Fynbos Music Festival

There's an awesum music festival happening on the 23rd & 24th Jan 2010 in aid of raising legal funds for the Swartland Forums fight against the Malmesbury Aviation Estate.

• STEVE NEWMAN
• GUY BUTTERY
• ROB VAN VUUREN (mc)
• DEREK GRIPPER
• KARNAMRITA DASI (international act)
• ERROL DYERS
• HILTON SCHILDER
• ALL IN ONE
• SANGAM
• Koitrans
• The Frown Family Karavan
• aMani
• Take Two
• Miss Texas 1977
• African Mbira Band
• Off The Record

Drumming in the forest, fire dancing, Riebeek steel drum performance, food and craft stalls, mountain views and walks!

Join the Fynbos Music Festival fan page on Facebook for more info or go to www.swartlandforum.yolasite.com



The Swartland Forums are campaigning against the development of an aviation estate that could and would have huge effects on the natural environment on the surrounding area.

"There are direct implications of the proposed aircraft estate not only for neighbours of the proposed estate, such as nearby farms, the Paardeberg mountains, but also for all of those in Malmesbury, Abbotsdale, Tierfonteinon, Chatsworth, Kalbaskraal and Riverlands. It also affects areas further into the region which are within easy distance of a flying jaunt, like Riebeeksrivier, the Riebeek Valley and Wellington. The developers are talking about 120 movements (120 airplanes, gyrocopters, helicopters and microlites) perhaps more per day, especially over weekends. This would mean that there would be a plane up in the air every 5 minutes, every Saturday and every Sunday from sunrise to sunset. "

Help spread the word!
And make sure you don't miss out on this great local event!!



Photographs from the Fynbos Music Festival Facebook page & the Swartland Forum website.
Illustration of an owl playing the flute by Janet Botes.

Viva for veggies

Read this! (yes, click on "read this") here's an excerpt:

The scientists have spoken, and the politicians are getting edgy. Vegetarian campaigning charity Viva received a leaked email from an official at the Environment Agency showing that the Government is trying to work out how to get us to eat less meat. "The potential benefits of a vegan diet in terms of climate impact could be very significant," it said, adding that eating less meat is one of the "key environmental behaviour changes" needed to save the planet.

It's about the importance of a vegan lifestyle to reverse global warming. No, I won't try and convert you, and I'm not telling you that you HAVE to become vegan (I'm still learning to cope with being a vegetarian, really missing fish and sushi, so nevermind cutting out milk, chocolate and cheese which I absolute LOVE). I'm just saying that the more people change to a vegan lifestyle or at least reduces their dietary focus on meats and animal products, the better it will be for our environment, and the sooner we are really starting to make a change. Even small change is good, because a lot of drops into a bucket makes it full. If you can't live on veggies and raw food alone, or feel really unable to eliminate meat from your diet, then try just reducing your intake of red meat, fish, poultry, milk, eggs and cheese and you'll be surprised at how good you will feel! The article also gives these pointers:

How to be a caring carnivore

* Elect to eat one or two organic, locally produced cuts of meat a week rather than eating cheap processed meat every day

* Roast a chicken and live off it for a week, making stock from the bones and eating the leftovers avoiding wastage

* Investigate meat alternatives such as tofu (pictured left), tempeh, textured vegetable protein and Quorn

* Buy organic milk, or try soya (pictured right), almond, oat, hazelnut or quinoa milk instead

* Chicken and pork are more carbon-efficient and produces less methane than beef

* Be aware of other good sources of protein. These include pulses, beans, nuts, seeds and, of course, soya beans

* Many kinds of bread and even some vegetarian products contain unnecessary milk products like whey, buttermilk or lactose, or eggs. Check the packaging and avoid buying non-organic dairy by avoiding these products

TALENT EXCHANGE MARKET

If you're in Cape Town on Saturday, 7 November, go to the Cape Quarter Launch in Foreshore (because I'll be there exhibiting my art and drawing in public) or go here:

Talent Exchange Market & Craft in the Park

Where? Oude Molen Eco Village, Alexandra Road, Pinelands (opposite the Pinelands Railway station, next to Vincent Palotti)
When: Saturday 7th November - 9:00 - 14:00

If you're part of the CES network already, there will be a mix of Talent and Rand traders/buyers. This is an eco village, so there'll be home-made and recycled goods, and also limited space for therapists. There will be stalls, boot sales and the use of the village facilities. If you're a trader and want more information contact John or Helen on 021 447 9165 or 082 744 2504 or e-mail: john@oudemolen.org.

