turtle, choke to death on plastic

trash they mistake for edible morsels. Our unholy

love for plastic disposables has also bred a swirling

vortex of plastic trash the size of Texas in the North

Pacific Ocean – which is not at all surprising when

you consider that Americans alone run through

about 100bn plastic bags annually, using up an

estimated 12m barrels of oil in the process.

no Soliciting

Deforestation is responsible for 25% of all carbon

emissions into the atmosphere through the burning

and cutting of 13.8m hectares of trees annually. Save

some virgin and old-growth forests by opting out

of paper catalogues and browsing online instead.

Shed that junk mail by removing yourself from

direct-mail mailing lists and recycling everything,

plastic and paper.

get better mileage Most people are vaguely aware that some of

their food comes from abroad. But many would

be horrified to discover the ‘carbon-kilometres’

attached to their favourites summer veggie eaten in

the depths of winter. Best way through this issue is

to buy local and in season whenever possible. Also

organic is almost always far superior to mechanised

hi-carbon agri-industry produce, without the risk

of contaminants from pesticides and herbicides to

fungicides and chemical fertilisers.

the 3 rS Start rolling those Rs: Reduce, reuse, and recycle-and

in that order. We're mired deep in ecological

debt because we're consuming more resources

than nature can replenish. By gorging on more than

our fair share of the world's resources, we're also

diverting essentials such as food, clothing, and water

from communities in greater need. So let's recap: It's

better to reduce your personal consumption than it

is to reuse something, and it’s less environmentally

taxing to reuse a product than to have it recycled.

Separating recyclables from your regular trash,

which barely takes any effort, is a no-brainer, of

course; recycling aluminum, for instance, takes as

little as 5% of the energy we'd need to manufacture

virgin aluminum.

get off the grid

Opt for clean, renewable energy if it's offered in

your area, or if you can afford to install a solar

water geyser and/or PV power supply (with a small

wind turbine as a back-up, if possible). Low-impact

sources such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric

power reduce our dependence on coal-burning

power plants, a major source of greenhouse-gas

emissions. And because harnessing the power of

renewables such as sun and wind are free, your

electric bill is going to plummet.

63 SG

lizette@freedomwon.co.za / +27 (0)82 256 7430 / www.freedomwon.co.za

The Current FuturePlug into

SG 64

Slay energy vampireS You may not know it, but households across the

globe are infested with vampires. Energy vampires,

that is. Cleverly disguised as innocuous household

appliances (your television is one of them), their

power cables permanently plugged into your wall

socket and constantly draining power all hours

of the day and night, even after you've switched

them off. It is estimated that this form of electricity

‘usage’ draws some consumes around 1 000 kWh a

year per household. In the list of culprits might well

be your toaster, coffeemaker, hair-dryer, PC, printer,

cable box, and cell phone charger. It may be a bit

of a drag but really it is no effort to simply switch

things off at the socket when they are not in use.

go au naturale

Our chemical arsenal may be able to exterminate

creepy crawlies and polish our countertops, but

they're also slowly killing us. The man-made

chemicals we favour, on average around 200

industrial compounds, pollutants and other

chemicals, per home, get everywhere – as shown in

a recent study that found some of these chemicals

in the umbilical-cord blood of newborns. Included in

that study were seven dangerous pesticides, some

of which were banned more than 30 years ago.

Pesticides have also been implicated in Parkinson’s

disease, infertility, brain damage, and cancer. So

ditch the poisons and choose natural, non-toxic, and

equally effective methods of cleaning and controlling

pests. As mentioned, eating organically-grown food

will cut out pesticides from your diet, as well. S G

This is the first in a series we shall run over the next few issues as we continue offering helpful hints, tips and guidelines to greening your home.

Opt for clean, renewable energy if it's offered in your area, or if you can afford to install a solar water geyser and/or PV power supply (with a small wind turbine as a back-up, if possible). Low-impact sources such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power reduce our dependence on coal-burning power plants, a major source of greenhouse-gas emissions. And because harnessing the power of renewables such as sun and wind are free, your electric bill is going to plummet.

65 SG

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

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Think smart lightingBusting the myths on LEDbulbs

SG 66

A s a result of volatile and

deteriorating eco, economic and

political systems, this means the

availability of fresh produce will continue to

decrease and food prices to increase.

We are not excluded from this global

issue and it now is time for all to start

growing some food at home.

I would like to introduce how to grow

microgreens, a tasty 'fast food' in just a

few easy steps, which will solve any fear or

excuse of limited time, space or gardening

skills any one might have.

Microgreens, is a term for a variety of

leafy greens or shoots harvested at a very

early stage of the first leaves (cotyledon)

and the quickest food crop urban gardeners

can grow. Micro mix can consist of many

different kinds of vegetables and herbs –

amaranth, basil, beets, broccoli, cabbage,

chia, fennel, kale, mustards, peas, radishes,

sunflower to list a few, and can be grown all

year round. Growing microgreens are also

known to be gardening for the impatient as

it takes only 1 – 3 weeks depending on the

variety to harvest.

Microgreens

Food security is one of the most pressing global issues due to it being a complex problem with interconnections and interdependencies within a global system that is fundamentally linked to soil fertility, precipitation and water availability, stable climate and other ecosystem services. Add to this the further and significant influence that anthropogenic issues such as trade, urbanisation, logistics, changing demographics, economics and political and agrarian policies, and you effectively have an extremely complex minefield to navigate. Liesel James offers her gardening guidance.

