The Eastern Cape boasts numerous green initiatives – with national and local companies, government and farmers all doing their bit to help make the province and planet a healthier and safer place to live.
With pollution, global warming, pesticides and genetically modified products posing ever-increasing problems and threats to people’s lives and the environment, the demand for organic and environmentally-friendly products and energy sources has increased.
Some great green initiatives in the Eastern Cape include:
Green energy
The province’s largest city, Nelson Mandela Bay is set to launch three energy efficient projects.
The municipality plans to carry part of the costs of installing solar heating panels in homes in the Bay as part of a pilot project.
A planned wind farm will generate about 100MW of electricity, said NMBM communications spokesperson Lourens Schoeman.
The municipality also plans to generate electricity from landfill gas, which is 22 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Green fuel
A national government strategy to create a bio-fuels industry in the province, which is rich in under-used high-potential arable land, could create thousands of jobs and massive investment in the province.
Felix Hobson, senior manager of the Eastern Cape government's Agriculture Resource Planning and Management Division said the project involved establishing 500 000 hectares of land for integrated rotational cropping.
The crops will feed a proposed 200 000-ton-per-annum bio-diesel plant in the East London Industrial Development Zone and other bio-fuel and agro-processing initiatives.
“So far, 5 000ha of Canola has been planted around Cradock. This is a small fraction of 500 000ha, but the process will take time as it requires huge funding,” said Hobson.
The Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) has been instrumental in facilitating the strategic planning process and provincial government has set aside R9.5m for fencing land and planting canola and R8m for planting sugar beet in the Mbhashe area to kick-start the project.
Bio-diesel burns cleaner and yields greater energy than fossil fuel.
More green fuel
Bio-diesel will be produced as a by-product at a planned R1.5 billion soya bean processing facility at the Coega Industrial Development Zone.
Australian company Rainbow National Renewable Fuels (RNRF) managing director Geoff Mordt said emerging Eastern Cape farmers and commercial farmers in the Free State and Mpumalanga were being approached to supply the one million tons of soya beans required.
Green forests
The Wild Coast Farm and Forest Organisation (WFF) is helping to uplift rural farmers and communities in Port St Johns and Lusikisiki in its aim to preserve the important indigenous forests there.
WFF works with farmers, government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) appointed to assist communities said WFF spokesperson Richard Bolus.
“The Port St Johns and Lusikisiki area has extensive indigenous forests, relatively undisturbed water catchments and estuaries, plus good agricultural potential.
“It’s one of 235 sites worldwide identified because of its special botanical significance and global conservation importance. It’s also part of the National Government’s Spatial Development Initiative aimed at attracting investment for forestry, agriculture, tourism and possibly mining,” said Bolus.
WFF’s first step is to build partnerships of trust with farmers, whose poor cultivation methods and clearing of trees has impacted on the forests.
Green food
Bathurst farmers Jono and Sheryl Bradfield, of Limestone Hill farm, pride themselves in their aim to help make the world a healthier place.
Their top quality organic butternuts are used in the manufacture of processed baby food (sold through Eurofruits).
Limestone Hill also produces organic rose geranium, dried pineapple, assorted vegetables and organic compost for its organic crops (at 1 000 cubic metres of compost per annum).
Green food – co-op style
A massive R15m scheme to transform the Uitenhage KwaNobuhle Farms (formerly TATI) co-operative near Uitenhage into a commercial farm will also see the creation of an organic farm.
“Some of the organic products that will be grown will be exported. Interest has already been shown from Germany,” said Uitenhage Despatch Development Initiative (UDDI) chief executive officer Nomkhita Mona.
The public-private partnership is co-funded by the VWSA Community Trust, Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture, Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs and Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
Green cotton
Clothing and food retailer Woolworths is looking at setting up a pilot organic cotton farm in the province.
Woolworths is the world’s third-largest consumer of organic cotton, since introducing South Africa’s first clothing range made from organic cotton in 2004.
Conventionally grown cotton consumes about 25% of the insecticides and over 10% of the pesticides used in the world, according to the Organic Exchange.
Woolworths also aims to introduce more textile items made with sustainable fibres such as organic wool, bamboo, hemp, recycled polyester and soya, said group head of design, sourcing and technology Darren Todd.
More energy
A Port Elizabeth based Renewable Energy Centre (REC) aims to support environmental education programmes at schools and tertiary education institutions in the city as well as create a framework for fruitful cooperation between stakeholders.
“REC will also manage funding for research and development and initiate working groups on relevant topics related to renewable energy. We will also look at expanding into the rest of the province,” said REC spokesperson Pierre Louis Lemercier.
