WWF-SASSI Limited Linefish Exhibition

Say Goodbye to Plastic Bags

In Manchester, this environmental performance is planned for 3 July - International Plastic Bag Free Day. We could do something similar in South Africa, can't we?

Addition (28 July 2014):

On local soil, in Greyton and Montagu:

Thank you, Jurgen from Simonskloof Mountain Retreat for sharing this poster!

Joburg artists, get involved!

Green Beings develops schools into models that demonstrate sustainable living and act as vehicles to integrate knowledge and skills into communities. Their aim is to empower people with environmental education, encourage community collaboration and sustainable lifestyles.

Green Beings educate schools and communities about the state of the natural environment, the human impact thereon and the importance of active environmental stewardship. 

Collaboration is their key principle ♥ Want to get involved?

Volunteer? Donate? Fund a project? Share your skills and knowledge?

How can you help as an artist? How about helping them create beautiful and inspiring posters, murals or educational graphics; offer waste art workshops; or help organise a creative fundraiser?

Alex Frost: 082 775 4115 or Marloes: 072 623 9498

greenbeings@live.co.za

www.facebook.com/greenbeingssa

www.greenbeings.co.za

A Sapling a Day

I just read this amazing story, shared in the latest Ethical Co-Op newsletter. It illustrates how much can be done just by doing one positive thing every day, or every week - consistently we can make small changes that amount to something much bigger than we could even imagine right now.

The year was 1979, and a teenager in India saw the floods come, with trees uprooted and hundreds of dead animals littering the banks. He had already noticed the reduction in migratory birds, and the village elders told him that this was due to deforestation. Animals lost their homes and birds had less wild lands to visit. They suggested he plant trees to help reduce the damage. 

And plant trees he did. Every day for 34 years he has planted trees, and the area has been transformed into a lush forest of 550 hectares, supporting wild elephants, tigers, deer and rhino. Watering the newly-planted saplings was quickly impractical, so he designed bamboo platforms for each tree, holding earthen pots with small holes, which would slowly drip down quenching the thirst of the young saplings. With the initial forest now sustainable, he is now planting another forest of 150 hectares.  

 Too many of us look at the scope of the challenges or the long journey ahead, wonder what we alone can do, and, discouraged, fail to even start. But making a difference is easy really. Just aim in the right direction, and start walking. Time takes care of all the rest.

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Tthe Ethical Co-Op delivers organic and ethical food and produce weekly to the Cape Town and surrounding areas. They deliver door-to-door or to convenient pickup points, and also courier a selection of their products countrywide. Check them out at www.ethical.org.za.

2014 Cape Town Eco Film Festival

5 DAYS, 10 SA PREMIERES, 25 ECO FILMS!

www.capetownecofilmfestival.com

DO NOT MISS the inaugural Cape Town Eco Film Festival, which will take place at the Labia Theatre on Orange Street in Cape Town from Thursday the 27th of March to Monday the 31st of March

“We’ve got so many brilliant environmental documentaries to share with Capetonians, we’ve had to extend the length of the Festival by a day. The Festival will now run from the 27th until the 31st of March, instead of the 30th as initially planned”. 

- Dougie Dudgeon. 

Among the 25 short and feature-length films to be on show, are 10 movies that have never been seen in South Africa. 

“We’ve really got something for everyone. Whether you’re interested in fracking or industrial hemp production, genetic engineering or climate change, the fate of the world’s bees or organic food – we’ve got a documentary film for you!” 

- Andreas Wilson-Späth

The highlights of the lineup include:

• Gasland Part II – the explosive follow-up to the 2011 Oscar-nominated film Gasland about fracking.
• Blackfish – an astonishing eco-thriller about the plight of killer whales in captivity and the danger that comes with it.
• Bringing It Home – a film about industrial hemp cultivation featuring Cape Town’s own hemp expert Tony Budden of Hemporium fame.
• More Than Honey – a beautiful Swiss masterpiece that compares old-fashioned beekeeping with its modern industrial counterpart.

The complete programme and information about all of the films, including trailers, can be found on the Festival website: www.capetownecofilmfestival.com.

Tickets will sell for R45, of which R5 will go towards Festival sponsor Greenpop’s tree planting efforts. “Festival goers will also be able to buy ‘Tree Tickets’, which will cost R160 and each of which will allow Greenpop to plant a tree!” explains Wilson-Späth.

Online ticket sales will become available on the Festival website within the next few weeks.

For now, tickets may be reserved by calling the Labia box office at 021 424 5927.

The Cape Town Eco Film Festival is a project of While You Were Sleeping, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing documentary films with important environmental, social and political messages to South African audiences.