Vegetables all year round

gardeN

67 SG

In addition to their strong flavors, microgreens

are praised for their health benefits, which

vary depending on the type of seed used and

which contain digestible vitamins, minerals and

phytonutrients that provide nutritional health

benefits and are packed with flavour, colour,

texture, living enzymes and nutrients.

Leafy greens are a good source of beta-carotene

as well as iron and calcium. Dark green leafy

vegetables such as kale and chard are also high in

lutein and zeaxanthin

USDA researchers recently published a study

assessing the nutrition content of 25 commercially

available microgreens, seedlings of vegetables

and herbs that have gained popularity in upscale

markets and restaurants. Microgreens won hands

down (leaves down?), possessing significantly

higher nutrient densities than mature leaves. For

example, red cabbage microgreens have a 6-fold

higher vitamin C concentration than mature red

cabbage and 69 times the vitamin K.

Because microgreens require only minimal

sunlight and space to grow, they can be grown in

your kitchen, windowsill or balcony, allowing you

to control the type of microgreens as well as their

growing conditions. Home-grown microgreens are

much more beneficial as they are not exposed to as

many pollutants as commercially-grown varieties

and do not contain pesticides or fertilisers.

Sunflower, mung and peas shoots offer an easy

way to start. Not only will you reap the rewards of

growing nutritious food in a short period of time

but you will also comply with the water restrictions

in your home.

Happy conscious growing. S G

For more contact liesel@creatingchange.org.za

easy steps for growing Microgreens

1. BUy SEEDS: Organic or untreated (no fungicides

and insecticides) This is very important and a great

health risk if commercially treated seed is used. Seeds

intended for growing sprouts or microgreens are always

untreated. All organic seeds are untreated, but not

all untreated seeds are organic. Always read labels.

Available at health stores and www.kitchengarden.co.za

2. GET A SHALLOW SEEDING TRAy (not more than 6

cm deep) or shallow pot or recycle take-away trays and

poke drainage holes and fill to the top with seedling mix.

Moisten lightly with water. Trays and soil are available at

any nursery close to you.

3. SOAK SEEDS IN WATER for 6 – 8 hours. Drain.

4. SPRINKLE SEEDS EVENLy OVER THE SOIL so

they are close but not touching, piled or layered. Sift a

thin additional layer of soil over the top just to cover the

seeds. Use a spray bottle to lightly mist the soil.

5. GIVE yOUR BUDDING PLANTS LIGHT AND

WATER. Place trays in southern – or western-facing

windows in rooms that are between 15 – 22 degrees/

Avoid drafty spots. Keep the soil moist with a daily

misting, ideally in the morning. Don't let the soil dry out.

6. GIVE THEM LOTS OF LIGHT. Once the seeds have

germinated (poked up through the soil), which should

take three to five days, make sure your emerging

microgreens get 12 to 14 hours of light per day – but not

in direct sunlight for all that time, especially in our South

African summers. Six hours of direct sunlight is enough.

Keep the soil moist at the roots, but try not to saturate

the leaves.

7. READy. When seedlings have reached 3-5cm in

height and have about two sets of leaves, snip and eat.

7

SG 68

Almond Breeze is all about taste and texture while making sure that their almond milk is well balanced with just the right flavour and an undeniably smooth texture. Even though Almond Breeze initially appealed to people with lactose intolerance, they have since discovered that it’s also a great milk alternative for people with other conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, celiac disease and obesity. Here's a few recipes for you to enjoy trying at home.

For more info and recipes please visit almondbreeze.co.za

FOOd

recipes are abreezeAlmond Breeze Banana Bread

Ingredients

½ cup Almond Breeze Original1/ 3 cup margarine¼ cup sugar2 cups flour1½ tsp baking powder½ tsp baking soda¼ tsp vanilla extractTwo shakes of cinnamon2 mashed, ripe bananasOptional: ¼ cup of walnut pieces

Directions

Mix the margarine, sugar, flour, baking powder, and baking soda together until it creates a nice batter that sticks together.Then add the almond milk, vanilla extract and mashed bananas. Add cinnamon and walnuts to taste, if desired. Pre-heat the oven at 180°C.In a normal sized bread pan that is lubricated with margarine, pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 50 minutes, checking back every five until baked to your satisfaction.

Blueberry A lmond Mi lk

Ingredients

1 cup of Almond Breeze Original almond milk¼ cup fresh blueberries

Directions

Simply blend together and enjoy!

http://www.afrisam.com

SG 70

The nATurAl cook: eating the Season from root to fruitTom HuntQuadrille Publishing • 978 1 8494 9418 2

