Today is Blog Action Day and bloggers the world over are writing about Climate Change this year, so here is our contribution.

pic: treehuggerClimate change seems like an insurmountable problem, one that's too big and tough to tackle. In our everyday busy-ness do we really need something else to worry about. Let alone find the time to fix: Kids to drop off at school. A boss to please. Performance appraisels. Tax returns. Grocery Shopping. Now climate change too!

Surely it's the job of scientists and government to bring about the changes to reduce the human impact on the climate?

Climate change is not a singular problem, and needs a multitude of responses on many different levels to tackle. Can the ordinary Jo/anne in the street make a difference? We think so. Here are some thoughts on how...

South Africa is joining a worldwide German-led initiative to drink as many mugs of fair trade coffee as possible this Friday 25 September betw 10am and 11am.

The German event, entitled "Kaffee.Pause.Fair.”, coincides with the national "Coffee Day" of the German Association of Coffee and aims to "seize" the day for the Fair Trade movement. If you look at the number of events planned around Germany you will see that it is indeed being seized! The aim is for 100 000 cups of fair trade coffee to be drunk around the world in one hour.

Here in Cape Town local fair trade organisation, Fair Trade SA, is organising an event at Quensh organic eatery in Observatory for coffee aficionados and fair trade fans to gather, network, get more info on the fair trade movement, and of course drink coffee. They have around 30 people confirmed so far, and Quensh probably doesn't have space for many more, but you could always phone ahead to check or pop in anyway and enjoy your cuppa on the pavement. (from 10 to 11, Quensh Organic Deli, 42 Lower Main Road)

African fair trade coffee is supplied by Bean There Fair Trade Coffee who have a roastery...

It's no co-incidence that The Age of Stupid is being screened on Monday 21st - Avaaz and others are co-ordinating a Global Wake-Up Call event. At 12.18pm local time at thousands of locations around the world cell phones will ring to sound the alarm to our leaders that they need to catch a wake-up on Climate Change.

Events are being organised in South Africa - for a map of events check here.

Here are details of one happening in Rondebosch, Cape Town - if you're nearby please go along.

Cape Town joins global climate wake-up call
Flash mob by Cape Town residents to sound the alarm

Cape Town – At 12pm, residents and visitors to Rondebosch will gather in front of Rondebosch Common on the mountain side, for a fun, peaceful, “flash mob”. After a flash 'freeze', synchronized phone alarms will sound. People will hold their phones in the air and come together to take a photograph before joining other groups around the globe in sending a flood of phone calls to world leaders urging climate action.

Actually that's a misleading headline. Hot water in this case is a good thing.

Imagine being charged R 370 000.00 to take a shower. That's roughly (according to my calculations) what it costs Anglo Platinum every year to provide hot showers for 1500 workers at one of its platinum shafts, in this case Brakfontein shaft at their Lebowa mine. (421.54 mWh at 88c/kWh - vat incl)

By installing a massive (apparently one of SA's largest) centralised solar water heating system this is what Anglo Plat's stands to save. The 270 flat plate solar water heating panels cover three separate buildings and provide enough capacity to heat 42 000 litres of water. That is a lot of hot water!

The solar system pre-feeds a

We've been puffing away for way too long and there ain't nobody to provide a transplant. More than a couple of packs a day for over two hundred years are taking their toll... climate change and deforestation are the same sides of a coin of uncaring.

This was part of a TBWA France campaign for WWF which really drives the point home. Gotta cut the carbon consumption. When are we going to quit?

At present, GM rice is not grown commercially anywhere in the world. But Bayer, the German chemical giant, has genetically manipulated rice to withstand higher doses of a toxic pesticide called glufosinate, which is considered to be so dangerous to humans and the environment that it will soon be banned from Europe.

Sign the petition: stand up for your rice!

Most of us have no clue how much sugar we consume on a daily basis, but seeing firsthand the effects of a sugar rush on a three year old (it ain't pretty) we've become more sensitive to the sugar content in foods. Sugar Stacks is a useful site to visualise just what 39g of sugar looks like.

There is sugar and then there is sugar. Not all types of sugars are metabolised equally and we would argue that naturally occuring fructose sugars in fruit would logically be healthier for you than added sugar in processed products.

As the sugar stackers say, "we don't differentiate between different types of sugar - i.e., sucrose, fructose, cane sugar, corn syrup, honey, etc., although there are differences in how these sugars are metabolized. We just used cubes of white sugar as a visual aid."

Sugar junkies can also follow the stackers blog.

Take a look at the before and after pics for Earth Hour 2009 and learn about some global landmarks at the same time. Pity there were no pics of SA in this collection, but it's estimated the 4.7 million light bulbs were turned off locally.

Thanks, Paula for supplying the link

Just came across the wonderful antics of the UPliftment Program through a random encounter on the CES. The video was taken to showcase "the inspired work of Care Clowns, Clown Doctors and Joy activists around the world".

Also check out their JOY portal, a global network of laughter activists!

Despite the best efforts of our politicians, the world could definitely do with more laughter and it seems like the UP are on the button. Definitely worth a giggle.

If the Dalai Lama doesn't make it in at 8.30 tonight perhaps we can convince Mothlanthe to make a plan.

Seriously, this is a major human rights mess on the part of the government. Cringe material. Hearing Trevor Manuel speak out on the issue on Friday made me feel more uneasy and I wasn't sure why the finance minister felt the need to step in. Perhaps to remove Thabo Masebe's foot from his mouth?.

Take a look at the Avaaz petition and add your voice.

And remember under two hours till lights off!