Vele “Christopher” Neluvhalani believes that on a fundamental level that people have always been connected to the earth, visible by the traces they leave behind, like the ancient rock art on the sandstone outcrops in Mapungubwe

Neluvhalani feels a deep connection to this ancient place, because his ancestors lived there thousands of years before him. He is bound to the area not only by tradition, but when he visits there and climbs to the top of Mapungubwe hill, he feels he has returned home

Mapungubwe is one of South Africa’s most sacred places. It is a World Heritage Site, the site of the earliest Southern African kingdom, a National Park and a Transfrontier Conservation Area. But by July 2011 the South African Government had granted Australian-owned mining company Limpopo Coal a series of permits to construct a large opencast coal mine in this ancient cultural landscape.

Many people, including Neluvhalani, do not agree with this;

This is because the recent announcement that authorisation has been given to Australian-owned company Limpopo Coal to construct an open-cast mine just outside of the boundaries of the park will irreparably alter the landscape. It is for this reason that Neluvhalani believes that “it would be an offence to our ancestors to start mining in the area.”

Neluvhalani was involved in the reburying of his ancestors’ remains at Mapungubwe, after they were recently reclaimed back from a museum collection and restored to their rightful place- a place that will be disturbed if mining is to go ahead

“Once we tamper with Mapungubwe we will be tampering with the past,” says Neluvhalani, who feels that the ties we have to our ancient places like Mapungubwe compel us to prevent them from being compromised, and that “everyone in South Africa should be united to help preserve Mapungubwe”

Submitted and written by: Green Renaissance

Written by Loren Phillips

Given that entire industries are in the process of re-evaluating their business models to figure out whether they can carry on doing business in the same way as they did post-2008, this is a question the fashion industry warrants asking. What the recession certainly showed us was that if your business is not sustainable, it will have to shut its doors. Even the famous Lehman Brothers were not immune to the fatal Wall Street crash. So what practices within the fashion industry are not likely to survive the next fifty years?

According to Wikipedia1 , “Sustainable fashion, also called eco fashion, is a part of the growing design philosophy and trend of sustainability the goal of which is to create a system which can be supported indefinitely in terms of environmentalism and social responsibility. Sustainable fashion is part of the larger trend of sustainable design where a product is created and produced with consideration to the environmental and social impact it may have throughout its total life span.”

The new mantra of the business world is “triple bottom line”. Companies need to start taking a triple bottom line approach when it comes to re-evaluating their business models. Profit, of course, is inseparable from business, but what this new model includes are both people and planet. Important questions that need to be asked at this stage are:

• “What is the impact of my business on the lives of others?”
• “What is the impact of my business on the planet?”

Asking these two questions above and beyond the “How am I going to make money?” you should get a good idea of whether your business will live to see the 21st Century.

Fashion is an industry that is guilty, through its messaging and its non-stop turnover, of portraying itself as cheap, readily available and “must-have”. “The collective result is a homogeneous look that is far less interesting and much more disposable”2.

The fashion industry is responsible for the use of sweatshops and child labour. As the world becomes more connected, these types of business practices are simply unsustainable (not to mention unethical). The price tag usually lays testament to this fact, the cheaper the garment, the more likely it is to have come from unsound sources. An important question has become: “What is the true cost of this garment?”

The true cost underlines the environmental and social damage that it has caused making its way through the value chain and to you, the end user. Shoppers also need to take responsibility for their part, realising by making that purchase, they are creating the demand that feeds the supply.

Then there are fashion shows. Gorgeous, glamorous affairs no doubt, but at what cost? Fashion editors fly from all around the world to attend these soirees and no cost is spared moving textiles, trims and any other accoutrement from point A to point B. The carbon cost of these events is staggering, and more importantly, unsustainable in a world that is increasingly counting carbon dollars. It’s also worth a mention at this point that models starving to death is hardly a sustainable state of affairs.

And all of this for what? So that the world can watch the show on FTV as it happens, and the photographs can be spread digitally just minutes later. Fashion editors are just not the be-all and end-all of the fashion industry like they once were. The digital age is here, and rising to prominence are street style sites and fashion blogs. So what is all the fuss about? Savvy designers like Victor and Rolf have noticed the shift and are gearing up for the new world, presenting digital fashion shows online for all to see. The democratisation of fashion is already in full swing.

