community

warning: Creating default object from empty value in /usr/www/users/urbansyk/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.pages.inc on line 33.

from the heart of the world: the elder brothers' warning

Submitted by JimmySprout on Tue, 2011-11-29 14:24

From the Heart of the WorldFrom the Heart of the World

Exploding Cinema and Cafe Ganesh present another documovie screening this Wednesday, 30th November. From the Heart of the World: The Elder Brothers' Warning is being shown as part of this season's documentary screenings.

This beautiful, sobering documentary from 1990 carries a strong warning from a remote South American tribe that cautions us, the “younger brothers”, to give up our self-destructive ways and honour the planet, before it is too late.

After four centuries of seclusion


cop17 off to wobbly start, stakes high, occupy cop17

Submitted by turbosprout on Tue, 2011-11-29 12:43

Trans African Climate Caravan of HopeTrans African Climate Caravan of HopeThe 17th Conference of the Parties literally got off to a slow start yesterday, with Pres. Zuma arriving on Africa Time. There were also rumours of Canada backing out of the Kyoto Protocol before Christmas and fears of the Kyoto Protocol being "murdered on African soil". Will Occupy COP17 become a force to be reckoned with and dare you drink the water? More after the jump!

President Zuma urges a "balanced, fair and credible" outcome.
The Pres arrived over a half an hour late for the opening of COP17, with proceedings only getting underway by 10.41. "You have before you the responsibility to re-affirm the multilateral rules-based system undercut by the Kyoto Protocol," said Zuma. He warned that Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change and called on delegates to

( categories: )

feathered friends & lucrative layers: part II

Submitted by JimmySprout on Mon, 2011-11-28 11:42

National Geographic: OrpingtonNational Geographic: Orpington

Previously we gave you 10 great reasons to look into keeping your own urban chickens.

Now we take a look at some suitable home-range breeds, where to get them, and what you can expect to pay.


climate change response expo: green innovation in a parking lot

Submitted by JimmySprout on Fri, 2011-11-25 14:34

Durban International Convention CentreDurban International Convention Centre

A host of green events, entertainment and exhibits will be held as part of the Climate Change Response Expo (CCR) which opens next week Monday the 28th November.

The biggest green expo in SA to date, it will be running alongside the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 17) in Durban and is expected to draw over 30 000 people and 15 000 UN delegates!

More than 100 exhibitors will showcase their innovations towards clean and efficient energy, sustainable development and water resource management amongst a host of climate change initiatives.

Business, Green Solutions, Science and



climate crisis: COP needs to cope

Submitted by John Scharges on Thu, 2011-11-24 16:13

Melting Ice CapsMelting Ice Caps

In the lead up to the 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP17) to be held in Durban, science is pointing to the fact that time is running out for a political solution to the climate crisis.

According to Dr Emily Shuckburgh of the British Antarctic Survey “unless carbon emissions are reduced in line with the given schedule as established by the Kyoto Protocol, in 15 years the world will be unable to reverse the effects of runaway climate change".

Speaking at an event hosted by the Cambridge Programme for Sustainable Leadership and Webber Wentzel in Cape Town last month, Shuckburgh said that while accurate climate change projections depend on future emissions, currently we are on track for the upper range. “Something needs to be done,” she said, adding that “in most scenarios, global surface warming will be up to 2 degrees Celsius by the middle


COP17: the play of power and politics

Submitted by JimmySprout on Wed, 2011-11-23 13:10

COP17 DurbanCOP17 Durban

Lance Greyling, MP and National Policy Convenor to the DA, recently hosted a talk on South Africa and Climate Change. What quickly evolved was an intricate debate on climate change, COP17 and the politics behind our power sources, how they are impacting our world globally and locally, and what we can (or should) expect in the next few years.

With COP17 just around the corner, there is a growing deliberation around what this year’s Durban hosted conference will achieve.

After the Kyoto Protocol was brought into force in 2005, industrialised countries were bound by a legal treaty to reduce their combined GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions by at least 5% over the period of 2008 - 2012. This was a big step in the right direction, from a convention to a legal commitment, the protocol created some certainty around the fate of much of our global emissions. The problem we face this year: the Kyoto Protocol comes to an end in 2012 and the destiny of any legal obligations rests on the outcomes of COP17. Not only does this


walmart massmart saga

Submitted by Gareth Coetzee on Mon, 2011-11-21 15:54

Was it the pink smiley that attracted Walmart to Massmart?Was it the pink smiley that attracted Walmart to Massmart?

The saga of the Walmart Massmart merger has exposed an uncomfortable fact in the South African business landscape: government doesn’t trust business to do what it does best. So says Brain Kantor, Investec Strategist and Economist, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Cape Town, speaking at a panel discussion at the Graduate School of Business .

In its third Social Speaking Series panel discussion, Net Impact South Africa, in partnership with the Human Sciences Research Council, pitted Kantor against Chris Tilly, from UCLA's Department of Urban Planning and Sociology and Director of the Institute for Research on Labour and Employment, to debate the Walmart Massmart merger.

It was a clash of ideologies that yielded some interesting facts, without any clear outcomes. The overall question is whether growth drives equity or equity drives growth; whether it is better to encourage

( categories: )

fairtrade africa: climate funds must benefit farmers

Submitted by incoming on Mon, 2011-11-21 12:56

Ankole Coffee Producers Cooperative Union Ltd, Bushenyi, Urganda: Pic by Nathalie BertramsAnkole Coffee Producers Cooperative Union Ltd, Bushenyi, Urganda: Pic by Nathalie Bertrams

Climate change has wiped out nearly half of the 10 million coffee trees the members of the Fairtrade Mzuzu Coffee Planters Cooperative Union have planted since 2003.

Mzuzu Coffee represents 3,500 small holder coffee producers in Malawi’s mountainous northern region whose hopes rest on COP17 delivering policies that can help them in the face of climate change.

With a week left to COP17 in Durban, South Africa, a critical element of the discussions in Durban must be around financing adaptation. Outcomes of the talks must provide sufficient support to tackle the adaptation needs of farmers in developing countries who have done very little to cause climate change yet are vulnerable to its effects. Fairtrade farmers are


gaia food market, a 'plant-based' food sensation!

Submitted by ConsciousBabe on Fri, 2011-11-18 08:20

fresh organic veg on salefresh organic veg on sale
Despite the recent freaky weather, spring is most definitely in the air and the time is perfect for markets, of which Cape Town has many. One of the most fabulous is the new Gaia food market in the leafy suburb of Constantia. Gaia is another name for ‘mother earth’, and so echoes the natural ethos of the market: natural, organic, healthy, yum and fun!

Perfect for those with gourmet taste-buds and a tendency to sup on nought but vegetables, as well as a great day out for those new to the ‘organic-and-natural’ food scene, this Sunday event is a must for all Cape Townians and tourists alike.