Stories

Green issues take a back seat in Manuels plans

Environment was not a word that featured prominently in Finance Minister Trevor Manuels Budget speech yesterday.
And where it did occur, he was referring to the built environment.
This, Manuel said, related to a cluster of activities and services that helped to build secure, viable residential communities, and included housing, water, sanitation, electrification, roads, sports facilities, police stations, schools and clinics.
While some of these like water and sanitation are core elements of what are often referred to as brown environmental issues that lie at the heart of social justice and sustainability, the more traditional green environmental issues were not mentioned.
Rob Little, acting chief executive of World Wide Fund for Nature - South Africa (WWF-SA), said he was disappointed but not surprised.
We havent had any mention of the environment for a few years now, basically since the World Summit on Sustainable Development (in 2002), and its very unfortunate that we dont. Little said he hoped President Thabo Mbeki would have raised the topic in his recent State of the Nation address in Parliament and that he would have explained how the natural environment was the basis of the economy and the health of the nation.
That was a further disappointment, he said. But he knew there was a real commitment by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, he said.
Bruce McKenzie, director of the Botanical Society of SA, also said he was disappointed at the low profile of the environment in national Budget speeches but said this was pretty normal.
I always find it extremely disappointing, its just never mentioned, he said.
The only time we get an understanding (of the budgetary implications for the environment) is when the national minister or the provincial minister gives his or her budget speech. The Budget allocation for the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has increased for the 2007/8 financial year to R2.591 billion -~ an increase of R563 million or nearly 28o.
For the next two financial years it has been budgeted to increase to R2.79bn and R2.97bn respectively This means the 2009/10 Budget will have more than doubled the 2003/4 allocation of Rl.45bn.
johnyeld@inLco za

Gauteng

Programme provides pupils with means to make lifestyle decisions

The Jewish National Fund Walter Sisulu Environmental centre in Mamelodi (JNFWSEC) will host the Eco-Schools Flag Ceremony on Februaxy 8, from 09:00 until 12:00.
The Worldwide Fund - South Africa (WWF-SA) and the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa), supports the Eco-Schools programme. It was developed in partnership with the Department of Education and is funded by Nampak.
The aim of the programme is to provide pupils with the capacity and skills to make informed decisions about their lifestyles.
According to the National Eco-Schools co-ordinator team member, Caroline Conway-Physick, since the programme was launched two and half years ago in South Africa, the number of schools that have registered with the programme around the country has increased from 56, in 2003 to 778, in 2006.
Of these schools. 228 were awarded Eco- Schools Flag Status for 2006, she says.
The programme is now in its third year and shows every sign of becoming an important and influential framework that can be adopted by schools as a tangible way of working towards local and global goals of sustainable development.
Eco-Schools is an international programme that originally started in Europe in 1994, currently participating in 37 countries The South Aflican initiative differs significantly from the programme run in Europe in that it has been oriented to focus on strengthening environmental learning in the curriculum.
Four schools from the Tshwane South Educational District will be awarded green flags at the ceremony.
Pupils will also be allowed an opportunity to engage in activities that will encourage them to get to know each other and their teachers.
Guests will include representatives from the Israeli Embassy, Gauteng Department of Education, WWF-SA, Eco-Schools South Africa and Tetrapak.

Eastern Cape Region

Eco-Schools in the Eastern Cape 2006

The WESSA/WWF-SA Eco-School programme has been running in South Africa for the past 4 years. Over this period, the programme, originally developed in Europe, has captured the imagination of schools throughout the country. The programme, in its essence, revolves around a school that has made a commitment to continuously improving its environmental performance through working towards better environmental learning and better environmental management. The success of the Eco-Schools programme, albeit on a small scale, demonstrates how a fairly simple and cost-effective programme, can strengthen community participation in schooling and unleash the potential for integrating knowledge across learning areas in ways that promote learner activity. In total, 133 schools registered in the Eastern Cape and 49 schools managed to get their award this year. Some of these schools celebrated their achievements at the Regional Eco-Schools Award Ceremony on 01 December 2006 in Butterworth. astern Cape are co-funded by the Group, Foschini Limited has the following operating divisions: Foschini, branded as Foschini, Donna Claire, Fashion Express and Luella Markham Exact! The Sports Division, branded as Sportscene, Totalsports and DueSouth TFG Apparel Supply Company The Jewellery Division, branded as American Swiss, Sterns and Matrix Financial Services comprising Retail Credit Solutions, RCS Private Label Cards and RCS Personal Finance @home and @homelivingspace These divisions retail clothing, jewellery, accessories, cosmetics, sporting and outdoor apparel and equipment and homewares to the broad middle-income Group throughout South Africa. The financial services division offers pre-approved loans, mainly to qualifying customers of the Group, and credit to customers of merchants outside of the Group. THE FOSC FOSCHINl exact!

