Conscious Babe believes youth deserve more of a chance at self-responsibility where the environment is concerned.

A punter rocks a can-top backpack

Seems that Rocking The Daisies are really putting their money where their mouth is regarding green, setting them apart from your average South African rock festival. Reminiscent of the UK festivals I have attended, I saw numerous green initiatives at the festival this last weekend.

Mathias and girlfriend Zola from MLT drives were giving away solar-popped corn next to the dam, you could charge your phone using the wind generator and some of the stalls were powered by solar power (both provided by Earth Power), a team of 15 were sorting much of the recycling on site, the rest of which was sent to the local Malmesbury recycling centre, all the food stalls used

Tomorrow, Sat 14th May, is The Big Ride In and you can join the finishing leg of the Cairo to Cape Tour d'Afrique and get to test Cape Town's new cycling paths. This could be your moment of glory as you get to cross the finish line with the intrepid cyclists that set out from Cairo over three months ago on a racing tour spanning 11 718 km (the world's longest bicycle race)!

The Big Ride In, however, is not about a race or tour and extends beyond the traditional cycling community. It is about ordinary citizens taking back their power - realising that mobililty is not just about cars or taxis.

Lots of Argus contenders will know that the original Argus Cycle Tour as envisaged back in 1977 was a show of solidarity for the rights of cyclists and for more cycle lanes to be created in the City of Cape Town. The founding fathers of the original Argus, staged a Big Ride In to

Green Cab FleetThere is always something worth seeing and experiencing in Cape Town, the only problem is you often have to travel far distances to get there and those carbon emissions aren’t doing any good to the environment. Foreign tourists, in particular, have been limited to joining a tour group or hiring their own car to get around the peninsula. Never fear though, because now you can get from A to B guilt free. Thanks to The Green Cab, you can visit the V&A waterfront, the Cape Point nature reserve, Simonstown, Chapman’s Peak and several other destinations without adding as much to your carbon footprint.

The Green Cab provides Cape Town’s first responsible tourism transport and tour offering with eco-credentials. Their vehicles are fuelled with

Join Car-free Friday and pledge that on 03 December 2010 (that's tomorrow) you will get to work and back without your car!

In Cape Town there is a scooter rally tomorrow morning at 7.30 am at the Vespa parking lot on Dock Road by the V&A Ends at Greenpoint Vida.

If you want to rent a scooter, Scoot Dr is offering a deal of 50% off a rental (R125 for the day - pick-up the night before).

visit www.pureplanet.co.za for further details.

Anyone know of other events, contact us to let us know - sprouts[at]urbansprout.co.za

ps: have a look at how Seth is getting to work on the 2 Oceans Vibe blog - for some light-hearted relief...

going green by simon gearIts nearly Christmas and many of us are thinking about gifts to buy. Well one book that I can wholeheartedly recommend is Going Green - 365 Ways to Change our World. This book is filled with great ideas on how to make our planet a better place. The book is written by Simon Gear, known as one of South Africa's favorite weathermen.

the new nissan leaf“Nissan South Africa (SA) is in talks with several national government departments, as well as the Gauteng government, on the incentives and infrastructure required to launch its Leaf electric vehicle in South Africa, says Nissan SA marketing, sales and after-sales director Johan Kleynhans.” Has the first South African electric car (the Joule) met its match?

Some of you may have heard of the Nissan LEAF, the first full mass-market electric vehicle produced by a mainstream manufacturer. This nifty electric car is being rolled out in the the United States (by pre order in selected states) in December. Now Nissan South Africa is looking for incentives to launch the LEAF in South Africa, so how will our local Joule produced by Optimal energy fare against its international contemporary?

Sara Karnowski and Jefri Meintjes sitting in front of their bikesSara : ‘I just got my bike a few days ago, and I’m not really a big biker so I don’t know technical things about it, but I love it and it rides really nicely. It’s probably the nicest bike I’ve ever had! I’m used to strand cruisers, and this is kind of a mix between a mountain bike and a strand cruiser, for me, which is cool. It’s got gears and a basket and I’ve just been riding around running errands and stuff like that. I’m originally from Los Angeles and I came to South Africa in December of 2008. I actually went to university in Santa Barbara and there everybody rides their bikes everywhere - to class, to the store, it’s a big biking community.

Second Edition Cape Town Green MapWe've been working on a project with the City of Cape Town's Environmental Resource Management Dept and A & C Maps for the last eighteen months and today we're launching the second print edition of the Cape Town Green Map, ahead of World Environment Day tomorrow. The online map was launched a year ago, and Open Green Map, the global green map system we are affiliated with, is also turning one tomorrow.

Stephanie Baker with her bikeStephanie Baker - 'I'm limited to about a kilometre in view of my age, and I use it, well, certainly every other day... about a kilometre uphill in Pretorius street. I keep on the pavements, they're in a terrible state with chunks missing, but cycling is awfully good for public relations. I know the area's cleaners at the flats on my way to church - I get a greeting from them. The security men at the forensics place always wave, and going along you sort of get to know people, often you see someone really looking quite gloomy and you sort of give a smile and say don't worry and get a smile back. I think it’s wonderful for public relations! I really do. I enjoy it, I'm happy on the bike. I don't find this area hostile, I really don't. Some people living here get a bit frightened and well, I don't think you can go about looking over your shoulder and expecting trouble. I've only had one incident years ago where

Ferrari Hybrid HY-KERS 599No, Ferrari are not just painting their cars green in a bid to tap into a presumably growing market of sports car enthusiasts with a conscience. They seem serious about producing a fuel electric hybrid performance car. Marketing genius or missing the point? Or perhaps future European vehicle emission legislation is providing the nudge...

The experimental ('vettura laboratorio') Ferrari HY-KERS 599 debuted at the Geneva Motor Show last week and the electric motor adds to the performance by boosting the output by 100bhp. Handling is apparently also improved as the positioning and weight of the motor reduces the centre of gravity.

The hybrid is based on the 599 GTB Fiorano, with the electric motor assisting the 6.0-litre V12 petrol engine providing instantaneous torque. Goodness knows what the 0-100 km/h figures will clock in at.

Lithium ion batteries will be