The Natural Cook is an inspirational book for the way we eat now. It puts fresh, flavoursome, veg-focused food centre-stage, and features recipes that make use of every ounce of an ingredient. Each of the 26 seasonal 'hero' ingredients featured is represented first by three simple cooking techniques that teach you how to make a delicious simple dish. These techniques are then followed by three world-inspired recipes, which make use of the prepared ingredients as well as drawing in other seasonal fruit and vegetables. At the end of each recipe, the 'Cook's Notes' give clear tips and ideas for turning uneaten extras into other delicious meals, ensuring that absolutely nothing is wasted. Hunt is an acclaimed eco-chef, and author. He founded the Forgotten Feast, a campaign working on projects throughout the UK, to revive British cooking heritage and help reduce food waste. He also owns Poco, an award-winning restaurant in Bristol and now in London. Hunt is an official chef of Feeding the 5 000, a global event, which aims to highlight food waste by feeding more than 5 000 people with

delicious food that would otherwise have been wasted. He works closely with various food charities. Keeping true to his zero-waste ethos, he cooks from 'nose to tail' or as he calls it 'root to fruit', using every part of a fruit and vegetable, foraged foods and gleaning vegetables from the land. Visually, a stunning book.

more lIfe'S A BeAch coTTAGeNeil RoakeJacana Media • 978 1 4314 2256 2

More Life's a Beach Cottage is the third cookery book in the series featuring a collection of best holiday feasting recipes. It is as beautiful and quirky and set to follow in the successful footsteps of the author's previous publications. Roake explains: 'This third Life's a Beach Cottage offering includes some tasty "OMG, I can easily make that" recipes and some "WTF, that looks hard" ones – but there are no OTT airs and graces (life's a just too short). Don't stress about following every recipe to the letter. This cookbook is just your springboard for culinary creativity. Many of the recipes were sourced on my travels abroad and all are big on flavour – there's nothing "shy" here. Expect muscular curries, potent cocktails, desserts that argue back and deliciously robust salads.' So take

off your shoes, bring out the wine, put on the music and let Roake take you through More Life's a Beach Cottage.

The BAnTInG BAker: low carb high fat TreatsCatherine SpeedieJacana Media • 978 1 4314 2266 1

The Low-Carb High-Fat diet, known more colloquially as the Banting diet, is not just about upturning the food pyramid and thus the conventional wisdom around food and nutrition that has ruled for the last 40-odd years. It's about waking us up to what our bodies are naturally 'wired' for in terms of optimal sustenance and body weight. It's about realising that along the trajectory of commercial and industrial 'progress', we've lost sight of our humanness – our basic biology, if you will. That said, giving up carrot cake is not so easy. Sweet treats and baked goods are deeply associated with comfort, time out and good times, rewarding us after a day's hard work. The good news is that we don't have to deny ourselves these little pleasures. This book will hopefully show you that the low-carb highway is not about deprivation but about substitution. Once you've got your head around it, stocked up your pantry with the right ingredients and armed yourself with a spirit of adventure,

shelF

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you'll discover that you can create the most sublimely satisfying goodies. The Banting Baker introduces the reader to low-carb logic, as well as how to soak nuts and seeds and make meal and butter from nuts. It includes recipes for breakfast, snacks, breads, wraps, pizza as well as sweet treats. Speedie is the owner of Gingko, an organic and 'clean food'-oriented restaurant, bakery and catering business, and the creator of Primal Chow, a brand dedicated to the world of Paleo and Banting goodies. A passionate traveller, she brings flavours from all over the world into her cooking, believing strongly that food must be delicious and nutritious if it is to be fulfilling on all levels.

The eArTh DIeT: your complete Guide to living using earth's natural resourcesLiana Werner-GrayHay House • 978 1 4019 4497 1

Beauty queen Miss Earth Australia Liana Werner-Gray got a wake-up call at the age of 21 when she was diagnosed with a life-threatening health issue. Realising that health issues were holding her back, including in her entertainment career, she decided to change her lifestyle. Through juicing and using the whole-

food recipes shared in this book, she healed herself in only three months. This success inspired her to create the Earth Diet and make information on the incredible power of plant-based and natural food available to others. She has since used her recipes to help thousands of people with diabetes, acne, addictions, obesity and more. When you get the essential vitamins, minerals and micro-nutrients your body needs, you can't help but feel better. In this book, you'll find more than 100 nutrient-dense recipes that provide proper nutrition. The Earth Diet is inclusive, with recipes for every person, ranging from raw vegans to meat-eaters. It also features specific guidelines for weight-loss, boosting the immune system, increasing your energy, juice cleansing and more. If you're looking for great-tasting recipes to help you live your healthiest life ever, then this book is for you.

The reAl fooD reVoluTIon: healthy eating, Green Groceries and the return of the American family farmTim RyanHay House • 978 1 4019 4640 1

Today a buck gets you a quick burger

(or two), but what's the real cost of that meal? The rates of chronic disease – specifically diseases like diabetes, caused by our lifestyles – have grown exponentially in recent years, edging medical expenses ever higher while threatening to give America (and the rest of us) the first modern generation to actually live shorter lives than their parents. Unfortunately, finding good nutrition is no walk in the park, with more and more Americans (and the rest of us) living in cities, far from a farmer's field. To overcome distance and undercut price, we rely on industry to put dinner on the table – yet this system has valued efficiency and short-term profits over our health and the health of our environment. So how do we keep America and the rest of the world thriving? Congressman Tim Ryan may have a soft spot for chicken wings and ice cream, but he also knows the joy of farm-fresh produce and the feel of soil between his fingers. Here he presents easy, actionable steps that anyone can take, from starting a herb garden on your windowsill to helping implement food education in your child's school to petitioning your elected officials. Ryan also introduces some of the current food revolutionaries who are shining examples of people who saw a problem with how we think about food today, rolled up their sleeves, and raised a crop of positive change. The common sense ideas in these pages come big (replacing dilapidated neighbourhoods with farms) and small (sitting down for a fresh, healthy meal with your family), and each will help you improve the quality of life for you and future generations.

