Fear&Loss - Industrial Karoo group exhibition

This is the dead land
This is cactus land
Here the stone images
Are raised, here they receive
The supplication of a dead man’s hand
Under the twinkle of a fading star.

Is it like this
In death’s other kingdom
Waking alone
At the hour when we are
Trembling with tenderness
Lips that would kiss
Form prayers to broken stone.

- From The Hollow Men, T.S. Eliot 1925

A word by the curator

The installation Fear&Loss speaks of the possible environmental damage should the Dutch oil giant Shell be granted an exploration license to drill for shale gas in the Groot Karoo – the place of my home, community and livelihood.  

Fracking - or hydraulic fracturing - involves pumping toxic chemicals and fluids under high pressure five km deep into the earth’s core. This causes the seams in the layers of sediment to break apart for gas and oil extraction. Large volumes of water are needed for this and these fluids and chemicals cannot be recycled and remain in the earth, causing the fear of contamination of the underground water supply. In the Karoo, this is drawn from its reservoir of interconnected aquifers through the use of boreholes and springs (http://www.greenpeace.
org). 

My work has evolved out of my own deep concern and passion for this widely-ignored part of our country. Despite larger questions that arise, the work is also intensely personal since it addresses a situation that will impact dramatically on me, my family, and community. As such, my intention is that the work may raise awareness in its creation of a specific and intimate
installation space. 

Fear and Loss focuses on the impact of global capitalism and consumerism on individuals and small communities. Eliot’s poem, The Waste Land (1922) reveals the emotional and physical scars and damage left by World War I and expresses the unspoken wish that this type of tragedy will not be repeated. But Fear&Loss represents the probability that man-made disasters will. Creative works, such as the poem The Waste Land, or the visual art installation Fear&Loss, remain tools for communication, to reach out beyond our immediate realm of understanding and lay bare our hope for humanity.

- Katie Barnard du Toit 

 

Artist Feature: Georgia Papageorge

Georgia Papageorge is a South African land artist, who attained her bachelor's degree in fine arts from the University of South Africa in Pretoria in 1979 and a higher diploma in graphics from Pretoria Technikon in 1981. Much of her work explores the theme of geographical rifts, and how they are metaphors for rifts between races, countries, continents, and also personal identity or experience.

Papageorge's work has been motivated and informed by evidence of the effects of climate change as well as the highly illegal and dangerous charcoal trade that is carried out in most Central African countries.

Left: MKAA III, 2008, installation with bags of charcoal and red chevroned banners, Northern Tanzania September 2006, Lightjet prints on Fuji Crystal archival paper, 230 x 110 cm. Right: Kilimanjaro – Southern Glaciers, 1898, 2010, mixed media on canvas, with inkjet print taken from the earliest known photograph of the glaciers, and lines of poured ash from the ash cone of Kilimanjaro itself, 230 x 140 cm

Kilimanjaro/Coldfire is the fourth in a series of major African land art projects which Papageorge has worked on since 1994. A crisp red temperature line moving across the surface of images of the mountain demonstrates an analysis of glacial melt. Photographic documentation of Kilimanjaro's southern ice field, taken over a period of 70 years by people living in the vicinity, is also shown in one of her works and bares testament of the enormous effect of global warming.

Georgia Papageorge. Global Warming Series: Kilimanjaro from the Tanzanian town of Moshi, mixed media on paper with collage of inkjet prints from photographs by local people in 1940's, including the 1943 film taken by General Jan Smuts, 100 x 100 cm

Exploring the Gondwana schism, she completed Africa Rifting: Lines of Fire, Namibia/Brazil in 2003, which featured broad lengths of red cloth wrapped around the oceanic borders of two nations: Namibia and Brazil, who once shared a border before the continents drifted apart eons ago.

"...transforming mere cloth into lines of fire and blood. They are symbolic lines, symbolic of fire and blood. In my Kilimanjaro works, I see water as the lifeblood of Africa.”

- Georgia Papageorge

Sources: 
www.artrabbit.com/all/events/event/21944/georgia_papageorge_kilimanjaro_coldfire
www.artfirst.co.uk/georgie_papageorge/pe_10.html
http://www.mac.usp.br/mac/templates/exposicoes/exposicao_contemporaneo/exposicao_contemporaneo_africa.asp
arttattler.com/archiveafricandiaspora.html
www.facebook.com/events/761380223873297 (initial introduction to Georgia's work)

Ecological Land Art Walk - sleep under the stars!