Flags flying for the environment

The teachers have really put effort into bringing environmental issues into their classrooms and creating lessons that are interesting and related to the curriculum.
Growing food gardens is just one of the many plans that the six Eco-schools of the Blouberg area have started on. They are all registered with the WESSA/WWF-SA Eco-Schools Programme, aimed at bringing the environment into the classroom in a manner that is integral to the curriculum. De Beers Venetia Mine funds the programme for these six Blouberg Ecoschools.
Recently the Limpopo Eco-schools were assessed and two of the Blouberg schools were awarded Eco-flags. Leboho and Malenkwana schools submitted portfolios showing evidence of what theyve achieved throughout the year and on this basis were awarded their flags.
In their quest to be awarded a green Eco-school flag for outstanding effort in improving their environment and learning, each school must work on projects and lessons.
The teachers have really put effort into bringing environmental issues into their classrooms and creating lessons that are interesting, informative and related to the curriculum.
In all, 72 schools in Umpopo registered with the programme, most of these from rural areas. At the end of October, 36 ~chools submitted portfolios and 23 were awarded their flags this year. Among these proud flag-flyers are Polokwane English Medium Preparatory School and Mitchell House Preparatory School.
Achieving a flag is no mean feat, especially if all the challenges learners have to face growing their vegetable gardens are taken into account. Mostly the lack of water, or the problem to get the water to the garden, is the biggest challenge. Add the fiery summer weather, the lack of compost, Intruders like hungry chicken and goats, and the fact that at most of these schools growing vegetables are an important part of feeding children to the list, and the achievement gets even more outstanding.
Eco-schools are not saving the planet in one day, but they are building an environmental ethos into the lives of their learners and practically doing small things every day that will, in the long run and, if enough people do them, make a difference.
Please contact Bronwyn Egan at (015) 291 4650 or vincent.egan@kingsley.co.za for more information.
Learners at Malenkwane cooking homegrown butternut in a sun stove.
Learners of Masete working in their vegetable garden.

Garden Route Primer kry die groen vlag

Garden Route Primre Skool in Asia Park het weereens die gesogte Eco-Skole groen viag vir 2006 ontyang van WESSA WWFSA.
Hierdie skool is siegs een van slegs ses gekose skole in die groter Mosselbaai gebied wat hierdie besonderse toekenning vii 2006 ontvang het.
Slegs 210 skole van die aanvanklike 765 wat ingeskryf het vii hierdie program, het vanj aar groen vlae ontyang.
Die Eko-Skole projek is n internasionale program watreedsin 1994sy ontstaan in Europa gehad het.
Die program word ondersteun deur WWF Suid-Afrika, die natuuriewe organisasie, die Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) en Nampak.
Volgens me Hettie Gets, l3estuurder van WWF Suid-Afrika, is die doei van die program om leerders met die bekwaamheid en vaardigheid te voorsien om ingeligte besluite te kan neem ten opsigte van hul lewensstyl en verhouding met hul omgewing.
Die Suid-Afrikaanse program was ontwikkel in samewerking met die Departement Onderwys en fokus daarop om kiem te Iop die kurrikulum en die implementering daarvan in skole.
Die program was gekoordineer deur mnre Kees en Abrahams van die Garden Route Primre Skool. Onder leiding van hul dinamiese leierskap en met die voile ondersteuning van me Jeffery, skoolhoof bier, is hierdie program met entoesiasme en toewyding aangepak. Daar is deurgaans kiem gel op die voortdurende omgewingsbewustheid onder leerders, onderwysers en personeel, en verseker dat hierdie omgewings-inligting en aktiwiteite deurgaans terugfilter na die kiaskamer.
Die skool het verkies om in die fokusarea te werk wat die skoolgronde en veidwerk ingesluit het, asook aksie programme en kompetisies. Van hierdie aktiwiteite waarby alma! betrokke was, het onder meer ook die plant van borne o Nasionale Boomplantdag ingesluit, wat deur elke leerder, onderwyser en personeellid se deelname gekenmerk was.
Die jonger leerders was veral betrokke by die opruiming van die skoolgronde. Ander projekte was ook geloods.
Die Graad 6 en 7 leerders was betrokke by die Jaar van die Skilpad projek en het n uitstalling by die Diaz Museum geloods, gedurende November maand. Rietvlei Primre Skool het ook gedurende hierdie week, met die Omgewingskool toekenning van 2006 weggestap.
Garden Route Primre Skool se groen viag sal weer vir die jaar hang.
Die skool is ook reeds besig met hul groot planne vir 2007 om te verseker dat hierdie groen viag nog lank sal hang! Vir meer inligting oor die Eko-skole projek, kontak gerus vir Lorrain McGibbon by 044-8707038 of e-mail haar by wessa .sc@mweb.co.za.
Leerders van Garden Route Prlmre Skool vertoon trots die Groen Vlag toekenning, wat hulle, met harde work en toewyding, bekom hot.

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