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EdITOrS ChOICE

WILdLIFE SOUThErn AFrICA nATIOnAL PArkS & rESErvESMap Studio • 978 1 7702 6801 2

With over 300 parks and reserves covered, this is not only a beautiful coffee-table style book, it is also a somewhat larger than usual field guide to the best and most popular wildlife sanctuaries in the country. In addition, it also covers parks and reserves in neighbouring states, including Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho. The variety and range of these reserves and parks is extraordinary. This book provides all relevant info, from size of parks, fauna and flora, nearest town and airport, to contact details, camp facilities, accommodation, as well as seasonal information, not least being malaria high-risk areas. Being a production of Map Studio, one would expect the maps to be good, which they are, but the images used to

illustrate and highlight are also excellent, as are the variety of tips and info boxes sprinkled throughout. This is one for the dedicate naturalists and reserve-goers, though the range on offer in this excellent work is such that even if you and the family are only occasional bushveld visitors, there is bound to be something new and exciting to be found in these pages around which to plan your next bush getaway.

GIAnT STEPSrichard PierceStruik Nature • 978 1 7758 4330 6

The author sets out the tone of this book about elephants in South Africa with his comment that 'elephants have a sizeable brain that renders them intelligent, sensitive and vulnerable'. The narrative traces the lives of several young elephants from the trauma of surviving the culling of their herd, through many experiences on commercial ranches where treatment was both good and bad, to their long-term

homes. Spotlight is on Bully, who experiences the gamut of good and bad, but takes part in several TV programmes and commercials, and is successful in helping to treat young children with psychiatric problems. Although perhaps told a little on an emotional level, Giant Steps will fascinate anyone with an interest in elephants.

ThE SOUTh AFrICAn BIkE BOOk & EvEnTS GUIdETim BrinkMap Studio • 978 1 7702 6765 7

Cycling continues to be one of the most popular and rapidly growing sports in South Africa. This book takes you through not only everything about bikes, but also about racing gear, running repairs, essential equipment and fine tuning your two-wheeled steed, through necessary road skills, training tips, requisite skills for different types of bike racing, and even personal elements such as training schedules, nutritional preparation for racing, as well as all the top events, and how best

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to prepare for them. Really, it has everything that opens and closes on bike racing, so if that is your bent this is the one for you.

METEOrITES: A SOUThErn AFrICAn PErSPECTIvEronnie MckenzieRandom Struik • 978 1 7758 4098 5

Meteorites are the usually fragmentary remnants of meteors from outer space which have survived the fiery journey through the earth's atmosphere and come to land on he planet's surface and which, obviously, have been found. Tons of this material falls onto the earth daily but most of it lands as tiny fragments and a still tinier fraction is ever found. But not all meteorites are small and inconspicuous – the Hobe meteorite in Namibia weighs some 60 metric tons and is the largest known to date in the world. Clearly meant as either a field guide or a handbook for the enthusiast, this great little book also works on the level of satisfying the many questions

that most people have about these still somewhat mysterious and awe-inspiring objects from space. All the different types of meteorites are pictured and explained in terms of their constituents and appearance, while famous strikes and finds are also explored. Excellent as either a primer on the subject or for the active meteorite hunter, this is a great addition to the bookshelf. Our review copy even came with a thin slice of actual meteorite, which is an added bonus and is now in our crystals and rare objects collection.

InnOvATIOn: ShAPInG SOUTh AFrICA ThrOUGh SCIEnCESarah WildGordon Institute of Business Science

978 7701 0438 9

Innovation is not unknown when it comes to South Africa. Pratley's Putty made it to the Moon; duct tape is a universal 'fix-it-all' without which many people in many industries would be using something much less satisfactory to hold their lives and their

machines together; and who could forget the Kreepy Krauly which, in some incarnational variant or the other, is chugging its way across pool bottoms around the world as you read this. But it's a long time since Christiaan Barnard performed the world's first successful human heart transplantation in 1967. Many would see innovation and South Africa as not really having much to do with each other. This book puts that misconception right, showing that there is in fact a wave of innovative thinking running across the length and breadth of the country, with some ideas already making it into the international arenas and others set to follow. If life feels a bit rough at present and you are perhaps a little hopeless about where the future might take South Africans and their country, perhaps this is a good read to help bring some balance back into your thinking. There's certainly more worth positive consideration which is going on than you will find in your average newspapers.

risen from the ashes

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travel

risen from the ashes

One of the most devastating aspects of the fire that last year destroyed Tintswalo Atlantic was that the owners were confronted with not only a charred and burnt building, but a charred and burnt mountainside. It looked so destroyed that the owners thought it was going to take years to recover. But with the rains came regeneration of the mountain fynbos – and meanwhile, work was completed on rebuilding this now famed Cape hospitality venue boasting some of the world's finest views. We went to visit and this is our report.

