Being Green

Being Green - 05 MAY 23_He may be fighting a different type of offence, but Nigeria’s Spider-Man is as much a superhero

He may be fighting a different type of offence, but Nigeria’s Spider-Man is as much a superhero as the Marvel Comics crime buster. His name is Jonathan Olanlokun, an environmental activist who dresses up in full Spider-Man kit to help clean up the streets of his hometown of Osogbo, armed…

5 May 2023 6 min

Being Green - 28 APRIL 23_ Dr Tony Rebelo, a scientist at the South African National Biodiversity Institute

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook talks to Dr Tony Rebelo, a scientist at the South African National Biodiversity Institute, about the City Nature Challenge which is taking place this weekend (28 April – 1 May) in some 500 cities around the world. It aims to motivate…

28 Apr 2023 6 min

Being Green - 21 APRIL 23 International Earth Day on Saturday, Glynis Crook speaks to Pavitray “Pavs” Pillay, the World

In this week’s edition of Being Green, and as we mark international Earth Day on Saturday, Glynis Crook speaks to Pavitray “Pavs” Pillay, the World Wide Fund for Nature-South Africa’s environment behaviour change lead, about how each of us can make a contribution to protecting our planet.

21 Apr 2023 6 min

Being Green - 14 APRIL 23 - Prof Mark Swilling, Co-Director of the Centre for Sustainability Transitions at Stellenbosch

In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Prof Mark Swilling, Co-Director of the Centre for Sustainability Transitions at Stellenbosch University, about his view that new Electricity Minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa’s plan to extend the life of our increasingly costly, ageing, and polluting coal-fired power stations is not…

14 Apr 2023 6 min

Being Green - 07 APRIL 23 - Rana Adib, the Executive Director of the highly respected international renewable energy net

As the world faces the unfolding energy and climate crisis, Cape Town is one of a growing number of cities across the world that are taking the lead in the transition to renewables. In this week’s edition of Being Green, Glynis Crook speaks to Rana Adib, the Executive Director of…

7 Apr 2023 6 min

Being Green - 31 MAR 23 - A free mobile climate change app for individuals, funded by the European Commission

The City of Cape Town, in partnership with the University of Cape Town, has launched a free mobile climate change app for individuals, funded by the European Commission. In a nutshell, you can use it to take on challenges to reduce your impact on the environment. In this week’s edition…

31 Mar 2023 7 min

Being Green - 24 MAR 23 - The world’s top climate scientists released their latest report earlier this week

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 2023 6 min

Being Green - 10 MAR 23 - The first European capital to endorse a plant-based diet to tackle the climate emergency

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 2023 6 min

Being Green - 17 MAR 23 - A vegan diet is widely regarded as being better, not only for the environment but also...

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 2023 6 min

Being Green - 03 MAR 23 - Valentin Aich, a senior water and climate specialist at the Global Water Partnership

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 2023 6 min

Being Green - 24 FEB 23 - Cassie Carstens of BirdLife South Africa talks about its Bird of the Year

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 2023 6 min

Being Green - 17 FEB 23 - e-cigarettes / e-waste

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 2023 5 min

Being Green - 10 FEB 23 - Dr Kevin Winter, a researcher at UCT’s Water Institute, about sewage

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 2023 7 min

Being Green - 03 FEB 23 - Global warming and urban heat islands

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 2023 6 min

Being Green - 27 JAN 23 - The Amazon rainforest deforestation accelerated reaching record levels

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 2023 6 min

Being Green - 20 JAN 23 - niversity of Pretoria meteorology professor, Willem Landman, about forecasts El Niño

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 2023 6 min

Being Green - 13 JAN 23 - The Earth’s ozone layer with environmental lawyer Ernesta Swanepoel

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 2023 6 min

Being Green - 06 JAN 23 - Dr Katharina von Dürckheim, leader of Wildlife Free to Roam research programme at SU

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 2023 6 min

Being Green - 30 Dec 22 - Nylon, polyester, and spandex swimwear

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