The Festival is made possible through generous contributions from sponsors Reliance Compost, JoJo Tanks, Hemporium, Ballo and Earthbound wines, and is hosted in partnership with Greenpop, Exploring Consciousness, Simply Green, Green Times, Project 90 By 2030, Bicycle Cape Town, Bellovista Productions, Janet Botes, Coz it Counts and the Charter for Compassion.

For more information, visit www.capetownecofilmfestival.com and www.facebook.com/whileyouweresleepingSA and follow While You Were Sleeping on Twitter (@WYWS_SA).

THE GUN & THE PEN by Stan Aneto

THE GUN & THE PEN – Stan Aneto 2013

My gun's got loaded 

my pen on the white paper of tears

should I be more concerned 

about animals and plants 

than humanity on a final push of extinction...?

They call me the earthman

Coined from an untamed affair with nature

an unscripted romance ordained by divinity

Long before my placenta was trimmed

it is a sacred calling to curate and caress

but should I be more concerned

about plants and animals

than humanity on a final push of extinction...?

The mind of poetry is insatiable

Bottomless like the pit of hell

Cos the issues on my table are endless

I am much worried about the shedding of blood

As I am worried about frequent flood

I am much worried about genocide

As I am worried about ecocide

I am much worried about nuclear warning

As I am worried about global warming

I am as much worried about mindless shelling

As I am worried about senseless tree felling

I am much worried about human rights

As I am worried about animal rights 

I am much worried about corruption

As I am worried about pollution

For I see the inordinate pursuit of riches

Increasing the scale of endangered species

The mind of poetry is insatiable

Bottomless like the pit of hell

So I bless my pen and paper

Artist Feature: Imke Rust

Keep an eye open for work by Imke Rust, who is making waves... Her work casts a critical eye on the controversial mining and industrial developments on the Namibian coast, and her exhibition showing this work has been rejected by the Swakopmund Arts Association due to it being labeled as "an irrelevant and scientifically dubious campaign against the economically important uranium mining in Namibia".  Rust works in a variety of mediums and techniques to express her views and raise awareness towards the concerns and feelings of the community. Find out more on her website: imkerust.com.

Dorob (NOT) 4Sale 2013

Temporary installation of 15 signs at 5 different locations along 

the C34 road in the Dorob National Park, Namibia.

Dimensions of Signs: 60 x 80cm

Correx Board, digital prints, spray paint, iron poles & cable binders

11 – 29 January 2013

Permanent webpage:  www.dorob4sale.wordpress.com and 

life cellular phone number with prerecorded answering message.

Read more about this work

 Subrosa 2012

Temporary Installation of 99 black roses in the Namib Desert

22° 43’ 01” S – 14° 33’ 47” E,  April 2012

Original Dimensions: 90 x 270 x270cm

Black rubbish bags, barbed wire, wire

Read more about this work

Tokoloshe Trap 2012

Temporary installation of 1521 white thorn pairs from the Acacia Karroo tree arranged into 39 circles in a side tributary of the Swakop river bed, Namib Desert.

22° 38’ 10” S – 14° 43’ 40” E, April 2012

Original dimensions: 5 x 600 x 250 cm

Medium: Acacia thorns

Read more about the inspiration behind this work

Learning from Nature

by Tayla Tucker


I recently went to a film festival which was part of the ‘Sustain our Africa Summit’ and watched a film entitled: ‘Second Nature – The Biomimicry Evolution.’ This film explored the emerging discipline of biomimicry, which examines nature’s best ideas, models, systems and processes, and emulates them to solve human problems. The film was inspired by famous biologist Janine Benyus and followed her and the Biomimicry Institute team in the bush in South Africa as they demonstrated how organisms in the natural world can show us how to be more sustainable and efficient with the things we already have.
 Biomimicry, also known as Biometrics, comes from the Greek words ‘bios’ = life; ‘mimesis’= imitate, and is not a new idea. Man has been looking at nature for answers, both simple and complex, throughout existence. An early example of Biomimicry in Engineering is the study of birds for human flight and even today the most advanced aeroplane building companies are looking at wing structure of larger birds in order create safer commercial passenger carriers.

"The more our world functions like the natural world,the more likely we are to endure on this home that is ours,but not ours alone." ~ Janine Benyus

Throughout the video Janine gives us examples of designs from nature and how they have been used to create superior man-made products, an example being the Lotus leaf. A Lotus leaf is self-cleaning, which means that after rainfall it is clear of water as well as dirt. Janine explains that the surface topography of the leaf interacts with water molecules in a way which allows water to roll off taking dirt with it. A company by the name of Sto Corp has created a sealer which mimics this topography, effectively creating a self cleaning paint. This simple sealer has the potential to change home life forever. No more having to physically wash the walls, the rain can do it, or a simple spray with a hose pipe. This should also eliminate the use of soaps; which will be good for the environment.