Sustainable fashion, a contradiction in terms?

The recent PSFK Salon held in Soho, panelists discussed various key issues related to sustainability in fashion. An important point that emerged was that: “Given that aesthetics and style concerns drive the industry both from a brand and consumer perspective, it became clear from the get-go that in any conversation around fashion, the fashion itself has to come first, meaning that sustainability has to naturally co-exist alongside these expectations.”3 It was also noted that brands play a central role in the education of consumers around issues of sustainability. Although there is a trend, mostly within mature consumer markets, towards slower, more considered consumption, people on the whole need to learn how to purchase with a different set of values in mind, for example:

• Will it last?
• Does it really suit me?
• Can I wear this in five years time?

The onus is also shifting onto big brands in terms of education. Brands leading in the sustainability discourse are integrating sustainable thinking into their core value system, allowing these messages to role out through the various media channels they have available to them. Of course, one of the positive benefits of this is an upswing in positive brand sentiment, especially amongst the younger generation who see “doing good” as one an essential tenet of being a big brand with a massive reach and influence. Big brands need to consider themselves more responsible in the race towards a sustainable future, as the have global reach and are in the financial position put do the research and development necessary in the creation of greener alternatives.

Moving through this transitionary period, we are seeing a large instance of “greenwashing”. Greenwashing refers to “the deceptive use of green Public Relations (PR) or green marketing in order to promote a misleading perception that a company’s policies or products (such as good or services) are environmentally friendly. The term ‘green sheen’ has similarly been used to describe organisations that attempt to show that they are adopting practices beneficial to the environment.”4

Greenwashing is dangerous to the entire sustainability effort as it erodes consumer trust, something which is very difficult to rebuild (note how much damage Nike has suffered with their sweatshop scandal). The difficulty lies in the fact that the terrain is largely unchartered, without the proper legislation to guide best practices. Time will see this rectified as sustainability auditing comes into place5, but in the meantime, savvy consumers have already woken up to false claims and are taking companies to task. Companies need to recognise the importance of authenticity in their messaging, and need to be honest about what has been accomplished and what challenges lie ahead.

Sadly, sustainability thinking is featured more in the posts of green blogs like Treehugger, than on the pages of fashion magazines, where the “green” trend made an appearance but then passed like another waning fashion fad. Digital activists are at the forefront of this debate with websites like Care2 and locally, I Am Changing the World , providing useful information to consumers about the environmental and health benefits of “conscious consumerism”. Some of the trends in sustainability viewed through the lens of fashion include seasonless fashion, the return to craft, localisation, vintage shopping and the move towards organic fibres.

What are designers doing locally?

Local designers largely have their hands tied as far as sourcing is concerned. We do not have a fully functional textile sector of which to speak, thus rely on imports of finished fabrics and have very little say over the process involved in manufacture.

If you are a designer, try source as much as you can locally. Design you own fabric. Start your own factory run on principles of fair trade, which maintain fair practices throughout the fashion value chain

What are retailers doing locally?

Perception of vintage shopping is changing in South Africa. In the last year or so we are seeing the mushrooming of vintage sales, from downtown to Jeppestown, with designers with an eye for a great vintage find selling their goods on to a market that is ready to start shopping in this way. Vintage styling marks the epitomy of individuality, as you can be almost sure that what you find, certainly only comes in one of a kind. Furthermore, it marks a huge backlash against mass produced, cheap, disposable goods.

What can you do as a consumer?

Realise that every single purchase you make, you are casting a vote. By creating a demand for whatever that item may be, you are requesting that more of it be supplied. Take a moment. Consider your next purchase. Mend your clothing. Buy vintage. Accessorise more. When you have the option, buy organic, even if it is only 5% at this stage. What you are telling the retailer is that that is what you want,and that is what you will pay for. Companies understand the language of money, and this is the way we should speak to them.

