WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY: 5 JUNE

What are you going to do this year for World Environment Day? Show your commitment to the preservation of our environment, and your awareness of our dependance and interconnectiveness to nature by doing one or more of the following:

• HOST A LUNCH
  Host a lunch in your home, invite your friends and ask them to donate anything from R25-R200 to a great cause, Soil for Life. You cook and your friends donate online and you all stand a chance to win great prizes!
  Read more on http://www.eatfortheearth.com/
  
• DONATE A TREE with Greenpop
  http://www.greenpop.org/
  
• VISIT THE EARTH FAIR FOOD MARKET
  Give the franchise supermarket a skip, and buy fresh foods at the Earth Fair Food Market in Tokai. Open every Saturday 9.00 am - 2.00 pm
  
  More info and a map: http://www.earthfairmarket.co.za/
  
• GO HIKING
  
  Wherever you are, find a place to go and walk - breathe in the scent of dried leaves, and enjoy the colours and variations that autumn brings, with the stark and interesting shapes of bare branches against a blue sky.
  
• HELP CROCHET A CORAL REEF
  The Woodstock Art Reef Project gathers every Saturday between 11am and 4pm in the Blue Shed at the Waterfront. They are building a crocheted coral reef as an art installation that aims to raise awareness for our oceans and the effects of global warming on sea life.
  artreefproject.ning.com/
• READ AND SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT SUSTAINABILITYGo and read up about the ways that you can help and support sustainable development, how you can make a difference by making small changes in your lifestyle, and what you can do to make more people aware.
  Read about the pros and cons about each energy option on Life in Balance:"Energy - what is the answer?", an insightful article by Richard Asher
  
  Read The Advanced Energy [R]evolution: Greenpeace's energy blueprint for a sustainable future and green development

...and after World Environment Day:

If you're an artist, come to the GYA (Green your Art) gathering at White Rabbit Studio on 17 June in Gardens, to talk about what we're going to do for Moving Planet on 24 September 2011.

Site Specific in Plettenberg Bay next week!

Pop in next week at Plettenberg Bay for Site Specific - SA’s first International Land Art event.



Download the brochure here: www.ecojunki.co.za/2NewSiteSpecificBrochure.pdf
Also read more about the project, as well as updates on the Site Specific website: sitespecific.org.za


Land Art by Strijdom van der Merwe

Just in case you missed the previous post we had about Site Specific, here is the line-up from their website:

Plettenberg Bay: 22-29 May 2011

22-27 May:
Artists create work along the Milkwood trail, Kranshoek and along the N2 at KwaNokuthula and New Horizons.

Saturday 28 May:

09-17:00
The art route is open to all, it includes a lovely walk along the Milkwood trail and the beaches. Guides are available at Central beach.

11:00
The Mayor of Plettenberg bay launches the event at the Timber Shed accompanied by DJ Jazztrain Live, Nthombo Theatre and The Unlimited Band.

12-16:00
Township art tours to sites in Kranshoek, KwaNokuthula and New Horizons.

15:00
Simon Bannister’s sculpture for the Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative is unveiled on a beautiful ridge overlooking the ocean at the Griqua village of Kranshoek.

Sunday 29 May:
The art route can be viewed all day.

And here's an Afrikaans article published in Die Burger, written by Laetitia Pople

Tuesday 03:Editor's Choice: Die Burger: Plettenbergbaai gaan as inspirasie vir landkuns dien
2011-05-03

Deur Laetitia Pople
Kaapstad - Van die wêreld se voorste landkunstenaars en verskeie plaaslike kunstenaars gaan van 22 tot 29 Mei deelneem aan Site_Specific, ’n ­internasionale landkunsgebeurtenis by ­Plettenbergbaai.

Site_ Specific mik om kuns, kultuur, geskiedenis en die omgewing saam te bring en so te wys hoe landkuns mense se indrukke van hul ­natuurlike omgewing kan verander.

Volgens Strijdom Van der Merwe, Suid-Afrika se voorste landkunstenaar en deelnemer aan Site_Spesific, gaan die meeste werke van ­Plettenbergbaai se hoofstrand tot die Milk­wood-staproete in die Piesangrivier-vallei te sien wees. Daar gaan ook werke in die dorp wees.

Onder die deelnemers is die Italianers ­Gabriele Meneguzzi en Vincenzo Sponga en van Suid-Afrika neem Anni Snyman (die stigter van Site_Specific), Angus Taylor, Hannelie Coetzee, Jan van der Merwe, Andrew van der Merwe, Gordon Froud en Simon Max Bannister deel.

Bannister werk tans met Griekwa-klip­messelaars van Kranshoek aan ’n reuse-olifantbeeld wat deel vorm van ’n reeks beeldhou­werke vir die Eden-na-Addo-bewarings­korridor. Van der Merwe gaan saam met die Switserse land­kunstenaar Urs Twellmann werk.

Twellmann, wat al voorheen in Suid-Afrika aan landkuns-gebeure deelgeneem het, skep sy werke en installasies soos Van der Merwe op die plek en gebruik natuurlike materiale van die omgewing.

