This week join Fairtrade Label South Africa in their campaign to promote an ethical alternative for all coffee lovers.

Farmers like the one pictured here benefit from Fairtrade's efforts (Photograph by Natalie Bertrams)

While there are many events and initiatives on the theme of fair trade happening internationally - in correlation with last Saturday's World Fair Trade Day - this will be the second time Fairtrade Coffee Week takes place in South Africa.

“Fairtrade Coffee Week has a special meaning for Fairtrade, both locally and internationally, as it celebrates our flagship product and the thousands of small-scale farmers involved in Fairtrade coffee production worldwide,” says FLSA’s Executive Director, Boudewijn Goossens.

Greenpop chat to me about their festival, carbon offsetting and the awesomeness of vegetarian food...

Greenpop have run many great projects, including Trees for Zambia

Greenpop just hosted its second ever Reforestation Festival this past weekend, where participants plant indigenous trees to help restore the ancient Platbos forest. Around 250 people from the ages of 5 to 65 years joined them in their 'Treevolution'.

urban sprout's premises now have three chickens, in a rather spectacular chicken dome from Permaculture SA.

These three little hens (although they're not so little anymore) have been with us for roughly 11 weeks, and they've gone from scrawny little hold-in-your-hands chicks, to bustling, robust hens in that short time. We wanted layers, so we sourced buff orpingtons from our former intern, who has a large 'homestead' in Constantia...

Raisa Cole takes to Jo'burg's streets to find out why most of us don't use public transport.

The transportation sector is the most rapidly growing source of greenhouse gases in South Africa. According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) the carbon emissions from the sector has grown by 30% in the last ten years, making it the fastest growing sector in terms of carbon emissions.

Reducing the number of cars on the road seems to be the logical answer, but the majority of South Africans still use private vehicles as their primary mode of transport.

the mag for curious kids

We recently bought an issue of Supernova. It's a new local mag that our sprite deems 'far better than Kids National Geographic, any day, mom', so it must be.

This isn't the latest edition, it's the one we bought. The latest, issue four, is now out and all about the rhino crisis, so probably really worth laying your hands on.

The mag is published by BK Publishing and is a hand-drawn magazine, which makes it really different. It also has very little advertising, and the advertising there is has been designed inhouse to blend in with the mag - refreshing, no?

Here's what their website says about them:

Fairtrade Label South Africa celebrated their first ambassador this week, award-winning musician Loyiso Bala.

Loyiso visits a Fairtrade funded crèche (Photographer: Sydelle Willow Smith)

Joining the rest of the mingling media, we sipped delicious Fairtrade wine under the cool trees of Oude Libertas farm estate. Speeches commenced after the old slave bell was rung: the sound of irony.

'I plan to not just be a face, but to really get involved hands-on, so that hopefully this same time next year I can tell you about all the amazing Fairtrade projects I have been involved in,' commented Loyiso jovially during his speech last Tuesday.

The City of Cape Town has taken another step towards the fostering of green energy and reducing Cape Town’s carbon footprint.

The Mayoral Committee has recommended to Council that it establishes an Energy & Climate Change Committee at its Council meeting on Thursday 26 April.

This committee will ensure that Cape Town’s energy plan reduces the City’s carbon footprint according to set targets and timelines with the goal of making the city carbon neutral. This will be achieved through the promotion of green energies, as well as improvements in Cape Town’s energy efficiency relating to industrial, commercial and domestic consumption of energy.

Leeks, lettuce, lemon juice, lamb, loaves of bread and lovingly made mozzarella. The Dargle Valley is home to many small producers of good food. Most homesteads have a vegetable garden to supply their kitchens and often share the surplus with neighbours.

Dargle Local Living is an initiative aimed at building a better future for our community, starting by listing as much of the food which is locally produced in a small, sustainable way as possible.

At the market held beside ilPostinoResturant, you will find handmade cheese, mixed greens, pickles, jams, quiches, gooseberries, tomato plants, compost, farm yard eggs (duck, quail and chicken), pumpkins, homemade muesli and natural yoghurt too!

Where have all the fish gone?

The End of the Line urges us to change our view on fish

Based on the book 'The End of The Line: How overfishing is changing the world and what we eat' written by journalist Charles Clover, this prestigious documentary serves as a wake-up call for all mankind.

Having won numerous awards including the Puma Creative Award and Environment Award at the 2010 One World Media Awards, The End of the Line asks us to re-evaluate the way we see fish.

Fairtrade: the facts

• SA is home to the first Fairtrade wine operation in the world – Thandi Wines (2003)
• wine has become one of the most important Fairtrade products in SA
• as of March 2012 SA boasts 16 Fairtrade certified wine grape producers, and over 39 companies involved in Fairtrade wine-making and trading
• in 2010 17 million bottles of Fairtrade wine were drunk globally
• two thirds of these were from SA
• for every Fairtrade labelled bottle you buy, 50 cents goes back to the farm workers to use for social economic investment (some include education and training programmes for workers and families)
• Fairtrade certification means wine is produced sustainably in accordance with Fairtrade Standards