 
Images: (left) by Janet Botes, (right) sourced from EcoSalon

If we can learn techniques like this from something as simple as a leaf, imagine what else is waiting out there to be discovered! Nature has been evolving for 3.6 billion years, testing through trail and error, in order to create the most effective with the least resistance. There is so much we can learn, we just need to open our eyes to what is in front of us.

There is a local Biomimicry organisation which provides information and offers courses, where you can learn more about this amazing new branch of science! Go to biomimicrysa.co.za for more information.

Here is a link to a bio of Janine Benyus as part of TEDx, which also includes links to talks that she has given: www.ted.com/speakers/janine_benyus

Vote for your favourite Human Rights logo

You might remember a post about a competition for a HUMAN RIGHTS logo - read it again here. Well, now it's time to vote! Public voting start 27 August. Be sure to cast your vote at humanrightslogo.net.

WARP at the Grahamstown Festival

1-10 JULY 2011

WARP
AT THE
GRAHAMSTOWN FESTIVAL

ADMISSION FREE

ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING RESEARCH CENTRE
LUCAS AVENUE, GRAHAMSTOWN

A CORAL INVOCATION
in hyperbolic crochet

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Woodstock Art Reef Project, Cape town

Satellite of the worldwide Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Project
created by: Margaret and Christine Wertheim
of the Institute For Figuring in Los Angeles.

AN ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS ART PROJECT

http://artreefproject.ning.com
http://crochetcoralreef.org

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.

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.

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

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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]

GREEN DRINKS Cape Town

GREEN DRINKS CAPE TOWN

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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

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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

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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

Calling all fashion designers and textile fanatics!

Are you a fashion designer, installation artist or have the ability to sow?
CONTACT Nastasha Daniels to get involved with the next HumanEarth exhibition!

Please also contact if you have any old clothing, fabric, off-cuts, or anything else related that can be used and repurposed.

For more information on the HumanEarth exhibitions, have a look at www.humanearth.ecojunki.co.za


Julia Ramsey


The embrace by Boxi

This website is worth a look: seedandsew.com.

Show your commitment on Friday

CALLING ALL ECO-CONSCIOUS ARTISTS

Competition: Communicating the future - explaining climate change through graphics

The Minor Foundation for Major Challenges invites you to participate in a competition that aims to select an extraordinarily good way of communicating the issue of man-made climate change.

The competition aims to inspire participants that have the ability to communicate a complex message in a way that might surprise or even awaken people.

If you can illustrate man-made climate change, its causes or consequenses in a way that brings the response

• Aha!
• So this is what it is all about!
• Something has to be done about it!
• We have to reduce our emissions of CO2!

Then please, consider participating in our competition and share your submission with us!



The Minor Foundation for Major Challenges is a non-profit foundation that supports information and public-opinion-forming aimed at limiting human induced climate change. The foundation recognizes that there is a need for downloadable graphic presentations available on the Internet which can be used for communicating the climate problem to the general public. Many organisations working with the climate issue have their own sets of graphs, diagrams and slides with their own logos used by their representatives during presentations. The foundation wishes to provide similar tools, but free to use by anyone who is interested and who wants to help spread knowledge about human-made climate change - its causes, effects and the fact that we have means to combat climate change. Main focus should be put on explaining the fundamental knowledge on man-made climate change.

The Minor Foundation for Major Challenges is envisioning a set of graphic, electronic presentations that can be downloaded for free. The presentations may contain static displays of graphs, figures, diagrams or other visual representations that explain different aspects of the issue. Animations, interactive applications, and formats open for the user to modify are also relevant. There are certainly many thinkable and unthinkable ways of creating such graphics, and in line with the Foundation's general policy, we are open for new, experimental ways of communicating the causes and challenges related to climate change. Conventional or radical in form and content - we welcome proposals for the development of graphic presentations that would be applicable to - and have effect on - a wide audience. Any text - written or spoken - should be in English, as this is an international competition with an international audience.

Proposals should be submitted through a dedicated web form at www.minor-foundation.no within May 1 2011.

A jury will pick three concepts from the submitted ideas that will have the opportunity to be developed, through receiving a sum of 100.000 Norwegian kroner each from The Minor Foundation for Major Challenges. The winner in this competition will receive a sum of 500.000 Norwegian kroner that is meant to finance the completion and implementation of the idea.

The Minor Foundation for Major Challenges will be copyright owner with the rights to distribute and communicate all final three submissions.

To learn more: http://www.minor-foundation.no/competition/


Strijdom van der Merwe


Janet Botes, Our Legacy


Antti Laitinen, Its My Island


ALSO read more about a callout for artists by Virginia MacKenny from UCT, for artists who work with a focus or awareness of environmental issues and climate change. Read about it on the COPART blog: dontcopoutcopart.blogspot.com/2011/04/calling-all-copartists-sadc-country.html