Current Environmental News: Maintstream and Private Conservation

Story of a farm

Details: Parent Category: News; Published on Friday, 18 June 2010 04:13

Northern Farm, situated on the declared Diepsloot Nature Reserve in Gauteng, is a working farm, adjunct to the water treatment works, and a popular recreational site just outside the city of Johannesburg. And it is under threat of being dismantled.

A chronicle of events lists the sad demise of open space and a litany of senseless decisions which sadly, impact on the poor, stifle skills transfer, bring to an end a valuable agricultural research programme and make living in Joburg a little less rewarding.

World Environment Day

Details: Parent Category: News; Published on Saturday, 05 June 2010 03:25

Fast is not always good. Species are becoming extinct at the fastest rate known in geological history, and most of these extinctions are tied to human activity. This year is the UN Year of Biodiversity and it seems as if in the blink of an eye, we are already half-way through it.

Summit calls for govt to fast-track green growth

Details: Parent Category: News; Published on Friday, 21 May 2010 03:02

South Africa's first Green Economy Summit ended with delegates calling for the development of green growth policies and regulations which support the development of clean technologies.

As part of the declaration, the 650 delegates - including international guests - resolved to put the brakes on carbon emissions and other forms of pollution that have proved to be a hurdle to green economy development. The summit, held in Sandton, ended on Thursday.

When everybody is sick, that would be a crisis"

Details: Parent Category: News; Published on Monday, 03 May 2010 06:25

If we had a crisis we would be talking about an outbreak of diseases, but we don't want to get there and we won't get there", is Water Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica's response to the Blue Drop Report. This report indicated that only 7% of water treatment works in South Africa are compliant with criteria determined for E.coli bacteria, nitrates and phosphates.

"When everybody is sick; that would be a crisis," said Sonjica .

Blue Scorpions determine water is untreated

Details: Parent Category: News; Published on Friday, 07 May 2010 04:21

The Blue Scorpions have determined that water samples at Grootvlei Mine in Springs show the sulphate levels from the mine outlet exceeded the recommended operational limits. The report by the Blue Scorpions indicates that contaminated water is being pumped out of the mine shaft into a purification plant and being discharged into the Blesbokspruit untreated.

City Park flogs land below market value

Details: Parent Category: News; Published on Tuesday, 04 May 2010 04:07

Residents in Fourways were outraged when they discovered that Johannesburg City Parks has sold a centrally located park to developers.

Force compliance with the National Water Act

Details: Parent Category: News; Published on Saturday, 01 May 2010 18:33

The Federation for a Sustainable Environment (FSE), the National Water Forum and the National Taxpayers Union have called the water crisis in South Africa a "time bomb".

Cleaning the water to drinking standards will cost too much

Details: Parent Category: News; Published on Thursday, 22 April 2010 01:46

The Minister of Water Affairs has responded in draft to questions submitted by Gareth Morgan of the Democratic Alliance on the burning issue of Acid Mine Drainage on the West Rand.

The AMD on the West Rand is not a theoretical debate. The matter should be of grave concern to people residing in Gauteng, and is a quantitative example of government's response to the citizens' right to an environment that is now harmful.

Latest News

Sustainability Ideas

Travel in your EGG

Recently unveiled at the ongoing 2013 Seoul Motor Show, the E4U is a one-seater that can move easily in any direction. It travels on a rotating front sphere and two rear training-wheel-like supports. Propulsion is

Power from a cup of water

Got a cup of boiling water? You can charge your cellphone!

From inventive Kenya comes a solution that puts pay to waste. That kettle you have just boiled, the campfire heat, the used plastic bottle destined for the landfill, all elements that can be put to good use.

The Bottle Charger works day or night,rain or shine to bring el

Re-use paper with the un-prinitng machine

In spite of technology and all the gadgets we now have available to be paperless, paper is still a part of every office. In the future we may be able to re-use the printed page by un-printing it.

The technology relies on nano-second bursts of laser energy to remove the toner from the page. And that can be done up to five times.