“Ons almal arriveer op 22 Mei, dan gaan ek die omgewing verken en kyk watter materiale ek kan vind vir my werk. Ek sal ook die inter­nasionale kunstenaars bystaan, almal van ons is ook betrokke by die slypskole,” het Van der Merwe gesê.

Begeleide toere na plaaslike landkuns en ­kulturele optredes in Kwa-Nokuthula, ­Kranshoek en New Horizon vorm deel van die program.

’n Groot openingsgeleentheid word vir 28 Mei om 11:00 beplan in die Timbershed, een van ­Plettenbergbaai se geskiedkundige bakens as ’n eertydse walvisstasie.

Vacancy at UNIMA SA

Janni Younge is stepping down from her position as CEO of UNIMA SA (best known for their annual Out the Box festival in Cape Town) in order to focus on other commitments.

In order for there to be a smooth transition the Board of Directors are actively seeking an individual who has experience in the following areas including:

• Operations Management,
  
• Communication & Marketing,
  
• Organisational Development,
  
• Public Affairs
  
• and finally fundraising. The Fundraising function may be negotiable. Unima South Africa may consider appointing a consultant to undertaking the scoping of donors etc. Secondly, appoint a Fundraiser (at risk), to raise programme funds.

The detailed job description of the CEO is available on their website, (www.unimasouthafrica.org).

If you are or know of a candidate who wants to work with a team of artists/individuals who are dedicated to promoting and developing puppetry in South Africa and you proven qualities which include leadership, operations and budgetary skills, then they want to hear from you.

Email a motivation letter and resume of your skills, experience and qualifications to: The Chairperson, Board of Directors, admin@unimasouthafrica.org

Closing Date for Applications: June 7, 2011. Interviews will begin on Monday June 13, 2011. The successful candidate may negotiate the starting date of this appointment.

COPART - get involved!

You are invited to participate in the CONNECTING OUR PLANET & RE-IMAGINING TOGETHER or COPART forums scheduled for 2011 in preparation for COP17. COPART will be hosting forums at the National Arts Festival, the Out the Box festival and will be leading the COPART climate train mobile festival. The COPART forum is an open space where different people from different backgrounds can gather together and explore their understandings of what it means to be and do in a climate change era.

Download your entry forms and then return by reply to Liz at elizabethafletcher@gmail.com.

Deadlines for your contribution forms:

Form A: COPART Journal: 1 August 2011
download: www.ecojunki.co.za/FormA.docx
Form B: COPART National Arts Festival: 8 June 2011
download: www.ecojunki.co.za/FormB.docx
Form C: COPART Out the Box Festival: 1 August 2011
download: >www.ecojunki.co.za/FormC.docx
Form D: COPART Climate Train: 5 September 2011
download: www.ecojunki.co.za/FormD.docx

Also download the COPART pamphlet: www.ecojunki.co.za/COPART2011.pdf
and the official CALL for participation: www.ecojunki.co.za/COPARTCALLS.pdf

---

http://www.dontcopoutcopart.blogspot.com http://www.copartist.org

Celebrate Biodiversity!

22 May
International Day for Biological Diversity

The International Day for Biological Diversity (or World Biodiversity Day) is a UN international day for the promotion of biodiversity issues. The theme this year is Biodiversity and Forests.

More information: http://www.cbd.int/

Another date to diarize:

23 May – 01 June
Eskom: proposed nuclear power station – public meeting

Eskom is hosting a series of public meetings as part of their environmental impact assessment for a proposed nuclear power station. Please go along to make your views heard to strengthen our call for no nuclear power and a call for a renewable energy revolution.

• 23 May: Pretorius Hall, Main Road, Gansbaai. 18h00 - 20h00
  


• 25 May: Atlantic Beach, Golf Club, Melkbostrand. 18h00 - 20h00
  


• 30 May: Oyster Bay Hall,Oyster Bay. 18h00 - 20h00
  


• 31 May: St. Francis Links Golf Club, St. Francis Bay: 18h00 - 20h00
  


• 01 June: Sea Vista Community Hall, Sea Vista, 16h30 - 18h00 Public Open Day

More information: www.eskom.co.za/eia under the “Nuclear 1-Generation” link

---

This information was obtained from the Project 90 by 2030 April newsletter. Visit their website at http://www.90x2030.org.za/

Anti-fracking Activists call for a National Boycott of Shell

An excerpt from the press release issued by Earthlife Africa Cape Town:

Earthlife Africa is calling for a nationwide boycott of all Shell service stations and all Shell products, from Tuesday 17th May – which coincides with Royal Dutch Shell’s AGM in the Netherlands, and is also, co-incidentally, the United Nation’s World Information Society Day - to show their displeasure at plans to “frack” large parts of our country.

“We ask people to go to their nearest Shell garage, NOT fill up, but ask to speak to the manager and say that they have nothing against the manager personally, but the company is carrying out plans that have potentially horrendous impacts on people and especially scarce water in our country,” said Andreas Spath, Earthlife’s
Anti-fracking co-ordinator.