Fast Facts

• Cotton receives as much as 7 kg per hectare of herbicide and 5 kgs per hectare of insecticide (Source: US Geological Survey)
• Cotton uses more than twenty-five percent of all the insecticides in the world and 12% of all the pesticides (Source: Organic consumers)
• Global retail sales of organic cotton apparel and home textile goods have been soaring 40% per annum since 2001, according to the Organic Exchange
• The world’s top 10 organic cotton using brands last year, according to the OE, include Nike, Walmart, H&M, Levi Strauss & Co and Adidas
• Organic cotton production grew 20% in 2008/09 over 2007/08, across India, Turkey, Pakistan and 19 other countries, with growth forecast to set to continue at 20-40% through 2011
• Dozens of brands and retailers – who together consume 15 percent of the world’s cotton – have signed up to a global scheme called the Better Cotton Initiative, which aims to cut water and soil pollution while battling child and bonded labour. It involves 100,000 cotton farmers in China, Central Asia, Brazil and West and Central Africa. Retail giants Ikea and Levi Strauss sit on the council of the scheme (Source: Business Daily Africa)

References

1. wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_fashion
2. www.psfk.com/2010/09/innovation-and-sustainability-in-fashion.html
3. www.psfk.com/2010/09/video-psfk-salon-ny-how-sustainability-is-driving-the-fashion-business.html
4. wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwashing
5. retail.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/457/52551.html

Seal your Bags and Make them Air-tight with the cap of a used bottle

STEP 1:
Cut up a disposable water bottle and keep the neck and top, as in photo

STEP 2:
Insert the plastic bag through the neck and screw the top – to seal

The bottle is made to be air-tight, such that water will not leak, the secret lies with the top and screw!

… but it is novel which means most people will use it instead of throwing their paper into the bin and then landfill (as we know South Africans don’t recycle)

This concept machine by P&P it isn’t available on our shores yet but it could be a great way to make your own corporate gifts or perhaps sponsor a school with your own home made pencils?

How does it work?

You simply feed any paper waste of a normal paper weight, that has been printed on or not, into the machine and out pops a pencil – pretty niffty!

Scientists from Australia’s University of New South Wales and Purdue University in the United States found that rising temperatures in some places could mean humans would be unable to adapt or survive.

“It would begin to occur with global-mean warming of about seven degrees Celsius (13 Fahrenheit), calling the habitability of some regions into question,” the researchers said in a paper.

“With 11-12 degrees Celsius warming, such regions would spread to encompass the majority of the human population as currently distributed.”

Researcher Professor Steven Sherwood said there was no chance of the earth heating up to seven degrees this century, but there was a serious risk that the continued burning of fossil fuels could create the problem by 2300.

“There’s something like a 50/50 chance of that over the long term,” he said.

The study — which examined climate change over a longer period than most other research — looked at the “heat stress” produced by combining the impact of rising temperatures and increased humidity. Sherwood said climate change research had been “short-sighted” not to probe the long-term consequences of the impact of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

“It needs to be looked at,” he told AFP. “There’s not much we can do about climate change over the next two decades but there’s still a lot we can do about the longer term changes.”

In a commentary on the paper, published in the US-based Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Australian National University academics said climate change would not stop in 2100.

“And under realistic scenarios out to 2300, we may be faced with temperature increases of 12 degrees (Celsius) or even more,” Professor Tony McMichael said.

“If this happens, our current worries about sea level rise, occasional heatwaves and bushfires, biodiversity loss and agricultural difficulties will pale into insignificance beside a major threat — as much as half the currently inhabited globe may simply become too hot for people to live there.”

With thanks to Yahoo News

While the PCP report focuses on the cancer epidemic in America – everything in it is of relevance to us and humanity at large: we are being systematically poisoned to death by carcinogenic chemicals and industrial radiation. While this may come as no surprise to those of us in the natural health sector – it represents a profound shift for the orthodox medical fraternity.

The message from the PCP to President Obama (and leaders everywhere) is loud and clear: if we hope to reduce cancer rates, we must eliminate cancer-causing chemicals in foods, medicines, personal care products and our work and home environments.

Says the PCP:
“The panel urges you (Pres Obama) most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase healthcare costs, cripple our nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives”

Of course the American Cancer Association and the chemical industry have waded into the PCP report; they have been in deliberate denial about the causes of cancer for decades. For them cancer is in the genes, or just bad luck in the roulette of life, and they keep on spewing out – and defending – the toxic nightmare across the planet.

