Education for Sustainable Development

I attended the Education for Sustainable Development on Monday 5 August 2013. It was staged at a very impressive Bamboo Hall on the Unisa Main Campus.

The programme on Education for Sustainable Development is a joint initiative between Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Capacity Building International (on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation); South Africa and Mexico.

The purpose of the dialogue was to deliberate on sustainable practices and design strategies to document and share knowledge among international experts' network and all stakeholders, especially Universities, Government Departments, Civil Society, UN bodies and NGOs.

Professor Godwell Nhamo's presentation on 'Research for a sustainable future' was one of the presentations that caught my attention. He had a very impressive one graphic slide presentation which was out of the ordinary because all the other presenters used multiple slides. "Now we are taking economics into the environment" and "the global sustainability agenda is getting clearer and more streamlined" was two concepts the mentioned that still gets me thinking.

He stressed that the 'polluter-must pay-principle' should apply to developed countries only. I couldn't resist asking him during the Question and Answer session why he believes that a developing country such as South Africa, who has one of the highest carbon emission levels in the world, shouldn't take responsibility for releasing greenhouse gases that causes global warming. Nhamo, the Exxaro Chair on Business and Climate Change, passionately defended his view saying that as a developing country South Africa's carbon emission can't be compared to that of developed countries who are polluting on a much bigger scale. I was not convinced about his argument. I am of the opinion that every country and business who pollutes should pay whether you are in the North or the South......take responsibility!



Mr Thillo Thormeyer, Head of Capacity Building GIZ, explained the training process that participants in the ESD Young Leader's Change Project undergo. It is a multi-disciplinary curriculum taught in South Africa, Germany, Mexico and India. Their first intake was all school teachers but they have started to broaden the intake to civil servants and  other interested parties. The Alumni of the Young Leader's Change project's roles are to promote systems change and cultivate networks. Alumni member, Mr Thamsanqa Nkosi, left us with some 'green nuggets of wisdom'

• Use social networks to effect change
• work at multiple levels of change
• make space for self-realisation.

Youth and the Green Economy

It was a perfect sunny Friday morning, 26 July 2013, as my colleagues and I made our way to Sandton Convention Centre. The traffic from Pretoria was playing along so we managed to get to the Youth and the Green Economy Seminar just after 9am.

Mr Malusi Gigaba, Minister of Public Enterprises, did the opening speech.He raised a lot of relevant issues that aspiring 'greentrepreneurs' have to deal with like access to funding.

Mr Pandelani Dzughudza, Deputy Director within the sector Education, Training and Development at the National Department of Environmental was next to take the podium. The Youth Strategic objectives of the Department is:

• To strengthen the capabilities of young people to realize their potential through skills development.
• To strengthen the culture of patriotic citizenship through rendering of services in disadvantaged communities.
• To ensure that the young people play a part in the development of the country.
• Provide environmental education and awareness in schools and communities.
• To contribute to conservation and protection in the environment.

One of my highlights was listening to a highly informative presentation by Dr Mbileni who is responsible for Green and Sustainable Development Projects at the Innovation Hub. The Innovation Hub's intelligent community has become a regional centre of innovation and knowledge creation, linked to the fast-moving world of global interconnectivity. The Innovation Hub has created a unique space for high-tech entrepreneurs, world-class businesses, academics, researchers and venture capitalists to meet network and prosper. It's value-adding business support services contribute to the growth and globalisation of technology-rich enterprises in an environment that promotes innovation and enhances competitiveness for knowledge-based businesses.

I so look forward to working with the Hub in the not too distant future.

Ella Bella looking at the world through green lenses. She delivered an engaging talk.

Some of the nuggets of wisdom and challenges that Ella Bella, co-founder of Miss Earth SA and Generation Earth, left us with are the following 'green nuggets'.

1. "How are we gonna bring together people,planet,profit?"
2. "African solutions for African problems."
3. "The youth are not the future; they are the present."
4. Solution:"Miss Earth SA planted over 20 000 trees"
5. "There is no Planet B", the final worlds of the moving documentary, outlining the disastrous impact of humans on the natural environment, that she started her presentation with.

Lunch with my colleagues at Sandton Convention Centre after the seminar

I took so much knowledge and inspiration from the day's speakers. However, enough inspiration it is time to apply all the knowledge and make it work for all of us.

Sustainable Energy Seminar

On 25 July I attended the Sustainable Energy Seminar at the Sandton Convention Centre that formed part of  Sustainability Week 2013.

