10 great reasons to unleash your inner chicken farmer!

Buff Reds

No farm is really a farm without a few hens scratching through loose hay in the yard and the iconic rooster crowing to the sunrise upon his picket-fence pedestal… It just wouldn’t be right! Although most farms are a far cry from what they used to be (you only need to type CAFO or chicken farm into Google to confirm this), the chicken still does, and has always represented the quintessential farm. There is something simple, sunny and inviting about chickens wandering a property in search of something tasty. But chickens need not be a feature of faraway farmlands and way-out rural regions - the urban chicken has earned its rightful place within the city limits of many capitals around the world.

So why are chickens such good urban companions, and why should we keep them in suburbia? Here are 10 great reasons!

Greenpeace protesters outside KusileNine Greenpeace activists were arrested yesterday for trespassing and "malicious damage" at the construction site of Eskom's Kusile coal-fired power plant.

Activists chained themselves to the front gate, acting as a decoy, whilst a smaller group made their way through a back entrance and climbed a crane to unfurl a big banner reading "Kusile: climate killer"

, one of the activists protesting South Africa's "addiction to coal" said that for most South African's the idea of where their electricity comes from doesn't even occur to them. "They switch on a light and don't realise that coal is burning at that moment"

Eskom said that they engage with Greenpeace and other NGO's on climate change, but that they cannot allow illegal entry onto their sites.

On its completion in 2016, Kusile is expected to burn through 17M tons of coal every year, emitting another 37M tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Let Us Grow, A Your Street CT WinnerLast week the Your Street seven finalists were invited to present their proposals on how to enhance an aspect of city life using design to the jury that included representatives from Design Indaba, the local design sector as well as from the City of Cape Town.

Here are the four winners of the Your Street Cape Town Challenge, sharing between them R250 000 to implement their proposals.

Acre Road, Kensington: A community-based design solution to improve the lives of the Acre Road community using low-cost facilities to cater for positive community activities. R100 000: Lorena Pasquini, Caitlynne Francis, Mark Henning and Hannah Williams.

Violet’s Walk: A clearly marked

The Green Faire in Hout Bay last Saturday

A refreshing perspective on the local green-scene, the Hout Bay Green Faire is the perfect opportunity to network with like-minded people as well as support businesses that have their ethical heads on straight.

For people like me, who relish the idea of a zero-waste, creatively-inspired society living close to and in harmony with nature, this was a piece of paradise. Overwhelming even, to have so much of what you normally have to hunt for in the same place for one day. Almost makes those high ideals feel within reach.

As to be expected, Green Peace were busy sharing their message and the Talent Exchange guys could be spotted too. A cluster of trees standing near the centre represented the presence of Food and Trees For Africa, and many seedlings were on sale at

Bruce Kerswill, GBCSABruce Kerswill, Chairman of the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) and the person who facilitated the formation of the council, has been elected as the Vice Chairman of the World Green Building Council (World GBC).

Kerswill has been involved with the World GBC Exco for three years through his role as a Director, and also as Secretary. Recognising the need for change in the built environment in SA, he helped form the GBCSA in 2007.

Since then the GBCSA, under Kerswills guidance, has become one of the most active councils globally and is at the forefront of green building in SA.

pic:: Kian EriksenProtest at 18th AFRICA OIL WEEK, Waterfront, Cape Town.
At access roads to the Waterfront:
corner of Portswood & Beach
Time: 7:30-10:00am on Thursday 3 November

A group of concerned Capetonians, in partnership with the NPO Climate Justice Campaign, have called for a protest at the 18th Africa Oil Week taking place at the Waterfront from 31 October to 4 November.

At the Africa Oil Week, various heads of state, multinational oil and gas companies and other interested parties will discuss such topics as 'The Scramble for Africa' and 'Africa's Oil and Gas Future', including shale gas developments.

Sun and wind are good for more than catching a tan or blowing away dandelions. Greenpeace would like them to be used to power South Africa

You can help by signing the petition at www.usememore.co.za to ask government to increase it's ambitions! Renewable energy can do so much more!

Did you know that the amount of solar energy that reaches the planet in one year is double the energy contained in all the Earth's coal, oil, and gas resources combined?

Did you know that wind power already supplies 2.5% of the world's total energy demand?

Now, it makes you wonder

A wonderful mosaic stands at the door

In the quiet Cape Town suburb of Plumstead a listed national monument building houses a vegan/vegetarian friendly restaurant that specialises in fresh and fantastic lunch buffets.

Michelle Carelse, the owner of Organic at Heart, took us for a walk around the kitchen garden - a space that was car park only 8 months back, now a thriving veg patch - where we discuss companion planting, worm-composting and the joys of eating as fresh as the last pick.

‘I like the idea of sustainable living,’ says Michelle. ‘This garden inspires people to start their own vegetable gardens. It’s not difficult to start growing your own herbs and salads – if everybody could just grow a little bit we could be well on our way to becoming a more self-sufficient society.’

Ratanang Permaculture projectFood insecurity, food-related riots and malnourishment have been on the increase globally in the last number of years, and Africa has been particularly hard hit.

South Africa has an opportunity to create solutions that can be scaled up across the continent, as well as providing its own poor with sustainable livelihoods and dignity. But small farmers often lack the managerial and technical expertise to succeed in the highly competitive farming industry.

A new programme by Food & Trees for Africa’s (FTFAs), Farmer Eco Enterprise Development (FEED), is aiming to address the needs of emerging farmers to enable them to become players in the mainstream agricultural economy.

Hout Bay Green Faire - Sat 29 Oct 10am

One of our favourite events on the green calendar. The Hout Bay Green Faire 2011 has something for everyone. You'll be able to find information and products for greening your lifestyle and lowering your ecological footprint, gifts and entertainment for the kids and yummy local and organic food, plus a whole lot more. An authentic green exhibition in the open air! (remember sunscreen, depending on weather).

There is a REALLY COOL line up of talks on the day, view the Hout Bay Green Faire Programme here.

Some highlights include:
Sue Visser showing you how to make and use probiotics for garden and human health.

Andy Le May on sustainability as the new norm the "realisation that what each of us does is essential in forging the world we want our kids to live in.”

Anthea Torr providing insight into living in peace and harmony to heal ourselves and the planet.

Rod Tritton uncovering some mind-expanding mysteries in his new book Exploring Mystery, Changing History, Taking Responsibility

Tony Budden on the process