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R

ecently Simply Green was invited to attend a re-opening celebration of Tintswalo Atlantic, reduced by last year's devastating mountain fires

to literally a pile of ashes. Undeterred by the misfortune which had befallen this much-loved destination, the owners and staff of the lodge that had stood in this magnificent location overlooking Hout Bay rose to the occasion and rebuilding began almost immediately.

What has been created is every bit as beautiful, classy and world-class as its predecessor.

Owners Ernest and Gaye Corbett are extremely proud of their 'Phoenix risen' and how, in consultation with Cape Nature officials, experts and their staff, they have not only rebuilt and even improved upon the old Tintswalo Atlantic, but exceeded even their own expectations of how well they could recover from what initially seemed to be a devastating and terminal loss.

Their story has many parts. The buildings have all been reconstructed (and as before, since it lies in a nature reserve, all the venue's buildings are made entirely from wood) but the style and taste which marked Tintswalo Atlantic when Simply Green first visited a few years back are there in their full glory.

The rooms are lavish, views spectacular, and thoughtfulness literally oozes from aspect of the

reconstructed and truly 'green' lodge.But perhaps it should be in co-owner Gaye's words

that Simply Green readers should learn about the other aspect of the fire that destroyed what they had built – the recovery of the vegetation on the mountain that looms high above this gorgeous place, tucked as it is almost invisibly beneath those driving along the mountainside road above.

This is Gaye's story of what happened:'All the experts constantly assured us that the

(fynbos) regrowth would come, and after the first winter rains in Cape Town, the mountain indeed started to take on a green haze, with some very beautiful red lilies dotted here and there.

'After a few weeks of rain the transformation was spectacular, and added to this the Tintswalo team has been hard at work planting a few hundred trees that were donated to us. Ryno (the lodge manager) got very busy, and with a little help from some of our friends, managed to get one hundred trees planted in one week end. I must validate them for their hard work in doing their part in restoring our magnificent mountain.

'We have planted some large Milkwoods on the water's edge in front of the main area buildings. These trees had to go in before the building was laid out as they had to be

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Co-owner, Gaye Corbett, planting a tree (of which there were several hundred) on site • Serious discussions, with the construction gang • A personal touch from Gaye Corbett gluing shells to the bathroom walls • The main lodge area, going up

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lifted and planted by crane. They are, of course, nowhere near the size of our 300-year-old trees that we lost in the fire, but they will still offer the wonderful feeling of nature, and some shade from the harsh afternoon sun.

'The excitement mounted for the opening in November, and we look forward to having all our supporters back enjoying the wonderful experience that is Tintswalo Atlantic.'

The commitment and true hearts of the Tintswalo Atlantic team is evident, even in Gaye's telling of the recovery process – and it radiates from the staff and the buildings, as well as the location itself where sea, sky and land meet.

This is a place which words do not necessarily adequately describe. What one experiences is direct and personal – a feel, a sense of care and caring. There is a spirit here, something of a synergy between the natural energy of the place and the human energy that has recreated a most beautiful and relaxing place for people who can appreciate all that nature and human ingenuity can combine to make.

You just have to visit, is all we can say. O

For more visit www.tintswalo.com/atlantic/

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Co-owner, Gaye Corbett, planting a tree (of which there were several hundred) on site • Serious discussions, with the construction gang • A personal touch from Gaye Corbett gluing shells to the bathroom walls • The main lodge area, going up

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Wheeling theGlobE

South African solo adventurer, inspirational speaker and filmmaker kayden kleinhans is on his second revolution around the world on human energy. having cycled 52 000 carbon-free kilometres across six continents around the globe since 2005. he has navigated civil war in west Africa's Ivory coast, bribed rebel soldiers for access across war torn zones, navigated the Sahara desert,

travel

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GlobEand criss-crossed the Andes solo and unsupported, all on two wheels. kayden's charity/nPo the Global wheeling foundation has been nominated for various environmental awards and certificates of merit in South Africa as a result of kayden's carbon-free message as he highlights our over reliance on fossil fuels by leading by example. we take a look.

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K ayden has been converting the

sponsored carbon-free kilometres he's

been accumulating on his expeditions

into trees which he has been planting in the

Western Cape, South Africa. With thousands of

trees planted in South Africa as a result, The

global Wheeling NPO is doing its part to combat

climate change.

Kayden's last expedition saw him undertake

a 20 350km 50-week expedition of cycling

from Afrikaburns across 15 countries through

the Americas to Burningman. The expedition

was filmed and turned into an eight-episode

television series produced by local production

company Cooked In Africa Films, the same

folks that produce Ultimate Braai Master and

is currently airing on Outside TV in the US and

Channel O in Europe.

Kayden's next expedition and season two

of the Global Wheeling TV series will be across

Asia which will take him to one and a half times

around the world by bicycle and commences

in June 2016. In the meanwhile Kayden will be

training and touring South Africa on his public

speaking circuit. SG

To book Kayden for an event or for a sponsorship

opportunity please head to www.globalwheeling.

org website where you can also find the Global

Wheeling Americas DVD boxset for sale.

'Whether you're a climate change carbon crusader or a global warming sceptic, at the end of the day, the world's a cooler place with

more trees.'

