Being Green

Being Green - 24 MAR 23

The world’s top climate scientists released their latest report earlier this week which painted a grim picture. The United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said we can only avoid the worst of climate change by rapidly using less fossil fuels and making big reductions in greenhouse gas emissions…

24 Mar 6 min

Being Green - 10 MAR 23

The city of Edinburgh in Scotland recently became the first European capital to endorse a plant-based diet to tackle the climate emergency. In fact, a vegan diet is widely regarded as being better not only for the environment but also for our health. In this week’s edition of Being Green,…

10 Mar 6 min

Being Green - 17 MAR 23

A vegan diet is widely regarded as being better, not only for the environment but also for our health. But not all plant-based foodstuffs have a small environmental footprint. The air transport of fruit and vegetables is just one of the reasons why what you eat may still be having…

9 Mar 6 min

Being Green - 03 MAR 23

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Valentin Aich, a senior water and climate specialist at the Global Water Partnership, about concerns of yet another drought in Italy and the surrounding region this European summer. This after the Alps received less than half their normal amount…

3 Mar 6 min

Being Green - 24 FEB 23

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Cassie Carstens of BirdLife South Africa about its Bird of the Year, the endangered Cape Parrot, and a project that aims to increase its numbers in the wild.

24 Feb 6 min

Being Green - 17 FEB 23

The popularity of e-cigarettes continues to grow in South Africa with estimates suggesting that close to half a million people are now vaping. In Australia, the situation is pretty much the same, and environmental organisations there have sounded the alarm saying the sharp increase in the number of people vaping,…

17 Feb 5 min

Being Green - 10 FEB 23

There has been a lot of talk this summer about the temporary closure of several Cape Town beaches due to pollution from sewage spills. The City pumps millions of litres of raw sewage into the sea every day from marine pipelines in Green Point, Camps Bay, and Hout Bay. In…

10 Feb 7 min

Being Green - 03 FEB 23

Global warming, combined with the fact that there tend to be fewer shaded areas and more heat-absorbing surfaces in cities, results in a phenomenon known as urban heat islands, which can have a negative impact on our health. But a new modelling study, led by the Barcelona Institute for Global…

3 Feb 6 min

Being Green - 27 JAN 23

The Amazon rainforest is seen as vital to curbing climate change. But in Brazil, under the leadership of former President Jair Bolsonaro, deforestation accelerated reaching record levels. In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Dr Erika Berenguer, a forest ecologist at both Oxford and Lancaster Universities,…

27 Jan 6 min

Being Green - 20 JAN 23

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to University of Pretoria meteorology professor, Willem Landman, about forecasts that the El Niño weather phenomenon will likely make a return later this year, resulting in unprecedented heatwaves and an increase in extreme weather events.

20 Jan 6 min

Being Green - 13 JAN 23

Twenty or 30 years ago, one of the most feared problems facing mankind was the increasingly large hole in the Earth’s ozone layer. In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to environmental lawyer, Ernesta Swanepoel, about the good news that it is healing. A United Nations report…

13 Jan 6 min

Being Green - 06 JAN 23

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Dr Katharina von Dürckheim, leader of Wildlife Free to Roam research programme at Stellenbosch University about her research into the African elephant’s extraordinary sense of smell.

6 Jan 6 min

Being Green - 30 Dec 22

As you hit the beaches or swimming pool over the holidays, did you know that the materials most commonly used to make your bikini or swimming trunks - nylon, polyester, and spandex - are plastic based? And that while there are alternative biodegradable fabrics, like organic cotton and viscose, currently…

30 Dec 2022 6 min

Being Green - 23 Dec 22

Globally, the agriculture sector is responsible for around one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, and the biggest chunk of that comes from livestock. Many scientists believe eating less meat is an important step to reducing the environmental impact of the methane-rich belches of sheep and cows. So does this mean you…

23 Dec 2022 7 min

Being Green - 16 Dec 22

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Ian Michler, co-author of the book “Living in Two Worlds: Addressing Humanity’s Greatest Challenges”. It documents the four-month non-motorised journey he and fellow conservationist, Ian McCallum, took across six southern African countries, the insights they gained, and the questions…

16 Dec 2022 6 min

Being Green - 09 Dec 22

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Dr Robin Fears, project leader of the InterAcademy Partnership, a global network of academies of science, medicine and engineering, who was one of the speakers at a World Science Forum panel on the impact of climate change on health.

9 Dec 2022 7 min

Being Green - 02 Dec 22

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Talitha Noble, conservation manager at the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, about its sea turtle programme which is the beneficiary of a charity event taking place this weekend. The DELI2SEA ocean awareness fun run is taking place on Sunday from…

2 Dec 2022 6 min

Being Green - 25 Nov 22

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Eben Olderwagen, the environmental project manager at Vergelegen Wine Estate, about its involvement in the Quagga Project and the imminent birth of a foal on the farm.

25 Nov 2022 7 min

Being Green - 18 Nov 22

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Dr Nicholas Simpson, Senior Advisor and Lead for Knowledge and Practice at the African Climate Mobility Initiative. He delivered a paper earlier this week at the United Nations Climate Conference, COP27, which says that by 2050, 113 million people…

18 Nov 2022 6 min

Being Green - 11 Nov 22

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Soil for Life’s CEO, Cindy Buské, and Fine Music Radio’s station manager, Eon de Vos, about a joint project to plant an FMR vegetable garden at WIN Educare in Delft on the Cape Flats. To find out more or…

11 Nov 2022 6 min