The seminar stimulated debate and creative thinking among practitioners, consultants and corporations on the subject of sustainable approaches to energy in South Africa.

Large-scale energy consumers in South Africa are the mines(18%), all of industry(48%) and most of commerce (10%), domestics and agriculture making up the remaining. However the available energy for these consumer sectors are 14%, 35% and 10% respectively. There is thus a shortfall, particularly in the mining industry.

The seminar sought to advance common sense steps and explored radical rethinking of approaches that may be taken by large cities, and by industries.

Other interesting questions that were debated were

1. Can alternative energy generation onsite contribute meaningfully to reducing dependence on the grid?
2. To what extend can renewable energy feed into the distribution network?
3. How are we progressing towards innovative concepts such as rooftop solar PV?

A common thread through out the conversation was that the key to fast tracking these developments lies in creative, accessible and packaged finance.

As we reconvened after the tea break the venue experienced a power outage for 20 minutes. This incident was a light-bulb moment for Renewable Energy detractors and a reminder for many attendees that have been advocating for cleaner energy sources to increase our effort.

Part of my outfit during the Winter Pledge photo shoot

I took the Winter 2013 Pledge to cut down on using my heater and to be an energy saving champion.

Groen Sebenza

Groen Sebenza is a jobs Fund project aimed at developing priority skills in the biodiversity sector to create sustainable job opportunities for 800 unemployed graduates and matriculants.

The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) was pleased to announce that it has embarked on a major skills development and job creation pilot programme, Groen Sebenza, a Jobs Fund Partnership Project. Groen Sebenza is aimed at developing priority skills in the biodiversity sector to create sustainable job opportunities for 800 unemployed graduates and matriculants. Groen Sebenza which means Green (in Afrikaans) and Work (in isiZulu) brings young South Africans from previously disadvantaged backgrounds together with experienced biodiversity professionals to learn, grow and eventually gain the competence and confidence to embark on rewarding and meaningful biodiversity careers. The programme partners with 33 organisations from all tiers of government, NGOs and the private sector. The human capital development strategy for the Biodiversity sector indicates that South Africa has a shortage of skills to manage its biodiversity. Various historical inequalities have also contributed to this skills shortage. The programme has been initiated to respond to these demands, as identified by the various research efforts conducted in the sector.

At the Gala dinner of the Groen Sebenza Induction Week that took place at Birchwood Hotel

 

The R300 million project is sponsored by the Development Bank of Southern Africa’s Jobs Fund. It is spearheaded by SANBI and is a first in the local biodiversity industry

The Groen Sebenza Internship opportunity

Groen Sebenza is based on an "incubator model" giving the 800 participating youth workplace experience through a structured mentoring programme, together with skills development and training opportunities for a period of two-and-a-half (2½) years. 500 graduates and 300 school leavers (matriculants) referred to as 'incubants' will be placed with one of the 33 partner organisations for the duration of the project.

National:

·         SANBI - South African National Biodiversity Institute (106)

·         DEA - Natural Resource Management (91)

·         WESSA (59)

·         South African National Parks (51)

·         DEA - Education, Training & Development (50)

·         WWF-SA (30)

·         Department Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (23)

·         NCC -Nature Conservation Environmental Services (9)

·         Botanical Society of SA (5)

Western Cape:

·         Cape Nature (40)

·         Chrysalis Academy (25)

·         City Of Cape Town (14)

·         Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve (13)

·         Gondwana Alive (4)

KwaZulu Natal:

·         Wildlands Conservation Trust (38)

·         Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (20)

·         iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority (17)

·         D.U.C.T - Duzi uMngeni Conservation Trust (4)

·         Groundtruth (3)

Eastern Cape:

·         Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (16)

·         Rhodes University (7)

·         ECPTA-Eastern Cape Parks & Tourism (7)

·         Sustaining Wild Coast Trust (3)

·         Living Lands (3)

Gauteng:

·         EWT - Endangered Wildlife Trust (12)

·         City of Tshwane (6)

·         Ekurhuleni Municipality (5)

·         Conservation SA (5)

Northern Cape:

·         Indigo-Development & Change (2)

·         Department of Environment and Nature Conservation (5)

·         EMG - Environmental Monitoring Group (3)

Limpopo:

·         LEDET-Limpopo Department of Economic Development Environment & Tourism (120)

·         Waterberg Biosphere Reserve (4)\



With my colleagues from DEA

Governance

The Programme is governed by a Project Steering Committee which consists of high level representatives from the 33 Partner organisations or government departments
The Project Secretariat consists of the following staff members:
Ms Vivian Malema (Project Director)
Mr Donavan Fullard (Programme Manager)
Ms Romela Herman (Project Admin support).