The PCP report points out that Americans (as well as the rest of us who live in big cities) are daily exposed to around 80 000 chemicals (and dozens more new ones each year) yet only a few hundred of them have ever been safety tested. Many of these chemicals are known or suspected carcinogens or endocrine-disruptors. They are in the foods we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe; they are in our shampoos and conditioners, our furniture and our cars; they are everywhere.

Many of these known or suspected carcinogens are totally unregulated and where there is enforcement, it is weak. In virtually all cases, safety regulations fail to take multiple exposures and exposure interactions into account. Nor do they take into account the “synergistic” effects of all these toxins.

The PCP says we are also poisoning the unborn: Numerous environmental contaminants can cross the placental barrier and, to a disturbing extent, babies are being born “pre-polluted.” It says there is a critical lack of knowledge and appreciation of environmental threats to children’s health and a severe shortage of researchers and clinicians trained in children’s environmental health.

The PCP report is groundbreaking because the panel comes from the heartland of orthodox medicine in the US, not the fringe of homeopaths and natural healers who have been blaming cancer on industrial pollution for over a century. So, finally, it seems, the orthodox medical community is being dragged (albeit kicking) into the 21st Century and that the war on cancer will now focus on what’s really important: not the pharmaceutical “cures” but the causes. And we don’t have to look far for the culprits.

Those of us in the alternative and natural health sector should draw comfort from the PCP report- it has placed the spotlight firmly on preventative health and healthy lifestyles, and away from the pharma paradigm that has dominated and harmed the cancer discourse for so long

With thanks to Absolute Organix

Basic All-purpose Cleaner:

You need only vinegar and water; mix one part vinegar to three parts water and viola! You can make a large batch and store it away.

Bathrooms:
Mix one cup of vinegar with a cup of baking soda. Allow it to dissolve and then apply this to your tiles or the inside of your toilet and let it set for about five minutes before you start to scrub it away.

Bathroom mold:
Mold in bathroom tile grout is a common problem and can be a health concern. Mix one part hydrogen peroxide (3%) with two parts water in a spray bottle and spray on areas with mold. Wait at least one hour before rinsing or using shower.

Carpet stains:
Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray directly on stain, let sit for several minutes, and clean with a brush or sponge using warm soapy water. For fresh grease spots, sprinkle corn starch onto spot and wait 15 – 30 minutes before vacuuming. For a heavy duty carpet cleaner, mix 1/4 cup each of salt, borax and vinegar. Rub paste into carpet and leave for a few hours. Vacuum.

Drain Cleaner:
For light drain cleaning, mix 1/2 cup salt in 4 liters water, heat (but not to a boil) and pour down the drain. For stronger cleaning, pour about 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain, then 1/2 cup vinegar. The resulting chemical reaction can break fatty acids down into soap and glycerine, allowing the clog to wash down the drain. After 15 minutes, pour in boiling water to clear residue. Caution: only use this method with metal plumbing. Plastic pipes can melt if excess boiling water is used. Also, do not use this method after trying a commercial drain opener–the vinegar can react with the drain opener to create dangerous fumes.

Dishwashing Soap:
Commercial low-phosphate detergents are not themselves harmful, but phosphates nourish algae which use up oxygen in waterways. A detergent substitution is to use liquid soap. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of vinegar to the warm, soapy water for tough jobs.

Floor Cleaner and Polish:
Vinyl and linoleum: mix 1 cup vinegar and a few drops of baby oil in 1 gallon warm water. For tough jobs, add 1/4 cup borox. Use sparingly on lineoleum.
Wood: apply a thin coat of 1:1 vegetable oil and vinegar and rub in well.
Painted wood: mix 1 teaspoon washing soda into 1 gallon (4L) hot water.
Brick and stone tiles: mix 1 cup white vinegar in 1 gallon (4L) water; rinse with clear water. Most floor surfaces can be easily cleaned using a solution of vinegar and water. For damp-mopping wood floors: mix equal amounts of white distilled vinegar and water. Add 15 drops of pure peppermint oil; shake to mix.