– Kayden Kleinhans

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COnS

ErvA

TIOn

Why the albatross matters 86News 92garden route walking 94

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E arly sailors considered the albatrosses

that followed their wooden ships to be

harbingers of good fortune and in the

famous Coleridge poem an albatross appears out

of fog to lead the ancient mariner's ship out of the

'wondrous cold' of the Antarctic waters into which

it had been blown by a storm, only for the mariner

to shoot the albatross with his crossbow. This

unwarranted and ill-advised act angers the crew of

the mariner's ship who force the mariner to wear the

dead albatross around his neck as a penance. After

encountering wrathful spirits on a ghostly ship, the

mariner's shipmates perish one by one, leaving only

the mariner alive to wander the earth, telling his

story and teaching his lesson to all who will listen;

the mariner's atonement for the albatross's death

transforming him into 'a wiser and a sadder man'.

'Water, water every where'Coleridge's mammoth poem, considered to be

one of the most influential in English literature,

popularised lines like 'Water, water, every where/

Nor any drop to drink' in modern culture. It also

entrenched the albatross as an enduring symbol

in the myths and legends of maritime lore. More

than two centuries later, the albatross as a powerful

metaphor, is still deeply relevant, because with 15

of the world's 22 albatross species being at risk of

extinction, albatrosses are under extreme pressure,

making them the seabirds of highest conservation

concern.

One remarkable albatross conservation success

CONservatiON

why the albatross

Mattersthe

reason behind

the rime

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story is resulting in dramatic reductions in albatross

and other seabird deaths, as well as bringing

pride and independence to a team of people with

disabilities who are working to ensure there are

albatrosses 'for our children's children to come'.

ThreatenedSeabirds are among the most threatened group

of birds in the world. Of particular concern are

accidental seabird deaths during fishing which

constitutes the single greatest threat facing many

seabird populations – with a global fishing fleet of

approximately 4.3 million vessels, around 300 000

seabirds, 100 000 of which are albatrosses, are

caught each year by tuna longline fleets and trawl

fisheries as bycatch, which has been the cause of

massive seabird population declines.

In a landmark seven-year study undertaken by

BirdLife South Africa, the Department of Agriculture,

Forestry and Fisheries of South Africa, and other

collaborators, albatross deaths have been reduced

by 99% and other seabird deaths by 90% in the South

African hake trawl fishery; these huge reductions

having been made possible by a single mitigating

measure – a bird scaring line made in a collaborative

project between BirdLife South Africa and the

non-profit organisation, Ocean View Association for

Persons with Disabilities (OVAPD).

AlbotrossesAlbatrosses are the largest flying birds on earth

with the longest wingspan of any bird species.

Using an albatross as a central motif for his epic poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, which was published in the first edition of Lyrical Ballads in 1798, the English poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, explored the theme of unintentional and dire consequences brought about by a wilful act of desecration to the natural world. Carole Knight reports on a modern-parallel,

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Most albatrosses are only found in the Southern

Hemisphere, and these magnificent long-distance

ocean travellers live primarily at sea where they

forage and rest on the ocean waves, travelling

thousands of kilometres to find food, and only

returning to large natal colonies at islands like the

Marion and Prince Edward Islands, Falklands Islands,

Gough Islands, Tristan da Cunha, Tasmanian Islands,

Crozet Islands and Kerguelen Islands, to breed.

Exceptionally long-lived, albatrosses may live for

50 years or longer and a pair bond may last for life.

Initially, birds engage in breeding dances with many

partners before one partner is finally chosen and a

pair formed. The great albatrosses take over a year

to raise a chick from laying to fledging, with egg

laying and chick rearing constituting an enormous

investment by both parents.

Albatross incubation is the longest incubation

period of any bird, lasting from 70 to 80 days,

and great albatross chicks can take up to 280 days

to fledge. Because both partners take it in turns

to brood and guard the chick, one of the parents

foraging at sea while the other guards the chick

on land, the death of an albatross at sea may have

an exponential effect as both the brooding parent

and chick may die when the albatross they are

waiting for to bring them food, fails to return. Also,

with delayed sexual maturity and few offspring

produced, population decreases can occur even with

relatively modest increases in adult mortality rates.

Task ForceTo address the global threat of albatross extinctions,

in 2005 the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

and BirdLife International, formed the Albatross

Task Force (ATF) as the world's first international

team of dedicated instructors to work directly

with fishermen to demonstrate the correct use of

mitigation measures to reduce albatross and other

seabird bycatch.

Dr Ross M Wanless, Seabird Conservation

Programme Manager and Africa Co-ordinator –

BirdLife International Marine Programme, says:

'Working with a team to help prevent the extinction

of iconic seabirds such as albatrosses is one of

the most gratifying achievements of my life. I've

devoted most of my professional career to seabird

research and conservation, and I'm particularly

passionate about albatrosses. So being part of

BirdLife, and working in a remarkable programme

like the Albatross Task Force, is a great privilege.'

In 2006 South Africa became the first country

to establish an ATF team. Through constructive

engagement between ATF team members and

fishermen, as well as the promotion of bycatch

mitigation measures such as setting lines at night so

that seabirds can't see baited hooks, reducing deck

lighting, and weighting lines so that they sink, South

African longlining fisheries have reduced incidental

seabird mortality by 85%. The most dramatic results

in the reduction of seabird deaths observed by the

ATF team, however, have been in the hake trawl

fishery, where albatross deaths have been reduced

by 99% and other seabird deaths by 90%.

