Being Green

Being Green - 29 Dec 23 - Trevor Abrahams, Working on Fire managing director

We’ve been hearing a lot this month about climate change and the impact the rise in global temperatures is having on so many aspects of our lives. One of these is the likelihood that the size, frequency, and severity of wildfires will increase in the years to come. In Being…

29 Dec 2023 6 min

Being Green - 22 Dec 23 - Dr Christian Reynolds, a Reader in Food Policy at City, University of London

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, but it does tend to be excessive in terms of all the delicious meals we eat. And we shouldn’t forget that the world’s food system is a huge contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. So, how can we keep the environment in…

22 Dec 2023 6 min

Being Green - 15 Dec 23_ Professor Francois Engelbrecht, Director of Wits University’s Global Change Institute.

There was a standing ovation on Wednesday morning when a landmark deal was agreed on at the end of the United Nations climate summit in Dubai. While it doesn't specifically mention the "phasing-out" of fossil fuels, it does call for parties to contribute to efforts to "transition away" from the…

15 Dec 2023 6 min

Being Green - 08 Dec 23_ Sam Kimmins energy director of International NPO, The Climate Group

Some 120 governments have now signed a pledge to triple the world’s renewable energy capacity by 2030, essential to delivering the scale of emissions reductions needed globally to combat climate change. South Africa is not one of them, despite our abundant renewable energy sources. International NPO, The Climate Group, has…

8 Dec 2023 6 min

Being Green - 01 Dec 23_Olivia Rumble of Climate Legal

In Being Green this week, Glynis Crook speaks to Olivia Rumble of Climate Legal about what African countries are hoping for from this year’s

1 Dec 2023 6 min

Being Green - 24 Nov 23_ Willem van der Westhuizen, one of the founders of the community-led project, ZeroToLandfill

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Willem van der Westhuizen, one of the founders of the community-led project, ZeroToLandfill, which collects recycling and organic waste in the Little Mowbray-Rosebank area of the city.

24 Nov 2023 7 min

Being Green - 17 Nov 23_Dr Sara Andreotti-Stellenbosch University marine biologist

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Stellenbosch University marine biologist, Dr Sara Andreotti, who together with a group of scientists and environmentalists has developed an eco-friendly shark barrier which is being used for the first time on a private island in the Bahamas.

17 Nov 2023 6 min

Being Green - 10 Nov 23_Liz Sole and Kallie Doran-Revival of Arnold Street dog park

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook visits the Arnold Street dog park where she meets with retired music teacher, Liz Sole, and artist Kallie Doran, two of a group of Observatory residents who have got together to revive the space for the pleasure of both humans and…

10 Nov 2023 7 min

Being Green - 03 Nov 23_Mark Alexander-Professor of Civil Engineering

Concrete is the most widely used man-made material in existence, but it is also one of the worst climate change offenders, contributing at least 8% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. But, for the moment, we can’t live without it. In Being Green this week, Glynis Crook speaks to UCT Emeritus…

3 Nov 2023 6 min

Being Green - 27 Oct 23_Gert van Tonder-Garden at Tokara wine estate

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to moss artist, Gert van Tonder, who has created a spectacular garden at Tokara wine estate, about the role this seemingly unimportant plant plays in protecting the environment. The garden is open to the public for 4 days during the…

27 Oct 2023 6 min

Being Green - 20 Oct 23_Dr David Roberts-Clinical veterinarian for Sanccob

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Dr David Roberts, a clinical veterinarian for the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob) about the critical endangered African Penguin and the fight for their survival. Penguin adoptions assist with fundraising. It cost R600 to…

20 Oct 2023 6 min

Being Green - 13 Oct 23_Samantha Ralston-Paton of BirdLife South Africa

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Samantha Ralston-Paton of BirdLife South Africa about the dangers that wind turbines pose to birds and a new potential solution that is being tested in the Western Cape.

13 Oct 2023 6 min

Being Green - 06 Oct 23_Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis_Part 2 Interview

Cape Town mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, is back on Being Green with Glynis Crook, this week talking about some of the other renewable energy projects and plans for the city.

6 Oct 2023 5 min

Being Green - 29 Sept 23_Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis_Part 1 Interview

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis about the City of Cape Town’s green energy plan.

29 Sep 2023 5 min

Being Green - 22 Sept 23_Professor Marcello Vichi, head of UCT’s Department of Oceanography

Following the dramatic sea surges experienced across the Western and Eastern Cape last weekend. Glynis Crook speaks to Professor Marcello Vichi, head of UCT’s Department of Oceanography, to find out how much climate change is to blame.

22 Sep 2023 6 min

Being Green - 15 Sept 23_Lorren de Kock, WWF South Africa’s circular economy portfolio senior manager

As we mark a slew of national and international clean-up days, in this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook asks WWF South Africa’s circular economy portfolio senior manager, Lorren de Kock, if we are facing a ‘waste crisis’.

15 Sep 2023 6 min

Being Green - 08 Sept 23_Dr Nicholas Simpson of the African Climate Mobility Initiative

In the declaration at the end of the inaugural African Climate Summit in Kenya this week, African leaders proposed new global taxes and reforms to international financial institutions to help the continent fund actions that will help it adapt to increasingly extreme weather. In Being Green this week, Glynis Crook…

8 Sep 2023 6 min

Being Green - 1 Sept 23_Richard Arm, Vergelegen’s senior horticulturist

In Being Green this week, Glynis Crook talks to Vergelegen’s senior horticulturist, Richard Arm, about the importance of Arbor Week and a wonderful opportunity to buy indigenous trees at the wine estate over the next seven days.

1 Sep 2023 6 min

Being Green - 25 Aug 23_Prof Francois Engelbrecht, a climate scientist at Wits University

- In Being Green this week, Glynis Crook talks to Prof Francois Engelbrecht, a climate scientist at Wits University’s Global Change Institute about a new study which suggests that the extreme weather and weather-related events experienced in the northern hemisphere this summer will increase in frequency and severity unless the…

25 Aug 2023 6 min

Being Green - 18 Aug 23_Mike Allsop

Although it still feels like we are very much in the depths of winter, spring is not too far off. And as the flowers begin to bloom, so bees begin to emerge from their hives in search of pollen and nectar. In Being Green this week, Glynis Crook speaks to…

18 Aug 2023 7 min