Marks on walls and painted surfaces:
Many ink spots, pencil, crayon or marker spots can be cleaned from painted surfaces using baking soda applied to a damp sponge. Rub gently, then wipe and rinse.

Metal Cleaners and Polishes:
Aluminum: using a soft cloth, clean with a solution of cream of tartar and water.
brass or bronze: polish with a soft cloth dipped in lemon and baking-soda solution, or vinegar and salt solution. Another method is to apply a dab of ketchup on a soft cloth and rub over tarnished spots.
Chrome: polish with baby oil, vinegar, or aluminum foil shiny side out.
Copper: soak a cotton rag in a pot of boiling water with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 cup white vinegar. Apply to copper while hot; let cool, then wipe clean. For tougher jobs, sprinkle baking soda or lemon juice on a soft cloth, then wipe. For copper cookware, sprinkle a lemon wedge with salt, then scrub., A simpler method is to apply a dab of ketchup on a soft cloth and rub over tarnished spots.
Gold: clean with toothpaste, or a paste of salt, vinegar, and flour.
Silver: line a pan with aluminum foil and fill with water; add a teaspoon each of baking soda and salt. Bring to a boil and immerse silver. Polish with soft cloth.
Stainless steel: clean with a cloth dampened with undiluted white vinegar, or olive oil. For stainless cookware, mix 4 tbs baking soda in 1 qt water, and apply using a soft cloth. Wipe dry using a clean cloth. For stainless steel sinks, pour some club soda on an absorbent cloth to clean, then wipe dry using a clean cloth.

Rust Remover:
Sprinkle a little salt on the rust, squeeze a lime over the salt until it is well soaked. Leave the mixture on for 2 – 3 hours. Use leftover rind to scrub residue.

Water Rings on Wood:
Water rings on a wooden table or counter are the result of moisture that is trapped under the topcoat, but not the finish. Try applying toothpaste or mayonnaise to a damp cloth and rub into the ring. Once the ring is removed, buff the entire wood surface.

Window Cleaner:
Mix 2 teaspoons of white vinegar with 1 liter (qt) warm water. Use crumpled newspaper or cotton cloth to clean. Don’t clean windows if the sun is on them, or if they are warm, or streaks will show on drying. The All-Purpose Cleaner (above) also works well on windows. Be sure to follow the recipe, because using too strong a solution of vinegar will etch the glass and eventually cloud it.

Today green living is not only essential if we are going to preserve our earth for future generations but it is all the more accessible thanks to eco-friendly products that we can either buy or instead make right at home!

Your lush lawn:
Before you stretch out on (or let your kids run barefoot through) that green grass, consider that it may be blanketed with toxic pesticides.

• “The commonly used insecticides are all chemical cousins of the wartime gas ‘Sarin’.
• And the commonly used herbicides are chemical first cousins of ‘Agent Orange’. So that “healthy” lawn has the potential to increase your family’s risks of cancer or neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease.
• Safer ecofriendly and organic lawn sprays and other nonchemical options—from aphid-eating ladybugs to heat (electrocution) for termites—are surprisingly effective.

You may not have the most manicured lawn on the block. But to keep your family safe, you have to learn to live with a few dandelions.

Under your kitchen sink:
It’s where we keep our powerhouse cleaning products: bleach, ammonia, tile scrubbers, etc. They are potent—and dangerous. They’re effective cleaning agents because they’re reactive substances. You might want that in your kitchen sink, but you don’t want it in your lungs.

• Many common cleaning products are considered hazardous substances such as ammonia and chlorine bleach which can cause headaches, burn skin, and irritate the eyes and respiratory tract.
• Accidentally mixing the two releases toxic chlorine gas that damages lung tissue and impairs lung function.
• Regularly cleaning with bleach which generally contains chlorine, classified as a hazardous air pollutant is particularly harmful to kids because it can trigger and worsen asthma.

Thankfully, it’s simple to detox your kitchen. Replace potent products under the sink with milder versions from brands. Soap, water, and elbow grease are all you need.

Your child’s Toy Box:
The main threat here is lead-coated toys. In very high doses, lead can cause convulsions and brain damage in young children.