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Join for a two-day facilitated walk exploring the ecology of place through Land Art. Nature’s Valley to Keurbomstrand 13 & 14 August 2013

R 1 400 per person, sleep under the stars, fully catered.

Web registration page at: www.walkandnature.com 
or email: simonmaxb@gmail.com for more info.

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Bodo City, by Stan Aneto

"The people of bodo, a community in Ogoni Land of Niger Delta Nigeria, have been on the spotlight of many environmental discourse. I found out why, when I paid a visit myself. My findings were politically sensitive and emotional. As a poet and film maker, it was only natural for me to create this piece, hoping they eventually find the justice and ultimately, the world that once belonged to them." - Stan Aneto

Stan Aneto is a pro environmental artist, film maker, poet and performer currently residing in Cape Town. Over the years, his passion for nature and the environment has inspired songs, poems, and also visual arts. 'TRAUMATA OF THE EARTH QUEEN' is a theatre work of 1 hour, consisting of poetry, dance, music, photography and fashion on one stage. It tells a story of our beautiful planet, a queen, as she goes through a terrible time of abuse from her subjects. View the 15 minute pilot of Traumata of the Earth Queen on Youtube

He is interested in getting involved or collaborating with an organization. If interested, contact him at:
STAN ANETO | cell: 078 622 4832 | e: stananeto@hotmail.com | twtr: @stananeto

 

"Imagine the Unthinkable" installation by Strijdom van der Merwe

"Imagine the Unthinkable", Strijdom van der Merwe, Installation View, exhibited at Circa on Jellicoe, JHB. Photograph from the BEELD.

Land artist Strijdom van der Merwe created an art installation entitled "Imagine the Unthinkable" as part of his exhibition 'Drawing clouds in the Karoo' at Circa on Jellicoe, Johannesburg. The installation comments and expresses the effects or nature of fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, planned for the arid and beautiful Karoo basin. Fracking entails drilling into the earth, and extracting natural gas from the shale layers by flushing a cocktail of chemicals and water down the shaft and into the rock layers to fracture the shale and release the gas captured in these layers. Strijdom's work makes use of maps of the actual sites for which drilling and fracking is planned, and uses sound as a device to accentuate the unnatural and disturbing nature of the process.

As with most industrial and mining processes, there is a lot of money to be made, and the companies who benefit from this have no qualms in doing what is needed to stake their claim and make their profits. At the cost of the environment, and the local people who need to live with the consequences - in this case the very high risk of contaminated ground water and reduced air quality caused by toxic pollution (particularly from the spent fracking fluid 'dams' and from cracks in the drilling shaft).

Van der Merwe does not perceive himself as a protest artist. His work usually rather enhances or encouarges an appreciation for nature's beauty. He aims to strengthen or accentuate the landscape's inherent beauty, and through this sometimes make people more aware about desertification, global warming and nature conservation. He often works in the Karoo, and therefore the risks or threat that fracking poses are a very real and personal matter.

Read more about the art installation:

• Stilte, skoonheid – en verset, on the BEELD website
• Review of Strijdom van der Merwe at Circa on Jellicoe by Ann-Marie Tully
• The fracking intrusion of a sacred space, by CHARLES LEONARD 

Read more about fracking in the Karoo:

• Treasure the Karoo Action Group: www.treasurethekaroo.co.za
• Greenpeace against Fracking
• Beginner's Guide to Fracking, on Karoo Space
• Fracking in the Karoo, by Cape Chameleon

Zapiro: www.zapiro.com

9 Days left to Moving Planet!

Saturday, 24 September 2011, is moving closer and we're all getting more excited! Remember to decide what low-carbon mode of transport you're using to get to the Cape Town Train Station Forecourt, whether it's train, bus, minibus-taxi or carpooling. Remember you're allowed to bring your bicycle on Metrorail for R10 extra on the day. See you there!! Also please help spread the word, here is some visuals that you can use, share, post, circulate and MOVE around to let people know about the event.

Invite/emailer:


Website/blog banners:





Download and print the leaflets (right-click and choose "Save link/target as..."):
http://www.janetbotes.co.za/PRINT_4_on_a_page_leaflet.pdf

And the poster (right-click and choose "Save link/target as..."):
http://www.janetbotes.co.za/MovingPlanetCapeTown_POSTER.pdf


And here's the links to share!
Moving Planet Cape Town
"Like" us on Facebook
RSVP on the Facebook Event Page
Moving Planet - CT on Twitter

Also if you're keen to help with some mud stenciling and reverse/clean graffiti during next week, sms Janet at 072 331 5057.