 

Zero Carbon Africa

I was pleasantly surprised when I got the message that I was chosen as South Africa's Focal Point for Zero Carbon Africa's effort to combat climate change and environmental degradation in Africa.

Zero Carbon Africa (ZCA) is an alliance of youth-led/focused organizations and young individuals working to build grassroots movement across Africa to combat the effect of climate change and environmental degradation through innovative grassroots projects and Continental Day of Actions to mobilize Africa for sustainable development.

My Responsibilities for the 2 years include:

 

·Represent Zero Carbon Africa in your country as a focal point

·Conduct research on organizations working in your country on climate change, environmental protection and/or sustainable development and make contact with such organizations.

·Coordinate the National Day of Action on Climate Change, and other Zero Carbon Africa activities in your country.

·Build relationship and engage loose collections of individuals, activists and organizations to increase grassroots climate change awareness in your country.

·Collate monthly report on activities on climate change by local organizers, groups, advocates, individuals for Zero Carbon Africa in your country.

·Submit a brief report and pictures of conferences/important meetings attended.

·Contribute timely feedback upon request on important issues, documents and/or proposals.

·Contribute climate change-related news and relevant resources for the Zero Carbon Africa website and blog.

·Represent Zero Carbon Africa and its objectives of empowering the youth working on climate change at any relevant national conferences and events.

·Undertake outreach and communication with Zero Carbon Africa in your country, to ensure equal focus and representation related to national needs, challenges and activities.

·Organize local gatherings (networking meetings, capacity building) at least once every six months with young change makers in resource-constrained areas.

The Zero Carbon Africa Continental Day of Action on Climate Change is October 25, on this day I am expected to carry out grassroots activities that demonstrate real action to adapt and mitigate climate change effect.

As a Country Focal Point I am required to inspire others to do the same in my country.

During my first Skype conference call with Country Focal Points from all over Africa I got goose bumps because I realised the immensity of the project and my responsibilities.

I AM BEING THE CHANGE THAT I WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD!

 

Environmental Affairs Office get a 6 star Green Star SA rating

Environmental Affairs Office get a 6 star Green Star SA rating

The new Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) head office in Pretoria has received a 6 Star Green Star SA Office Design v1 certification from the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA).

This is the first government building in South Africa to achieve a 6 Star Green Star SA rating, as well as being the first 6 Star rated green building in the City of Tshwane. A further stellar accomplishment was that the project achieved the highest score for a large commercial office space of this magnitude awarded by the GBCSA to date.

“The DEA has taken the lead, and is demonstrating commitment to market transformation in the built environment in South Africa. This is an exceptional illustration of the public and the private sector working together to deliver an outstanding example of green building,” said GBCSA, CEO Brian Wilkinson.

Achievement of this 6 Star Green Star SA rating signifies world leadership in green building and shows dedication to sustainable design by all stakeholders in this sizeable public-private partnership (PPP) project.

’This is not just another good looking block of offices in town, but a performing  green building with specific targets on energy efficiency, water efficiency, an industry first sophisticated energy consumption mechanism never implemented in any other project in the construction sector,  the use of renewable source of energy and a unique first facilities management system that encapsulate a rigorous penalty regime (with no precedent in the construction sector) to reward  operational efficiency and penalise  poor performance” says Minister Edna Molewa.

The DEA specified that the building should achieve a minimum 4 Star Green Star SA rating; however, the professional team surpassed this goal by scoring full points in the energy category, as well as being only the second project to achieve five points in the innovation category.

Once construction is complete and the building is occupied, the DEA head office will also submit documentation towards receiving an ‘As-built’ Green Star SA rating, which ensures that the original intentions in the design phase were adhered to.

Long-term Green
The Facilities Management (FM) team has been involved with the project from the very start – including decisions on designs, suppliers, materials, and sub-contractors. FM plays a role in the commissioning of the building, ensuring that accurate data is collected, and used as a benchmark to evaluate the ongoing building performance.

“Operating the Building Management System will require specialised training, as will the Facilities Management System. Facility managers will attend the GBCSA Accredited Professional course to gain insight into green building and what they are required to do to keep this building green,” explains Dijalo Property Group director Peter Gray.

Green buildings represent responsible investment and reduced liability, and financial benefits of green buildings are realised through savings on energy and water over the long-term. Importantly, green buildings can also play a role in increasing productivity in the workplace, and greater attraction and retention of valuable skills.

