Wayne Peddie from WESSA SustainEd shares how the portable solar cooker is used, during an Environmental Educators Course.  The photo also shows the blue hotbox and a “volcano” kettle

South Africa and South Africans are bad news for planet Earth. Our reliance on coal-energy could be said to make us ‘public enemies’ of international efforts to clean up the environment and ensure the long-term survival of the human race.

This startling suggestion arises from the fact that we are among the world’s highest percapita producers of carbon dioxide. Some 93% of our electricity is produced by coal-fired power stations because this country has rich coal reserves.In addition to carbon dioxide, coal-energy also produces many other by-products that have a potentially negative impact on the health of people and the Earth, for example, sulphur, nitrogen oxides, heavy metals, radioactive elements, and ash.

However, this situation will have to change because of the impact of human-made climate change and the need to ensure environmental sustainability, says a leading local environmental non-profit organisation (NPO). The most viable alternative to coal-energy is renewable energy, says WESSA, the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa, based outside Howick in KwaZulu-Natal. According to WESSA,although South Africa has rich renewable energy resources like sun, wind and water, less than 1% of our total energy is derived from these sources.

WESSA is one of the oldest and largest NPOs in the country, celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. Each quarter it is focusing on one of the major areas of its work, and energy is the theme of the third quarter. Water was the theme for the first quarter of the year, when the flagship event was the Wild Walk 2011, a 380-kilometre walk along the Wild Coast from Port Edward to Chintsa in March. Biodiversity was the second quarter’s theme and waste will be the theme from October to December. The 85th celebration programme will culminate in a national gala and awards evening to be held at the ICC in Durban on 24 September.

WESSA’s vision is to be part of the solution to the national and international energy challenge by promoting renewable energy and helping all sectors of society to reduce electricity demand. One of the innovative projects WESSA is engaged in is a ‘Stepping up to Sustainability’ project funded by USAID that involves the establishment of ‘Sustainability Commons’.The name of the programme refers to the ‘step-by-step’ process of learning and lifestyle change required for sustainable living and the commitment it requires to ‘step up’ to this responsibility.

Sustainability Commons are situated in seven regions of the country where it is predicted that the impact of climate change will be most severe, and the habitat is therefore most at risk:

• Mpumalanga Lowveld;
• Northern areas (Gauteng and Limpopo);
• Northern Cape;
• Eastern Cape: Port Elizabeth hinterland;
• Border-Kei;
• KwaZulu-Natal;and
• Western Cape.

Situated on accessible public land, these Commons are designed to offer the general public access to sustainability-related information, training and technology. Each one houses a range of energy-efficient equipment and technology like solar-powered parabolic cookers, water heaters and energy-efficient light bulbs so that people may investigate and learn about them before deciding to invest in this type of technology. They will also offer a range of training courses, information and learning materials. These are designed to allow communities to learn how to adapt and change their lifestyles to be more energy-efficient and sustainable.The courses and materials are all strongly practical and ‘change-based’ with a view to encouraging people to change the way they live for the benefit of the environment and the community. Without this lifestyle change, WESSA emphasises, the future survival of the planet and the human race remain critically threatened.
WESSA dates back to the 1890s, but the organisation was founded formally in 1926 as the Wildlife Protection Society of South Africa. Its emphasis has changed with the times to a more people- and sustainability-focused approach to conservation. However, it has been consistently at the forefront of conservation struggles and debates in South Africa. For example, in 1980, it was the first NPO in the world to produce a national environmental conservation strategy when it did this for South Africa. Recently, the organisation has gained growing relevance and influence as an environmental watchdog and an educator operating through an extensive network of regional offices, branches, friends’ groups and environmental clubs.

For more information contact: Eve Holliday
Issued by: Wessa, 033 330-3931, marketing@wessa.co.za;
Date:  22 August 2011