• come and meet other Talent exchange members
• come and spend your Talents
• come and earn some Talents by selling your goods or services
• mostly, come and have some fun

FUTURE EVENTS on 28th November

• OBZ Talent market - contact Jane jaliyaa@yahoo.com
• Hout Bay Green Faire - contact Danielle danielle@envirochild.org

Organized by the Cape Town Talent Exchange

Email: ctte@ces.org.za
Web: www.ces.org.za

350 participation

by Janet Botes

The 350 day of participation, coordinated by Communitree in Palmer Road, Muizenberg, was a huge success and an incredible event of note in the Western Cape.

Have a look at www.350.org to find out all about the 350 series of world-wide activism for our environment!! It's huge, it's happening and it's relevant. Oh, and it's also awesome, hip and cool.

So part of my contribution to the day of participation in Palmer road was the following:



An artistic, visual or participatory action or performance where two volunteers - Megan Collins and Mira Matthew - and voluntary participants were involved in creating an outline of leaves and glass pebbles (to keep the leaves from blowing away) around Mira's silhouette of her body.

Hike around Lion's Head

Heard about Adin van Ryneveld yet? He is aiming to tap into the abundance that should actually be available to all of us if you manifest it for yourself, by not spending money! Any money that he makes will go to charity, and he is relying on energy and/or talent exchanges for his day to day living expenses.



Anyways, more about him at another stage, when I'll be doing a full review about what he's doing for Cape Town Live.



For my photography walk up Lion's Head only Adin and Amy Levin pitched up (ok, fine, I ONLY 'advertised' it on Facebook). But it was AMAZING and really inspiring. Adin and Amy is really inspiring people with great outlooks on life that just makes you want to listen and talk to and with them forever.



We ended up not going to the top of Lion's Head, but rather around it, and we saw AMAZING views of the harbour, Sea Point and the beautiful Atlantic ocean. Not even to mention all the beautiful flowers and indigenous plantlife!!! Really looking forward to the next hike. And you're MORE than welcome to join! Watch this space for the place and date.

Energized, peaceful and inspired

I went to Earthdance. And it was amazing. I really missed home and Pierre on Saturday and Sunday, but it was incredible. Earthdance is an annual trance party, but it also focuses on peace and the environmental and spiritual elements of life. It hosts the Peace Camp, of which I was part as a volunteer, as well as the Peace Link Up that happens at the same time on several location on the planet. Amazing.



I experienced really exciting new things that gives me a new energy and self confidence for the things that I want to do. Some of these were a short 'life purpose' session with two energy healers, an energizing Yoga session with Prana from the Zen Den, a sacred and heartfelt sharing circle with 'Just Love' cards and of course, being part of the Link Up where we dressed in white and walked with white flags and lots of positive energy, peace and love in our hearts to the main dance floor and merged into the crowed with flags held up high. I also spent the entire weekend totally sober, and still had an amazing time dancing without inhibitions or self-consciousness!! I met people, amazing people, who have a passion for our environment, for making a difference, for accepting responsibility and for leading and helping other people. People who share love in everything that they do, and people that accepts and expresses that we are all one - that there IS no we and them, me and you - we are one, and we are one with nature.

I feel truly inspired, content and grateful for the weekend, the people, the experiences; and the energy it has given me to follow my dream, to love more, to be free and to make myself and others happy.

I hope you find happiness, love and peace in every moment. This moment is sacred, as is every moment that you experience. Use it and live yourself into each moment - feel the beauty and express your love.

The 2009 UCT Green Week Documentary Festival

Copy and paste from an email I received from Richard White of the UWC Environmental Initiative:


The UCT Green Campus Initiative and While You Were Sleeping invite you to the 2009 UCT Green Week Documentary Festival which will take place at the Labia on Orange cinema in Cape Town from Monday 28 September to Friday 2 October.

You can’t afford to miss these thought-provoking and inspiring documentary films covering themes from global oil depletion and hyper-consumerism to pollution and sustainable alternatives.

The End of Suburbia
Monday 28 September 18:15
The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the End of the American Dream is a classic documentary film that explores some very serious questions about the sustainability of our current way of life with brutal honesty and a touch of irony. As the demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply, Peak Oil and the inevitable decline of fossil fuels are upon us now. The consequences of inaction in the face of this global crisis are enormous. What does Oil Peak mean? Are today's suburbs destined to become the slums of tomorrow? As energy prices skyrocket in the coming years, how will the populations of suburbia react to the collapse of their dream? And what can be done now, individually and collectively, to avoid The End of Suburbia?