The new DEA head office is likely to be a catalyst in the South African built environment, spurring momentum of the adoption of sustainable building practices.

Congratulations to the Department of Environmental Affairs for being a World Leader of Green Buildings.

Fuel Saving Tips

1. Lighten the load in your vehicle.
2. Plan your trips and minimise short trips or WALK.
3. Keep a safe following distance.
4. Use airconditioner only when necessary.
5. Reduce idling time.
6. Travel earlier/later to avoid known traffic peaks.
7. Resolve minor and major car service issues.
8. Keep your tyres inflated to the proper pressure.
9. Join a lift club.
10. If available, use public transport.
11. Use recommended grade of motor oil for your car.
12. Change gears according to your speed.

Electricity Saving Tips

1. Take a shower instead of a bath.
2. Don't fill the kettle - only boil the water that you need.
3. Keep the fridge door closed and make sure it is properly sealed.
4. Don't cook with a small pot on a large stove plate.
5. Dress for the season - warm in winter and light clothing during the summer.
6. Switch off all appliances when they are not in use.
7. Reduce your heater and/or geyser temperature from hot to warm.
8. Close all doors and windows when the airconditioner or heater is on.
9. Use CFL energy saving bulbs at all times.
10. Fit one light bulb with the correct level of brightness in a room.
11. Turn the lights off when you leave the room.
12. Do all your ironing at the same time.

Be an energy-efficiency ambassador and share your energy saving tips.

"Today's wastage is tomorrow's shortage."

How to rear environmentally aware children

From when your child is young, teach them

• Don't leave the tap running.
• Don't keep the electricity (lights, computer) running longer than you absolutely have to.
• Don't buy things you do not need.
• Try to use no chemicals. If you do use products that are not environmentally friendly like shampoo, toothpaste and creams, use the bare minimum.
• Refuse to eat junk food that damages your body and damages the planet while it is being made, or when it is thrown away after use.
• Don't destroy plants, kill insects unnecessarily  If you do never with poisons that has a knock-on effect that may kill far beyond what you intended. 
• Don't drop litter, create waste, use disposables, throw things away if they can be recycled, and, if you are very clever you start to put pressure on adults to do more for our environment. 
• Always remember that although you might think "What will this little amount hurt?", cumulatively, if everyone litters, poisons, consumes too much, does not cooperate too, we destroy ourselves.

The most important concepts to get into the heads of children is:

• Where does what we use come from?
• What damage was done to bring it to us?
• Where does it go to when we throw it away?
• What damage is done by that?

Practical steps to be more environmentally responsible

1. Under no circumstances buy or eat battery farmed meat or eggs. Watch out for battery farmed fish eg. Norwegian Salmon.
2. Until you have your house off the grid , turn off every appliance not in immediate need especially geysers, no standby for televisions and computers.
3. Refuse packaging and disposables and anything which will need to be thrown away.
4. Recycle everything possible.
5. Buy local.
6. Retrofit your car with an engine in the wheel, powered by batteries . Buy an electric car as soon as they come out and try and make your electricity source to power the car renewable. Until then travel as little and drive as mildly as you can to use less petrol and keep your car properly tuned and tyres at correct pressure.
7. Grow your own food. Collect your own water. Nourish worms, plants, pets and wildlife with your food leftovers. 
8. Use as little water possible Install grey water reuse system and low flow shower heads.
9. Never cut down trees. If you have to plant many to replace them.
10. Use no toxins at all.
11. Give away to needy people anything you do not need, to prevent more having to made for that person.

South Africa's first zero carbon emissions car

Legalising the Hemp plant?

Last year whilst visiting a friend in the Cape Town CBD I bumped into the Cape Town Global Cannabis March. Then and there, amongst the cars hooting, joints being passed left right and center, smiles and laughter all around- I promised myself that I would participate in 2013 activities.

However, I had a compulsory training on Saturday, the same day that the annual cannabis protest rolled through the streets of Cape Town.

I, like most people, grow up with a misunderstanding of the hemp plant and was only told of the damage that it does to users and their family loves.

However after a couple of my close relatives and friends turn to the rastafarian religion I decided to do my own research on the heb. I came across 'The Hemp Handbook' that outline many of the uses of the plant today.

Cannabis hemp used for medicine, food, fuel, paper, rope, maps, bricks, oil, paint, furniture and much more snd is the most versatile, efficacious plant on earth according to many.

