I'm a fan of theatre in any form. I particularly admire those who do theatre with a message (alright, I know all theatre has a message, but, you know), especially one with climate change for school kids. And this one is aimed at grades 5 to 9.

What's more, the team of actors, are prepared to act just about anywhere – in a quad, hall or field – just so that they can get their message across.

The “high-octane, action-packed adventure story” by the theatre team Craig Morris, Lerato Moloi, Jacques De Silva and Joni Barnard, from the Well Worn Theatre Company has already made it to the halls and quads of at least 20 schools with their climate change programme.

one of the energy efficient winnersAn energy efficient planet is something that we should all be concerned about, and it should take its rightful place in mainstream business.

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) have been a step in the right direction but it’s also become apparent that existing lamp designs are not really compatible with new energy efficient technologies.

This is where the challenge lies for designers. Eskom is challenging resourceful designers to come up with innovative Lumière (lamp) designs that have functionality and flair, efficiency and aesthetic appeal for the 2010 “Energy Efficient Lighting Design Competition”.

There are two categories in which designs can be submitted. The first category invites

proteas in the cape floristic kingdom, one of the most biodiverse and threatened kingdoms“The year 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and Conservation. The Biodiversity Expo 2010 was designed to address the failure of many South Africans to recognise the true value of biodiversity. The Expo serves as a communication and education tool to reach those South Africans who will be responsible for the future of our countries environmental wealth.”

Biodiversity Expo 2010 had more than 30 conservation exhibitors. Exhibitions focused on various conservation issues ranging from threatened species to calculating your carbon footprint.

the exhibitionToday is the last opportunity you have to check out the superb Kevin Factor: Painting the Town Green exhibition at Studio Bela in Morningside. Factor is a self-taught artist and photographer with a passion for all things green, and his art showcases the beauty to be found not only in natural settings, but also in the sprawling cityscapes of South Africa. The exhibition boasts vast canvases flaunting the skylines of Johannesburg and Cape Town set against vibrant, ethereal skies; bizarrely beautiful organic close-ups; and rambling snapshots capturing exquisite natural scenes.

The opening night of the exhibition was hosted by local celeb Dali Tambo, who is on the board of directors of the eco-friendly social enterprise, Food and Trees for Africa. A silent auction of one of Factor’s lovely framed canvases was held on the evening, with proceeds going to this fantastic organisation. The event was centred on embracing a more sustainable lifestyle, with Factor himself sharing a little about his everyday life in an off-the-grid community just outside of Knysna. I found it truly inspiring to learn that his expansive canvases are printed using solar power!

The exhibition itself spills informally...

The critically acclaimed documentary, The Age of Stupid will be screened as part of its global premiere, at The Labia Cinema in Cape Town next week. This jarring and provocative expose on climate change and global warming, which came to our shores a few months ago, should not be missed this time around. See what urban sprout had to say about the film here.

Bring your parents, your partners, your friends and random people off the street with you because this movie is the only way to change people’s minds – passivity is not working in our favour anymore.

The film will be screened on Monday the 21st of September at 8:30 pm and on Tuesday the 22nd September at 6:15 pm. Tickets will be R20, and it is strongly recommended that you reserve them by calling The Labia.

Are we living in a police state?

Not yet. But it is sure beginning to look like it. Look, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that we are oppressed, or that we have no rights – we have one of the best constitutions in the world. We even had a political and cultural revolution without any major conflict – look at world history, things like that almost never happen.

But what happens when your rights begin to be impinged upon by the same laws that are there to protect them? This all seems very silly to me because, we have a right to freedom of expression, but, we are slowly losing the means by which we can express ourselves.

Opening on the 9th of July at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town is South Africa’s first full-length, original a cappella musical - Noah of Cape Town.

The musical is an intuitive look into a future where Cape Town, like every other city in the world, is suffering from the effects of global warming, environmental disasters, fuel shortages, war and corruption. There is also an oppressive government struggling to maintain control, that tolerates little or no opposition, as desperate people do whatever it takes to obtain food and water...

An longish animation (12 min) that is well worth checking out if you need a climate change tipping point refresher - wake up, freak out

"It’s much, much later than you think: tipping point ahead.

This really isn’t about polar bears any more. At this very moment, the fate of civilization itself hangs in the balance.

It turns out that the way we have been calculating the future impacts of climate change up to now has been missing a really important piece of the picture. It seems we are now dangerously close to the tipping point in the world's climate system; this is the point of no return, after which truly catastrophic changes become inevitable.

With design top of everyone's mind... came across this trendy packaging for Greenspot, a Namibian organic vegetable producer. Packaging and branding by %fftheshelf. Nice to look at, but wondering if the packaging is biodegradable or indeed necessary.

Would the product have the same appeal if it was displayed in a wicker basket at a local farmers market? Or do we need cool design to tempt us? If I'm not mistaken organic certification of products entails their having to be packaged so that they cannot be contaminated or confused with "regular" non-organic products. So do we need we need packaging after all?

Frequently the packaging criticism is levelled at Woolworths, but when you have organic and non-organic foodstreams and national distribution networks, what are the alternatives to ensure the integrity of the organic items?

Design Indaba 2009 is here – the conference is already underway - and, if rumours are true, the trend towards environmentally responsible design is more than represented at this year’s exhibition (get down to CTT this weekend).

Some examples of eco-conscious design you can look out for include: Koop’s furniture range made from alien vegetation by Richard Stretton, Drift’s range of furniture made from shipping crates and railway sleepers, Casamento’s resourceful use of off-cuts to re-upholster second-hand couches and chairs and keep an eye out for GIVE-IT-BAG, this year with shopping bags made from recycled food transport sacks, amongst other designs. Craig Jacob’s Fundudzi (we blogged about his range here) is back on the ramp with his newest range using only organic bamboo, cotton and wool.

Both 2007 and 2008’s Design Indaba saw a strengthened focus on...