The Power of Community
Tuesday 29 September 18:15
The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil is an inspirational documentary about Cuba’s recent emergency transition to local organic agriculture, renewable energy, and large-scale mass transit. This transition occurred following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, when massive subsidies of imported oil and food to Cuba were halted. The film presents ordinary Cubans who talk about the immediate hardships they faced and the ways in which they overcame them. The Power of Community visits urban gardens and organic farms, explains the relationship between food and fossil fuels, and shows how a society can change from an industrialized, global focus to a local, community-based one. It provides us with a rare view into this island’s culture, using firsthand reporting that focuses on what Cubans have learned about adapting to living with less.

Garbage!
Wednesday 30 September 18:15
Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home is a feature-length documentary about the environmental impact of the huge amounts of rubbish we produce in our households every day. Director Andrew Nisker asks an average urban family to keep every scrap of garbage that they create for three months. From the plastic bags they use to the water they drink out of bottles, from the air pollution they create when transporting the kids around to using lights at Christmas, they discover that for every action there is a reaction that affects them and the entire planet. Everyday life under a microscope has never been so revealing. By the end of this trashy odyssey, you are truly inspired to revolutionise your lifestyle for the sake of future generations.

What Would Jesus Buy?
Thursday 1 October 18:15
What Would Jesus Buy? is a funny but thought-provoking documentary about our society's ballooning shopping habits produced by Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me fame. The film follows New York's legendary performance artist and activist, the Reverend Billy and his Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they go on a crusading mission across the USA to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse: the end of humankind as a result of consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt! Reverend Billy's epic journey takes us from chilling exorcisms at the Wal-Mart headquarters to retail interventions at the Mall of America and all the way to the Promised Land * Disneyland. Provocative and entertaining, but never blasphemous, Reverend Billy demonstrates that serious social activism can be fun as well as effective.

A Convenient Truth
Friday 2 October 18:15
A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil is an informative and inspirational documentary aimed at sharing ideas to provoke environmentally-friendly and cost-effective changes in cities worldwide. The film focuses on innovations in transportation, recycling and more which have transformed the Brazilian city of Curitiba into one of the most liveable cities in the world. Cities should be a solution not a problem for human beings. The city of Curitiba has demonstrated for the past 40 years how to transform problems into sustainable and eco-friendly solutions that can be applied in most cities around the world.

Each screening will be followed by a facilitated audience discussion.
Tickets are R20 and can be reserved by calling The Labia at (021) 424 5927. Reserving tickets is strongly recommended to avoid disappointment.

This event is presented by the UCT Green Campus Initiative, the Labia and While You Were Sleeping, a Cape Town-based non-profit film collective committed to bringing progressive, non-mainstream documentaries with important social and environmental messages to South African audiences.

Contacts:
The Labia: 021 424 5927
UCT Green Campus Initiative: Katinka Wågsæther, katinka.l.w@gmail.com, www.uct.ac.za/about/greencampus
While You Were Sleeping: Andreas Späth, 084 772 1056, Andreas_Spath@yahoo.com, www.whileyouweresleeping.wordpress.com

strandpret

Groen. Groei. omGee

Hierdie ontwerpe (behalwe natuurlik die engelse "naturelover") is deel van 'groentji' wat fokus op Afrikaanse skryfwerk en ontwerpe.

18 September 2009. What will YOU do?

Sign up on doitday.co.za, or SMS ‘DO’ and your name to 33009 to participate in Do It Day 2009, initiated by GreaterGood SA. People from all over the country will be volunteering in projects, initiatives and causes in their local areas.

Helping, sharing and in this way celebrating being human and South African.

I will be participating at Imhoff Farm in creating art from waste, and there are MANY other projects that invite volunteers to help clean beaches, paint schools, plant trees and many other exciting things! What will YOU be doing?

Dedicated to raising awareness for the environment, ecojunki will be collaborating on projects, publications and initiatives with Greenivate Collaborative and the Peace & Love Revolution, to strengthen each one's efforts, encourage more participation, and and thus make a bigger impact. Keep a lookout for these three logos used together...

One of the first collaborative projects is a publication in poster format, giving exposure to emerging creative talent with a dedication towards sustainable development or eco-friendly living, and listing eco-friendly news, services, companies and happenings in and around Cape Town. Submissions by anyone is welcome, and can be emailed to ecojunki@gmail.com. Artwork, photography, designs, poems, writing, illustration, etc. The only requirement or guideline is that it is environmentally focused.

Shades of green

The ability to create is a gift

The two South Africa illustrations by Janet Botes are proposed images to be used for an exhibition invitation design.