 

The'hemp house'  is a project to showcase industrial hemp and its
potential as an eco-construction material. The house, recently completed in Noordhoek, Cape Town, uses hempcrete, hemp insulation, and hemp particle board. The hemp aspect of the building, which accounts for up to 50% of the walls, was grown in 4-5 months without the need for agro-chemicals, and results in a breathable, natural, sustainable and carbon-friendly building.

So why not legalise the plant to build eco-friendly houses in South Africa?

How to give your house a green makeover and save money

 

Endangered African Blackfooted Penguin

I arrived at Muizenberg beach around 09h10 only to find that the group of over 150 waddlers have started the final leg of the 4 day long walk. I caught up with them in no time and had a great time helping to spread awareness about the plight of the African Penguin.

In 1910 there were an estimated 1.5 million birds and at last count less than 60 000 birds remain. Between the years 2005 - 2010 the African Blackfooted Penguin population halved. Since June 2010 the African Blackfooted penguin has been listed as an endangered.

CONSERVATION FACTS
Given an annual rate of decline of about 2% per year, there is considerable concern about the long-term viability of African Penguins in the wild. Presently more than ever before, zoos and aquariums are the Noah’s ark for this species.
The African penguin population is currently less than 5% of the original population and still declining rapidly, with an 80% decline since the 1950s, and a 60% decline in the past decade. As a result, it has been classified as ENDANGERED by the IUCN, and is listed in Appendix II of CITES and the Bonn Convention for the conservation of migratory species.
The Minimum Viable Global Population is estimated to be 50 000 pairs; the current population is less than half of this critical threshold.
Statistics are frightening. On Dassen Island, averaged over the last 100 years, the collapse of the African Penguin population represents the equivalent of losing 1600 birds a week, or more than 2 birds per hour.
The causes of this precipitous decline are numerous, and mainly human-induced.

Working my way to Simon's Town with some of my colleagues

 The highlight was the penguin pictures drawn by Grade 1 pupils from Fish Hoek Primary School that was exhibited on Main Road in Simon's Town. It was such a refreshing way to realise that everyone no matter age can play a part in raising awareness about issues that they are passionate about.

Save the Arctic

I recently represented Greenpeace Africa at a Save the Arctic photoshoot at the Waldorf School campus in Stellenbosch.

We could not have asked for a better day as the weather played along perfectly. I was amazed to see that the learner, all from Sisonke Circus group, took great interest in the future of the Arctic environment.

Listening to some of the intriguing questions from the learners I couldn't help but be reminded of the following quote: "We can't match Shell's enormous financial muscle, but we have creativity and millions of people behind us. This is the defining environmental battle of our time and we have only just begun."
-Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace International Executive Director

Sisonke Circus group at Waldorf School that is situated on the Spier wine estate

Not only does the Arctic work to regulate the global climate, it's also home to a rich ecosystem and indigenous people who depend on that ecosystem. Polar bears, seals, walruses and whales are just some of the species that call the Arctic home. And it's all in danger.

Oil companies are eager to profit from the melting sea ice by drilling in the Arctic. While the entire oil industry is looking to move into the Arctic, Shell is leading the way. Yet they have proven several times that there are in no way Arctic ready with various mishaps including a rig on the loose and a fire aboard their drill ship The Noble Discoverer. 

Nevermind that Shell's plans to drill for oil contribute to the vicious cycle of global warming.  The climate in the Arctic can be severe and unpredictable making an oil spill likely-and catastrophic.

Some learners found it more fascinating to take pictures with me while I was presenting.

The concepts that I had to bring across to the participants on the day was to be conscious of where the products that we use come from and the damage that was done to get it to us.

It was a great way to end off a working week by spreading environmental awareness in the Boland.