National Parks week: 12-16th September 2011

www.capetowngreenmap.co.za/blog/free-entry-national-parks-week

350 Moving Planet - Cape Town

"In Cape Town, a collection of green leaders have come together to create a massive event that will celebrate environmental successes while simultaneously demanding change from our leaders.

The Cape Town Moving Planet event will feature a huge march/parade with floats, costumes, puppets and more, with thousands of people, young and old, marching to make change. The event will seek to raise awareness of climate-friendly alternatives to damaging practices like driving your car, cutting down trees, and many other harmful actions. As fun and exciting as it will be, the event will also be a petition, demanding change in the policies and programs put forth by our government that damage the environment.

Alongside the march we will also be hosting an exciting bike ride to promote cycling as an active mode of transportation.

The event should be very exciting and seeks to represent all members of the Cape Town community. We would love it if you got involved, as we want this to be the most powerful and exciting event to date. We are still in the early planning stages of this event, so more specific details like the time and location are to come, but we are excited and hope you are too!"

For more information:

About the Moving Planet action day:
www.moving-planet.org/about
www.350.org

GET INVOLVED!

Event Page for the Cape Town event: www.moving-planet.org/events/za/cape-town/978
Facebook Page for the Cape Town event: www.facebook.com/pages/350-Moving-Planet-Cape-Town/137845456301050


Some of the amazing organisations represented by the people that have joined for this event so far:

• Project 90 by 2030
• Shikaya
• GreenPop
• Fairtrade South Africa
• ...350 Africa
• LitterAWEH!ness
• Anti-fracking Group
• WESSA
• Ecobuzz
• UCT Green Campus Initiative
• Public Health Movement (PHM)
• Bicycle Empowerment Network (BEN)
• Cape Town Bicycle Map
• Green Your Art (GYA)
• Skateboarders Association
• UNIMA South Africa
• COPART
• Jungle Theatre Company
• Anglican Church

WARP AT THE ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE on THURSDAY

THURSDAY 9 JUNE 2011

WARP AT THE ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE
155 LOOP STREET CAPE TOWN

ADMISSION FREE



Woodstock Art Reef Project (WARP) Presentation & Crochet Art Works show case plus a talk about sustainable fishing during the Alliance Française ‘Green Week’.

19h00 : WARP Presentation
by Leonie Hofmeyr-Juritz

20h00 : « Fish with a Future »
talk on sustainable fishing and the SASSI inititiative by Chef Pete Goffe-Wood

CORAL CROCHET SIT IN
WARP participants will present a crochet sit-in during the evening
_____________________________

A GROTTO OF CORALS

A small installation of corals in progress will be showcased for the duration of the Green Week 7-10 June 2011.

Woodstock Art Reef Project, Cape town
Satellite of A 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

_____________________________

REGULAR GATHERINGS
SATURDAYS
11 AM TO 4 PM the BLUE STUDIO
V&A Waterfront Blue Shed (Near the Aquarium)

THURSDAYS
9h30 TO 12h30. WOODSTOCK LIBRARY

021 448 6426
OFF MAIN ROAD ON VICTORIA WALK, BETWEEN PLEIN AND ABERDEEN STREETS.

JOIN WARP CROCHET
GATHERINGS WORKSHOP TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS



Crochet Coral for the Art Reef Installation
Meet Artists Scientists Crafters and Crocheteers

Maria 072 6480818 and Leonie 082 7773205
woodstockartreef@gmail.com

International Conference on Arts, Society and Sustainable Development

Tshwane/Pretoria, South Africa, 27 – 29 June 2011

Hosted by the Faculty of the Arts at Tshwane University of Technology, the International Conference on Arts, Society and Sustainable Development will take place in Pretoria, South Africa, on 27-29 June 2011, aiming to encourage debate around the socio-cultural development of communities, development of products, entrepreneurship, and the economy, discussing aspects such as the ability to brand, determining niche markets, developing business plans and attracting customers.

The goal of the conference is to assemble art practitioners (visual and performing), professionals, designers, academics, researchers, government officials, cultural workers, and industry partners to share creativity, knowledge, and understanding across boundaries; and to offer a platform for the interrogation of the relationship between the arts and community development.

