GROW AND SUSTAIN THE SOIL. 2012. Mixed media on paper. 900mm x 640mm.

GIFT A TREE and stand the chance to win this artwork!

Buy a tree or two for Greenpop's TREES FOR ZAMBIA project and you stand the chance to win this original artwork of a tree.

Light a candle and switch off your lights for an hour this Saturday; take the time to reflect on our planet...

To find an event near you.

Yes, we can have clear, gorgeous swimming pools without it costing nature!

Natural systems can keep pool water clear!

Jenny Louw’s beautiful, bio-diverse swimming pool is a wonder to look at. Like a natural lake it lies transparent amongst the rushes and reeds, home to many garden creatures.

Unlike chlorine pools, natural swimming pools work with the nature around them. They require no chemicals whatsoever and a quarter of the amount of electricity needed for normal swimming pools.

The Climate Change Leadership Awards (CCLA) has received a record number of entries for the 2011/2012 awards and judging has now been completed following the deadline for entries of February 10.

Categories include Climate Change Heroes for schools, youth groups, communities and individuals and Waste Minimisation Heroes, as well as Private Sector including agriculture and food, energy, minerals and industrials, financial institutions, other corporate services, retail, local municipality and SME.

Two years ago, the Dutch government donated a unique toilet unit to the small community of Pook se Bos. We go to check it out...

After following a technology breadcrumb trail, (getting lost along the way) we found ourselves in the middle of a baking hot Athlone. My contact was nowhere to be seen, and I foolishly had not jotted down his number. After several seconds of unsuccessful phone web searches, I jumped from the car and strode up to one of the locals sitting outside their rickety home, surpassing an aggravated dog as I did so.

'Hi there. Can you please tell me where the toilets are? The blues ones?,' I gestured.

Anti-fracking “speak out” at Greenpoint Park on Human Rights Day, 21 March 2012
Time: 9h30

Earthlife Africa Cape Town are planning another anti-fracking protest on Human Rights Day, Wednesday 21 March, from 9h30 in Greenpoint Park, to highlight the threat that fracking poses to our basic human right to clean air and water.

“As 22 March is also World Water Day, we want to place special emphasis on the fact that the vast quantity of water needed in the proposed fracking operations will be permanently removed from the water cycle, and the waste water that is generated is so toxic to all life that it has to be permanently contained,” says convenor Marina Louw.

How do you raise funds for over 5000 trees in less than 6 months?

You get creative!

Greenpop’s Trees for Zambia project in July will see over 5000 indigenous and fruit trees planted in and around Livingstone by school children, farmers, local businesses and volunteers. The trees are being grown at the Zambezi Nkuku nursery in Livingstone and others... but where do the funds come from for Greenpop to buy the trees, compost and other inputs?

The National Planning Commission is wrong to consider mining for shale gas in the Karoo when there are more viable, known gas deposits to be exploited, which will be far less threatening to the environment.

This is the view of TKAG Chairman, Jonathan Deal, in response to a report by Minister Trevor Manuel that the NPC saw natural gas providing a rising share of the energy mix.

"Natural gas undoubtedly has a role to play in the energy mix of South Africa. Deposits such as the 2.5tcf (trillion cubic feet) held by Forest Exploration International off South Africa’s west coast is a prime example of a supply that could keep the Western Cape in gas for decades. "

"And this is miniscule compared to the reported finds off Mozambique", he added.
"And Royal Dutch Shell are making plans to explore off-shore in the Orange River basin."

Platbos is the incredible ancient, indigenous forest discovered by Francois and Melissa Krige, just off the coast of Gansbaai, in the Overberg. Africa's southernmost forest - a beautiful space.

If you haven't visited the forest yet, make a date. And now you can stay there too...(read on)

Meeting with Patrick Dowling, family friend and WESSA environmental educator, we discuss a more perfect world and a positive way out of our current economic and environmental dysfunction...

Patrick Dowling (pictured here doing some planting) believes that a Steady State Economy is now the way to go

Ok so we get that we are stuffed - with the economy doing a double dive and the planet protesting years of misuse - so now what? If economists have been questioning the idea of perpetual growth for centuries, how have we allowed ourselves to walk headlong into this mess? Surely this is a good a sign as any that we must make changes to our system, but the real question is, how?

Patrick believes that a Steady State System could just be the answer to our current situation.