• If children are exposed to it in even small amounts, they can have a loss of IQ, a shortening of attention span, and behavioral problems. They’re also more likely to have dyslexia and to drop out of school.
• Checking every toy in the house for lead may not help because not all home tests are accurate. Instead ‘make smart buys’. Don’t get brightly colored plastic or painted toys.
• Other ways to protect your kids: Have them wash their hands after playing and before eating, and get them tested for lead.
• Many pediatricians test lead-in-blood levels at the 1- and 2-year-old checkups; if yours doesn’t, request the test.

Your closet:
Mothballs are really dangerous chemicals. The vapors are carcinogenic and are also irritating to the nervous system. In fact, if your child swallows one, it can be fatal.

• Inhaling mothball vapors overnight doesn’t mean you will get cancer tomorrow, but it does increase your long-term risk. So use safer moth-repelling alternatives like dried-lavender and cedar products.
• Are your work clothes swathed in dry-cleaning bags? They harbor perchloroethylene, the most common dry-cleaning chemical, which causes cancer in lab animals, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• Heavy exposure to this substance can cause dizziness and confusion, even in adults, so it’s best to minimize your use of dry cleaning.
• Machine-wash whatever you can on the delicate cycle. Not everything labeled “dry-clean only” needs it.
• Another option: Find a professional cleaner who uses less-toxic solutions, like CO2, or does wet cleaning (a combo of water, biodegradable soap, and steam in special machines).
• If you have an item conventionally dry-cleaned, remove it from plastic and air it outside for several hours before hanging it in the closet. This will give the chemicals time to evaporate, reducing the health risk.

That half-renovated Rec Room:
Two of the most hazardous materials that can be knocked loose are asbestos insulation and lead. There have been cases of lead poisoning when families who were pregnant did renovations and sanded off paint that happened to contain lead.

• Renovations shouldn’t be considered a weekend hobby or time to save a buck. Vacate the house for the duration, if possible. Can’t leave for the whole time? Get out during the initial demolition (when mold, mildew, and dust are being stirred up) and in the final phase (when liquid-chemical products like paint and wood finish are being applied).
• If you have a half-renovated project, seal off the construction site ASAP (plastic tarps and tape usually do the trick), then have a home inspector test for lead paint and other environmental hazards. Depending on what he finds, you may need to hire a lead-abatement expert or ecofriendly contractor to finish the job and properly clean your home.

Your bed:
The average person spends about one-third of her life in bed. The problem: Most conventional mattresses contain brominated flame retardants, also known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. Medical experts are currently investigating PBDEs and their possible links to cancer, immune and thyroid suppression, and IQ reduction in children. PBDEs affect almost every organ in the body, and levels are rising exponentially in blood and breast milk. You can be pretty sure that if they’re in breast milk, they’re going to be in kids’ bodies. Luckily, there are less-toxic alternatives.

• Consider an organic mattress. For a comparatively cheaper option, choose an organic-cotton or wool futon. Wool, unlike petroleum-based chemicals such as polyurethane foam (found in many mattresses), acts as a natural flame retardant.

Your litter box:
What’s in kitty’s box: It could be chemicals that affect lungs and may cause cancer. Anyone who has changed a litter box is familiar with that cough-inducing dust cloud. It likely contains low levels of crystalline silica, a carcinogen.

• To give the natural variety an odor-eating boost, mix in a little baking soda. And be sure to keep boxes in ventilated spots such as a screened-in porch

With thanks from Health.com

TWO: Tread on natural flooring
… Like rugs made of hemp or bamboo

THREE: Choose Compact fluorescent lights (CFL)
…Get warm, pleasant light, save electricity

FOUR: Make sure your office is eco-friendly
…Go for reusable recyclable furniture

FIVE: Reduce impact of paper use
… Try use both sides

SIX: Be environment conscious when you print
…Think before you print

SEVEN: Use solar-powered gadgets
…This will be good for your wallet and the environment

EIGHT: Have some plants indoors
…As they absorb toxins and look pretty

NINE: Learn to use nature’s cleaners
…vinegar, water and baking soda instead of nasty detergents

TEN: Consider walking, biking or taking a bus to destination
…you’ll look great, get fit and save money