Contact:
Gladys Sibanda or Irene Botes;
e-mail: botesjc@tut.ac.za or artsinfo@tut.ac.za;
jupiter.tut.ac.za/supps/2010/Arts%20Int%20Conference%20Call%20for%20Papers_new.pdf

Mountain and Veld vs. Cloud and Carbon

These two landscapes are seen on the N1 route from Johannesburg to Cape Town - one of the main roads for the Intercape city to city bus service.

So many people opt for flying to their destination - trying to spend as little time as possible on their travel. What we are really missing out on is the act of the journey - the opportunity to see different landscapes speeding by as we travel by train or bus. The joy of reading a book, and chatting to the person next to you for hours on end, while you are taken closer and closer towards your destination.

We need to start slowing down, and try to enjoy the things we do - reducing your carbon footprint is not just about choosing different products and services which does less harm to the environment. It's about slowing down, doing less, enjoying more, simplifying and consuming less. Choosing to not always travel by air means making a commitment to contributing to less carbon emissions. Increasingly more planes are built and put into the air to answer a growing demand for people who would rather fly than travel by bus or train.

"Some 16,000 commercial aircrafts pump out 600 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. It is estimated that by 2020 airplanes will be the single biggest contributor to global warming. It is expected to be bigger than all the other sources of carbon emissions combined. Ground level emissions are less harmful than the carbon emissions by airplanes, for the simple reason that they are deposited directly into the atmosphere."

Ekta Mulchandani at:
www.4ecotips.com/eco/article_show.php?aid=671&id=287

Shell and the economics of truth

This Press Release was issued by the TREASURE KAROO ACTION GROUP
http://hwb.co.za/media-article.php?id=423
1 June 2011

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Shell and the economics of truth

Wednesday, 1 June 2011, Cape Town: The ongoing and much-welcomed debate on the safety and sensibility of using hydraulic fracturing to retrieve shale gas in the Karoo has been overshadowed by a systematic corporate strategy of being economical with the truth.

Despite the South African Cabinet's declaration of a moratorium on all applications for licences to conduct hydraulic fracturing in the exploration of shale gas reserves in the Karoo, major oil and gas corporations continue to lobby government and the population that the method—commonly referred to as "fracking"—is safe and viable.

Shell South Africa Energy Limited, a division of Royal-Dutch Shell, immediately after the moratorium announcement, ran full-page advertisements in the national weeklies and distributed flyers at Shell service stations making a number of claims about fracturing. These adverts are currently under investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority for being misleading and untruthful.

In a live debate with Jonathan Deal, Chairman of Treasure the Karoo Action Committee (TKAG) held at the UCT's Gordon Business School, the Chairman and Vice President of Shell South Africa Energy Limited, Bonang Mohale, stated that there has never been "a single case of groundwater contamination resulting from fracturing”

"In our 60 years we have never found these fractures going up to the surface. It has just never happened in 800,000 wells. What is likely that can go wrong is, again, in the construction of the well itself: these things do collapse. In the 800,000 wells we have done there is not one single bit of evidence that a well owned, managed and drilled by Shell has ever collapsed."

This is clearly not the truth. Between 19 January 2011 and 5 March 2011, a subsidiary of Shell, East Resources Management LLC (ERM), a hydraulic drilling contractor (acquired by Shell in May 2010) and operating in the Marcellus Shale area, USA, notched up six environmental violations in Marcellus. One of these is described in the report as

"Unpermitted discharge of residual waste. Pollutional substances at well site impacted groundwater. Seep expressed itself in sed [imentary] basin. Elevated chloride, barium, strontium and sodium concentrations in seep."

What Mohale also does not reveal is that the collapsing of the well wall is not the only source of contamination of aquifers and surface water sources. What is also likely that can "go wrong" is what happened with the five other serious violations. Again, the report states that Shell's offences were:

"Discharge of pollutional material to waters of the [C]ommonwealth. "

"Failure to properly store, transport process or dispose of a residual waste."

“Pit and tanks not constructed with sufficient capacity to contain pollutional substances.”

“Drilling within 100ft (30m) of surface water or wetland without variance. Constructing a site without permission.”

“Discharge of pollutional material into water of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. What happened: unpermitted discharge to south branch Thornbottom Creek."