Shell, the South African government and the natural gas industry portray shale gas as a climate-friendly, low-carbon energy source. In reality, however, preliminary studies have shown that if the entire carbon footprint, including methane (a much more potent greenhouse gas than CO2) escaping from fracking wells in substantial quantities, is taken into account, natural gas from this source contributes to climate change in a magnitude similar to oil and coal.

“Shell’s record in Africa should be cause for alarm”, said the Reverend Barry Wuganaale, of the Ogoni Solidarity Forum. “Not only for widespread and continuing environmental harm, but they have also acknowledged being complicit in the murder of activists opposing them in Nigeria. They cannot be trusted.”

Read the full press release here: http://www.earthlife.org.za/?p=1591



VALLEY OF DELINQUENCY, charcoal and pastel on paper.
Duncan Stewart
[See more of his work]

DESIGN COMPETITION

vida e caffè is running a design competition for new cup sleeves on 10and5 to commemorate vida’s 10 year anniversary.

The brief is open – come up with a design that fits the cup sleeve template, with the theme of vida's 10 year celebration. There are no specifics so get creative. Illustration, photography, choice of colour and style, it’s all up to you.

If your design is chosen, your artwork, name and URL to your online portfolio (should you have one) will be seen on every single take-away coffee leaving every one of vida’s 41 stores around the country for a month. PLUS the winner receives a year’s worth of vida coffee.

The competition runs until the 30th of June. Every week they’ll be posting entries on 10and5. Visit 10and5 to find out how to enter: http://10and5.com/2011/05/11/10and5-vida-e-caffe-design-competition

Why not specify that they use recycled paper, do an eco-conscious design, or experiment with eco-friendly techniques or solutions? This is your chance as a designer to make a difference!


Have a look at this cup sleeve, designed by Andrew Hainen, which doubles as a loyalty card, and works on the principes of reusing your cup sleeve!

GREEN DRINKS Cape Town

GREEN DRINKS CAPE TOWN

---

DATE & TIME: Monday 16th May 2011, 18h30 onwards (Talks at 19.00pm)
VENUE: The Josephine Mill, Newlands, Cape Town
BRING: An open mind, a good attitude, some friends
JOIN: email greendrinks@josephinemill.co.za

---

The energy story will not go away. This month we are giving the floor to Earthlife to hear their strong convictions against the continuation and development of Nuclear Power. This is topical for South Africa as we approach the finalisation of an Environmental Impact study relating to a proposed new nuclear facility near Cape St. Francis. (The direct cost of the Japanese Nuclear calamity is estimated at $100billion.)

The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster - 25 years after Chernobyl. What do we know about Fukushima and what does it mean for South Africa?

Gray Maguire has been involved in socio-environmental justice causes since 2003 when he was working in Tanzania. He subsequently did a degree in development studies while still working in much of the rest of Southern Africa and later did a six month hitch-hiking expedition through 14 countries investigating community based development strategies. He started an environmental management consultancy called Green Earth Consulting in 2008 as well as a Public Benefit Organisation called the Nomad African Trust. He’s presently in the middle of a post graduate degree in environmental management and while being a freelance sustainability consultant also serves as branch secretary for Earthlife Africa Cape Town.

EarthlifeAfrica is an environmental and social justice NGO that has been active on these kinds of issues since the 80's. We have been standing in opposition to governments nuclear ambitions for most of that time and were successful in our campaign to stop the Pebble-bed modular reactor.

If you too would like to share your dreams or what you do, please let us know (greendrinks@josephinemill.co.za). Make a presentation in the future…. and become a part of a growing, conscious–living community. Share knowledge, wisdom, skills, hope, and enthusiasm.



Further details: www.josephinemill.co.za/greendrinks.html

---

This post was created by using the Green Drinks Cape Town email newsletter/notification. All content have been created by the Green Drinks team.

Water, fracking and our Karoo

Watch this short video produced by Green Renaissance

From the Life in Balance newsletter:

Fox Lederboer, the unofficial "water bailiff" of the Gamkapoort Dam in the Karoo, worries that fracking related pollution in the ancient aquifers will have a devastating impact on life in the desert and beyond. Fox has lived alone on this beautiful, remote dam for 18 years and understands intimately the healing power of the Karoo and how critical water is to life, especially in the desert.

ENERGY lecture at the Book Lounge

A month for slowing down and appreciating things

May is a month for slowing down, preparing for winter and enjoying time with your family. It's a time for listing the things that we are grateful for, telling our moms how much we appreciate them, and spending time on all the things that we really care about.



The latest Ecojunki newsletter is thus not dedicated to bombarding you with information, but rather to just remind you to plant a tree with Greenpop, and to encourage you to take time out this month to assess your life and the way that you spend your time. And then, of course, if you're an artist you are invited to get involved with the HumanEarth exhibitions, or join the first Greening Your Art gathering.

READ THE LATEST NEWSLETTER HERE