Seven tips for making your organisation more energy efficient

Making an organisation energy efficient can be a daunting task.  This article outlines seven key tips to help you make your organisation energy efficient.
Tip One: Monitor your energy use
“You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” This oft-repeated phrase is particularly applicable to energy.  If you don’t know how much energy you are using and what is using that energy it is very difficult to identify ways of making savings.
You can track your use manually by taking an electricity meter reading at the same time every day or on the last day of the month. However a more effective solution is installing an energy monitor that can track your usage every hour.  Energy monitors can cost as little as R800, however organisations which use a lot of energy will probably need to spend a lot more.  Go to our article on energy monitoring options in South Africa for more information.
Tip Two: Look for energy savings opportunities in your base load
Base load refers to energy consumption of an office, factory, organisation or house when it is not in use. For example the base load of a factory would be the amount of energy used at night after all the factory staff leave for home.
Theoretically most organisations should have a very low base load. But in reality many organisations are shocked to find out how much energy is being wasted after hours as well as on weekends when they review the data from their energy monitoring system referred to in Tip One. Fortunately this is often a very easy opportunity for energy savings and typically involves identifying a list of items that can be switched off by the last person to leave the premises. Read our article on calculating base load for more information.
Example of energy consumption of building as measured by a monitoring device. The base load of the building refers to those periods when the building is not in use, in this case after 17:00 and before 06:00.
Tip Three: Identify your significant energy users
Significant energy users (SEUs) are the main energy consumers in an organisation. Most organisations find that their energy use is dominated by one or two areas. For instance common SEUs for office buildings are air-conditioning systems and lighting. Knowing what your significant SEUs are help direct energy efficiency effort into areas where you are likely to make the most gains.  For instance you could spend a lot of time and money getting more energy efficient computers, however if computers only use 10% of your electricity and lights use 40% then your effort is much better spent in bringing in energy efficient lights.  
Heating and cooling is usually one of the significant energy users (SEUs) in office buildings (Image credit: Lee Serenethos, www.123rf.com)
Tip Four: Favour energy efficient products in procurement
Many organisations find that they simply can’t afford to implement a complete energy efficient replacement of their lights, computers and other equipment at a single time. However it is important to remember that lights and equipment are being replaced all the time as items age. Ensuring that energy efficiency is a procurement consideration means that over time you can slowly phase out inefficient equipment.
Tip Five: Allocate responsibility for making your organisation energy efficient
Single interventions to make an organisation more energy efficient often fail because there is no on-going commitment to efficiency. To institutionalise energy efficiency in your organisation make a staff member responsible for implementing and managing your programme to become and stay energy efficient. That staff member will be responsible for checking your energy monitoring system, setting energy monitoring targets, overseeing energy efficiency interventions and communicating with the rest of your staff.
Tip Six: Involve the rest of your staff in the process of becoming energy efficient
Staff behaviour can have a significant impact on your energy use. For instance they are the people who either do or don’t switch off equipment at the end of the day. Inform staff about your energy efficiency targets and the roles they can play in helping to achieve these targets. Give them regular feedback on energy use from your monitoring system and let everyone know when targets are or aren’t being achieved. Introduce energy savings as a key performance indicator for staff that have the most direct role to play in savings. Go to our article on how to conduct a successful energy efficiency campaign at work.
Tip Seven: Keep checking your energy use
After the initial success of implementing energy efficiency measures many organisations stop checking the energy use data on their energy monitoring system. It is essential to continue reading this data even if you aren’t planning any future interventions. Continual monitoring will ensure that you know about any unexpected increases in use. Perhaps you have taken on new staff and they haven’t been sufficiently well trained on turning off equipment at the end of the day. Perhaps a key piece of equipment has developed a fault and starts to draw unusually high amounts of energy. Continual monitoring will help you identify when these problems arise.

10 Reasons to travel by train

"Trains on the Northern line are subject to delays due to vandalism. We are sorry for the inconvenience."

"Trains from Muldervlei to Cape Town is running 20 minutes late. We are sorry for the inconvenience."

These announcements are we I've become use to when I commute by train. It is very depressing and one often get the urge to take the car out of the garage and drive.

However perusing through one of the articles of My Line, Metrail's new commuter newsletter I came to appreciate the train services with all its shortcomings.

1. I am paying far less on travelling casts.
2. I wont get stuck in traffic.
3. There are no drivers cutting in front of me either.
4. I don't have to pay parking.
5. I save money on car maintenance and insurance.
6. TRAINS ARE MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY.
7. There is time to read the books I never got to finish at home.
8. I can check and reply to emails.
9. I can network with people.
10. I can chat to Metrorail on Facebook, Twitter and Mxit.

Waddling for the African Penguin

Some of my coleagues and I will be supporting the Penguin Waddle on 27 April 2013 to highlight the plight of the African penguin. It should be a lot of funnot forgetting the concerning fact that the African Penguin could be extinct withing 20 years.

If you want to support Penguin Promise and The African Penguin by joining them as they waddle from Muizenberg to Simonstown – Boulders Beach African penguin colony note the following:
They leave from Surfer’s Corner at 9am, Saturday 27th April and it is an easy stroll of 15kms to the end point.
Wear black & white in support of the penguin and bring family and friends!!