Hold that hose pipe
It’s time to tighten your taps and stop wasting water!
Hold that hose pipe
It’s time to tighten your taps and stop wasting water!
According to Eastern Cape regional head of the national Water Affairs Department, Portia Makhanya, ageing water pumps can’t transport sufficient water from Settlers’ Dam to meet Grahamstown’s water needs.
Water restrictions have been put in place, meaning you may not use municipal water for watering, washing cars and other non-essential uses.
A good thing to do before dam levels get too low!
For some great water-wise tips, go to ru.ac.za/environment/action/waterwise and kowiecatchmentcampaign.org.za.
Marine Week at Rhodes Uni
RU Green society organised an impressive Marine Week line-up.
Monday 7 October was ‘Pledge Day’. All were invited to the Kaif on campus and sign a pledge to become a conscious fish consumer and be aware that our marine life is under stress.
Tuesday was ‘Ask Day’ when concerned environmentalists asked people whether they knew about any of the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (Sassi) Red-list fish.
Did you know that only South African Marine Stewardship Council-certified hake is on the Green list? It’s caught by longline, while the hake that is trawled is now on the Orange list!
But some good news is that Fusion Food at Pepper Grove Mall now sells a common freshwater fish (Clarias gariepinus) for consumption – a very Green choice.
Soon there’ll also be locally available red Tilapia from Grahamstown’s Rivendell Hatchery, which is very much like hake.
Before you buy fish, always check its Sassi status first at wwfsassi.co.za or use the FishMS number 079 499 8795.
If you take the time to check, you’ll find that there are lots of green choices. More than 40% of all ‘seafood’ consumed worldwide is from renewable aquaculture.
Wednesday was ‘Poster Day’: champion environmental reps at Rhodes helped put up the latest Sassi posters in every university dining hall, showing which fish are safe to eat to those that are endangered.
Thursday hosted the ‘Hot discussion at the Kaif’, where radical ideas where shared – like not eating seafood at all.
Today is ‘Social day’ with a screening of End of the Line – an amazing movie about fish. Starting at 6pm, all are welcome to watch the film at the Zoo Major lecture theatre.
More info: Abongile Xhantini (RU Green sustainable foods task team leader) on 082 384 8507 or Ruth Krüger (RU Green outgoing chairperson) on 076 295 8045.
New RU Green committee
RU Green recently held its AGM, which was attended by approximately 30 students and community members.
It was a lovely event with lots of connections being made.
The new committee was elected as follows: Chairperson and activism task team leader – Trisha Nathoo, vice-chairperson and sustainable food task team leader – Abongile Xhantini, treasurer and get your hands dirty task team leader – Nicky Carruthers, secretary and campus greening task team leader – Mihlali Mbunge; media officer and green fingers busy minds task team leader – Angela Chappel, school liaison- Jacques Pienaar, Grahamstown community liaison – Ed Hazell and WildREACH chairperson – Sarah Taylor.
More info: Trisha Nathoo at nathootrisha83@gmail.com or visit ru.ac.za/rugreen/ or find RU Green on Facebook.
Human barrier protects trees
Anyone heard of the Chipko movement? Basically, there were women in India who protected trees by linking arms around them.
And that’s just what a group of Rhodes University staff and students got up to this week on Wednesday afternoon.
They were protesting against the new Rhodes life sciences building planned to be built over a grove of trees behind Barratt lecture complex. Some of the plants are indigenous and all are very old.
The group are also circulating a petition to be submitted to Dr Iain L’Ange, the director of infrastructure, operations and finance at Rhodes.
If you’d like to sign the petition, SMS your name and email address to 076 295 8045, or else visit the Facebook group, ‘Let’s go save some trees!’
Enviro contacts
Nikki Köhly: n.kohly@ru.ac.za, 046 603 7205 | Jenny Gon: j-gon@intekom.co.za, 046 622 5822 | Ruth Krüger: ruth.m.kruger@gmail.com, 076 295 8045 | Nick James: nickjames@intekom.co.za, 082 575 9781 | Philip Machanick: p.machanick@ru.ac.za, 046 603 8635 | Strato Copteros: strato@iafrica.com, 082 785 6403