In another incident in Australia, a fracking well drilled by Arrow Energy was out of control for more than 24 hours following a blowout on two weeks ago. Shell Energy Holdings Australia Ltd and PetroChina International Investment Company Ltd bought-out Arrow for $3.1-billion in 50-50 joint venture deal in March last year. The blowout spilled roughly 1 000 cubic metres of methane gas per hour into the air.

Fingers cannot be pointed at ERM or Arrow. Shell takes full responsibility. Mohale is on record as saying, when discussing, the operational behaviour of Shell, including its subsidiaries and subcontractors, that "the responsibility lies with Shell.”

"If we subcontract it [the drilling] the responsibility lies with Shell. Subcontractors are our partners and if something goes wrong we are ultimately held accountable."

One of the statements on a Shell flyer distributed at Shell service stations after the Cabinet moratorium, states:

"Shell commits to lead in the setting of global best practices and operational standards."

Six serious violations of environmental law in the space of 45 days in the United States does not speak to "global best practices and operational standards". Nor does the fracking-well blowout in Australia.

Shell's website makes the following claim about the chemicals used in fracking:

The fluids injected into the rock consist of more than 99% water and sand, with a small amount of additives similar to those found in household products."

( http://bit.ly/mU0HSS)

And the Shell advert distributed at Shell service stations after cabinet moratorium says:

"We also commit to disclosing fracturing fluids at each drilling location."

Yet, Shell will not reveal exactly what those chemicals are when asked in a public debate. And what Mohale didn't say was that Shell, along with BP and Total refused to participate in the American Petroleum Institute's (API) Subcommittee (13) on "Drilling, Completion, and Fracturing Fluids". Nor did he reveal that Shell Oil Company (USA) provided US Senate lawmakers "with language to include in a pending climate change bill that essentially would block federal oversight of hydraulic fracturing."

Reports from the USA state that if this language is "incorporated into the climate change law, it would keep the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from imposing regulations on fracturing... [and] recommends that states adopt standards for disclosing the contents of hydraulic fracturing chemicals... but maintain 'the confidentiality of trade secret information' in the fluids".

This statement seems to pre-empt a stand not yet taken by Shell, Bundu, Falcon and SASOL on matters relating to hydraulic fracturing chemicals. Even its Vice President of new-business development at Shell Exploration and Production, Olivier Lazare, who has urged his company to disclose hydraulic fracturing chemicals has been ignored.

Shell's South African website makes the following claim:

"It [natural gas] burns more cleanly than any other fossil fuel, emitting 50-70% less carbon dioxide (CO2) than coal in electricity generation." ( http://www.shell.com/home/content/zaf/aboutshell/shell_businesses/e_and_p/karoo/natural_gas.html or: http://bit.ly/klt7ax)

This is not factually correct. Recent studies from Cornell University—Methane and the greenhouse-gas footprint of natural gas from shale formations by Robert W. Howarth, Renee Santoro and Anthony Ingraffea—have shown that natural gas, which is mostly methane—a much more potent greenhouse gas, "with 105 times more warming impact, pound for pound, than carbon dioxide (CO2)".

Howarth has estimated that as much as 8% of the methane in shale gas leaks into the air during the lifetime of a hydraulic shale gas well—"up to twice what escapes from conventional gas production".

"The take-home message of our study is that if you do an integration of 20 years following the development of the gas, shale gas is worse than conventional gas and is, in fact, worse than coal and worse than oil," Howarth said. "We are not advocating for more coal or oil, but rather to move to a truly green, renewable future as quickly as possible. We need to look at the true environmental consequences of shale gas."

Mohale and Graham Tiley General Manager for new ventures and international exploration at Shell are on record stating:

"Fracking is safe and poses no risk to the environment.”

This is as credible a statement as "smoking does not cause cancer". The violations of environmental regulations by Shell, the self-proclaimed market leader in hydraulic fracturing, are a matter of fact. These violations evidence that no reasonable person can possibly argue that hydraulic fracturing is safe and poses no risk to the environment.

Shell has been economical with the truth. South Africa has been misled. Our Ministers, their departments, and our regulators have been misled. Have they also been misled by the other fracking companies that maintain lower public profiles? If the offences in the US and Australia had not come to light, was our government is at risk of making fracking related decisions based on false information?

If South Africans are going to resolve the controversy surrounding fracking, we need facts, we need truthfulness, we need openess and we need transparency—things that have purposefully not been given to us.

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.