ATF Leader (South Africa), Bronwyn Maree, has

led her team with distinction and in recognition of

her leadership capability and the pivotal role she

Exceptionally long-lived, albatrosses may live for 50 years or longer and a pair bond may last for life. Initially, birds engage in breeding dances with many partners before one partner is finally chosen and a pair formed.

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has played in albatross conservation, Maree was the

recipient of an international competitive award for

young conservationists, the Future for Nature Award

2014, for which she was chosen from a total of 126

applications from 58 countries.

SpecialMaree says: 'It has been incredibly special to be

out on the boats with the fishermen as they realise

how special an albatross is – in fact some skippers

have even taken up photographing albatrosses

while out at sea through our work. This project

is also an excellent example of how collaboration

between government, environmental NGOs and

fishing corporations can result in hugely significant

conservation successes.'

South Africa's commercial fisheries constitute

0.5% of the country's GDP and employ approximately

43 460 people. With an annual catch of 130 000

to 150 000 metric tons, the deepwater hake trawl

fishery which targets Cape hakes, Merluccius

paradoxus (deep-water hake) and Merluccius

capensis (shallow-water hake), is the country's

most economically valuable fishery. In 2004 it

also became the first fishery in Africa to obtain

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certification. This

ensures that fished stocks in the hake fishery

remain stable and healthy, that ecosystem-wide

impacts are minimised and not significant, and that

there is continued monitoring and compliance to

prescribed fishing regulations.

MSC certification has been instrumental in the

reduction of albatross and other seabird deaths.

Southern Africa Programme Manager of the Marine

Stewardship Council, Martin Purves, says: 'This

fishery should be commended on their approach

and support which enabled such huge successes

to be achieved in a relatively short period of time.'

Hake spend the day on the seabed and are caught

in nets towed behind fishing vessels. Processing of

the catch takes place while fishing continues with wet

fish vessels storing the processed fish on ice during

trips lasting from three to eight days; while freezer

vessels process fillets on board into frozen, boxed

products, fishing trips lasting on average from two

to six weeks. Wet fish vessels, which constitute from

60-70% of the South African hake fishery, have a

higher rate of discards as unwanted headed and/or

gutted fish off cuts are thrown overboard, a practice

which attracts seabirds, especially albatrosses and

petrels, in their thousands. The seven-year BirdLife

South Africa study was conducted during daylight

trawls on wet fish vessels.

VulnerableScavenging seabirds are most vulnerable to

becoming entangled with cables and being dragged

underwater and drowned during the 15-20 minute

setting phase of the fishing process when the large

nets of the trawlers, which are held in the water

by thick cables, are deployed in the early morning

when there is intense seabird activity as the seabirds

are then at their hungriest. During setting the vessel

moves fast and the exposed cables move downwards

as the net sinks, exacerbating the downward force

of the water against the cables, and forcefully

dragging entangled birds downwards. Seabirds may

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also strike the trawl cables while in flight, sustaining

serious injury such as a broken wing.

Although the deployment of bird scaring lines

(BSLs) has been mandatory in the South African

hake fishery since mid-2006, compliance was not

widespread. Through positive engagement with

fishermen and demonstration that BSLs are relatively

inexpensive (under US$100 per line), easy to use

and extremely effective at reducing seabird deaths

from cable interactions, the ATF team has helped to

change this.

A trawler's BSL consists of a 30m main line of

strong rope with 5-10 paired streamer lines of

a lighter, visible material, attached at two metre

intervals. The main line is secured to and deployed

off the stern of the moving vessel, typically with a

road cone, providing drag that tensions the line and

keeps it aloft behind the vessel, usually parallel with

the trawl cables. The paired streamer lines which

hang downwards from the main line distract and

confuse seabirds enough to keep them away from

the trawlers' cables.

CollaborationThe BSLs are made through a collaborative project

between BirdLife South Africa and the Ocean View

Association for Persons with Disabilities (OVAPD),

by a team of eight men and women with various

intellectual and physical disabilities from OVAPD.

Their construction takes less than an hour. They

are made on demand and then sold to the fishing

industry to bring in an income for the OVAPD centre.

Deborah Gonsalves, manager of the OVAPD centre

says: 'The bird scaring line project is very important

to us because it helps to sustain the centre and

the fact that we are helping to save seabirds is

quite a feather in our cap. It proves that people

with intellectual and physical challenges can still

have something to offer, doing good to save the

environment.'

With conservation success stories being

increasingly hard to find, every project that

provides win-win benefits to all concerned should

be inestimably valued. S G

Although the deployment of bird scaring lines (BSLs) has been

mandatory in the South African hake fishery since mid-2006, compliance

was not widespread.

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CONservatiON News

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015 WinnersNow in its 51st year, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition provides a showcase for the world’s very best nature photography. The competition is owned by the world-renowned and trusted British institution, the Natural History Museum.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year presents an attractive proposition for corporate partners that share

the Museum’s principles and values. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year series consists of a major

exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London and a worldwide tour. The winning images appear

on this website and leading publications worldwide. As a result, the photographs are seen by millions.

For more visit www.nhm.ac.uk

FRESH PRODUCE FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLMySchool together with partners Woolworths Financial Services and Urban Harvest have established a school food garden at Chapel Street Primary School in Woodstock, Cape Town.

