Intaka Island WetlandIn celebration of World Wetlands Day, the City of Cape Town will be hosting various wetland education programmes as part of its Youth Environmental School (YES) programme during February 2012.

World Wetlands Day is held every year on 2 February and marks the signing of the International Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar Convention) on 2 February 1971. World Wetlands Day was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and since then, events and activities are held world-wide in February each year to raise awareness of wetland values and benefits. Ramsar is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

To date, the City of Cape Town has set aside over

mangroves are important marine carbon-storage sinks and areas of rich biodiversity

The first policy framework outlining the activities needed to include coastal marine areas such as mangroves, tidal marshes and ocean ‘grasslands’ into the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was presented at the end of last year in a report by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and Conservation International (CI) - two of the leading members of the Blue Carbon Initiative.

ocean adventurer departing at the VA waterfrontOcean Adventurer, in partnership with the Two Oceans Aquarium, is now offering a boat-based marine eco-tour. The tours depart from the V&A Waterfront and focus on the rich biodiversity found in the waters of Cape Town’s Table Bay and surrounds.

In Cape Town, we are fortunate to have one of the most prolific upwelling systems off the South African coastline. This creates an ideal environment for

Melting 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

Spot the wind turbine at the aquarium entrance

The Two Oceans Aquarium was recently awarded Platinum status by the Heritage Environmental Management Company in recognition of its efforts towards sustainability and reducing the impact of its operations on the environment.

The Aquarium’s Managing Director, Dr Patrick Garratt, said, “We are thrilled with this achievement especially in light of the fact that we will be hosting approximately 500 of the world’s top aquarium personnel for the 8th International Aquarium Congress in September 2012. One of the themes suggested by our international peers is sustainability. Our Platinum status not only provides us with credibility but also to showcase the Two Oceans Aquarium as a leader within the field of sustainability in aquariums”.

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

Requiem: Norman Catherine, Requiem, 1994. Oilstick on paper. 130 x 112 cm. Private collection‘Water, the [Delicate] Thread of Life’ opened at the Standard Bank Gallery in Johannesburg on Friday 29 July. The exhibition sets out to navigate a course through the many wonders and complexities of water and to challenge the way we think about and respond to one of the most precious substances on earth.

This unique exhibition, which runs until 1 October 2011, seeks to bring home just how fragile and tenuous life on earth would be without sustainable water resources. Through the eyes, minds and creative endeavours of South African artists, it shows how integral and fundamental water is to life. Water is indeed the delicate thread on which life depends.

The exhibition comprises work by a host of

What has fracking (hydraulic fracturing for natural gas) got to do with water? The answer is 'everything'.

This came as something of a surprise to me, sitting virtually in the front row of the independent movie house, the Labia, in Cape Town last night, craning my neck at a rather delicate angle (the lesson here is, get to the movie house early if you want a good seat) to watch the movie Gasland, screened by the ngo While you were Sleeping.

While the South African Water Act recognizes water as a human right this does not necessarily mean water is governed and appreciated as it should be. In a country that uses 93% of its available water supply, South Africans need to be made aware of the difficulties that face our most precious resource. With National Water Week coming up next week and with the United Nations in town for World Water Day, thought we'd highlight some of the water issues facing South Africa:

Acid mine drainage
Water pollution
Drinking water quality management
Acid rain
Invasive alien plants
Commercial forestry
Water privatisation
Climate change

Acid mine drainage (AMD)
Dr Anthony Turton has described this AMD problem as "South Africa’s own Chernobyl" due to its potential to cause a huge amount of harm (including spreading radioactivity). Although the government was warned

Infecting the city

Beginning Monday 21st, it's time for Spier's fourth Infecting The City. For those who are not familiar with it: never fear, whilst contagious it is not likely to be life threatening.

Infecting The City is Africa's only Public Arts Festival and it involves transforming the public spaces of Cape Town into wonderful works of art that will help us view the city from a different and often informative perspective.

This years theme, 'Treasure', is about appreciating the wonderful gifts that Cape Town has to offer: from the wonderful variety of cultures and historical buildings to the forgotten natural resources and seemingly useless waste...this years festival is definitely worth a wander.

We've picked out a couple of events, tours and installations with an eco-friendly angle and listed them below