At Chapel Street about 350 learners are in need of meals on a daily basis, but the feeding

scheme only provides for around 100 to 150, so the garden will supplement the meals, but

will also be a learning/educational tool for all the grades. Recently, the edible garden was

launched with a harvest table created by ex-MasterChef finalist Sue-Ann Allen and some of

the learners from the school's garden club. All the dishes were prepared with produce from

the garden.

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CONservatiON News

Critical water resources gobbled up by alien invasivesAs South Africa continues to battle the drought which is further impacting on already scarce water supplies, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) is implementing measures to conserve wetlands – a primary source of fresh water – and to prevent the loss of water resources to alien invasive plants.

The Chrissiesmeer Protected Environment (which forms

part of the protected area network of South Africa)

comprises over 300 lakes and pans, as well as other

wetland types. Due to its richness in wetlands and water

birds it is a proposed Ramsar site (wetland of international

importance). Many of our threatened bird species depend

on wetlands for their survival. These include the grey

crowned crane which uses the Chrissiesmeer wetlands

for breeding in the summer months. The health of these

wetlands is negatively impacted by invasive alien plants

such as black wattle and bluegum trees, which take up

huge amounts of water which would otherwise have

flowed into the wetlands, thus impacting negatively on

the amount of water available within the wetlands for use

by plants, animals and humans.

Communities living within the Chrissiesmeer Protected

Environment celebrated the start of a new invasive alien

clearing project on World Wetlands Day (2 February).

Funded by the Department of Environmental Affairs,

the project focuses on local job creation through the

clearing of invasive alien plants, and is undertaken in

partnership with Eastern Wetland Rehab. This ensures

the improved health of the wetlands and surrounding

grasslands and thus has a positive impact on water

availability for communities and cranes within the

Protected Environment. The value of this is especially

pertinent during this current dry period.

iSimangaliso signs contract to restore Lake St LuciaThe iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority signed a R10 million contract with Cyclone Engineering Projects (Pty) Ltd to remove some 100 000 m3 of dredge spoil obstructing the natural course of the uMfolozi River. A further R20m has been allocated to continue the work, and additional funding will be sourced to complete the restoration.

Dredge spoil was artificially deposited in the natural

course of the uMfolozi River to separate it from the

St Lucia Estuary in the belief that it would protect the

estuary from silt inflows. This significantly reduced

freshwater to Lake St Lucia from the uMfolozi River,

the largest of the five rivers entering the system. It also

interfered with nature’s ability to regulate the opening

and the closing of the estuary mouth.

Today the impacts of this approach are still evident. With

current rainfall levels the lowest in 65 years, the Lake

system has compartmentalised. Presently, only some

30% of the Lake’s surface area has water and species

recovery is slow.

'Freshwater from the uMfolozi River is critical – even

more so in times of drought,' says Andrew Zaloumis, CEO

of iSimangaliso. 'The restoration of the uMfolozi’s natural

course is important for the hydrological functioning of

Lake St Lucia. Without this, Lake St Lucia will not recover.

'The signing of the contract with Cyclone Engineering is a

moment that will stand alongside the day in 1996 when

former president Mandela and his cabinet saved Lake St

Lucia from dune mining,' Zaloumis points out.

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Rhinos without borders Great Plains Conservation has committed alongside industry partner andBeyond to undertake a relocation of rhinos on a magnitude never done before – to relocate no less than 100 rhino from South Africa to safe havens in Botswana. This relocation operation will take place with an assertive and elaborate anti-poaching force and strong commitment to save this species.

This initiative is about taking rhinos from existing,

high-density populations which are attracting more and

more poaching, and releasing them into the wild within

a country that has low densities of rhino and the best

anti-poaching record on the continent. It also secures

rhino breeding diversity and provides a nucleus of stock

in a different location, so that these animals are not all

concentrated in one location. It’s not a rescue, but it

could be considered an Ark for rhino genes.

This is, however, a story of hope for rhinos, where

conservationists, individuals, as well as industry and

tourism professionals roll up their sleeves and do

something positive for two species that cannot speak

for themselves and cannot protect themselves from our

greed, corruption and abject stupidity.

‘Rhinos Without Borders’ is a joint venture between Great

Plains Conservation and andBeyond combining joint

fundraising and project management efforts.

Click here for more info.

Bird declines show that climate change is more than just hot air Scientists have long known that birds are feeling the heat due to climate change. But a new study of a dozen affected species in the Western Cape suggests their decline is more complex than previously thought – and in some cases more serious.

There could be several reasons why birds are being

negatively affected by man-made climate change,

according to the study by scientists from the Percy

Fitzpatrick Institute at the University of Cape Town and

the Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson

Mandela Metropolitan University.

The study, which was published in the Oxford University

Press journal Conservation Physiology, suggests that

contrary to expectations the birds' heat tolerance – or

lack thereof – is not necessarily the main factor chasing

species out of their preferred habitat. Other factors

like changing fire and rainfall patterns, and new bird

behaviour patterns could also be responsible for the

decline, according to the study which includes some

well-known species such as the malachite sunbird and

the familiar chat.

The main findings are that physiology, though often

considered the ultimate factor limiting species

distributions, may not be the factor responsible for

warming-related declines in most Fynbos birds.

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