Since early times, shamans, sages and prophets have made predictions for the survival of the human race. Universal among these teachings is the prophecy that there will come a time when the fortunes of humanity will undergo a cataclysmic change. The specifics of these End Time warnings differ according to the cultural context of the prophet but there are remarkable threads of commonality that run through these major wisdom teachings. Regardless of the part of the globe or the time period they originated from, many of the prophecies of the Great Change are prefaced or accompanied by catastrophic astrological, climatic, environmental and geological upheaval. And in many of the prophecies, this is scheduled to take place within the first decades of the 21st Century.

For instance the Oglala, one of the tribes of the Great Sioux Nation of North America, have a tribal legend that predicts that, “112 years after the last bear leaves the Black Hills will come great changes, the time of Blowing Skies”. There has not been a bear seen in the Black Hills, which straddle South Dakota and Wyoming, since the 1880s.

The < Hopi, another North American Indian people, believe that the time of the Great Purification will begin when, "trees everywhere will begin dying; people will build a house and throw it in the sky; cold places will become hot and hot places cold, land sinking beneath the sea and rising above it from below; and the appearance of a blue star". The appearance of a spectacular blue star, supernova SN-1987A, was recorded in 1987. The ferocious Norsemen, sea-roving Vikings who sailed in their distinctive longboats from Norway, Sweden and Denmark to colonise Iceland and Greenland, foretold in legends of their Norse mythology that, "the world will end not by fire but by ice, formed during endless winters that will freeze the very seas". Nostradamus, sage from a completely different time and place, made many prophesies among which that, "a very mighty trembling" would occur, accompanied by "hail, larger than an egg". This would happen at some time in the future, during the month of May. The Bible's last book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelation written by the apostle John, is a record of the visions seen by him while in exile in Patmos. It abounds with apocalyptic images of earthly catastrophe prior to the coming of the "day of the Lord". In Chapter 6 verses 12 to 14, we read of "… a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." Again in Chapter 8: verses 10 and 11 "And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter." It is possible that this prophecy has already come to pass. Chernobyl is a Russian trans-literation of the Ukrainian word “chornobyl”, which in English means wormwood. The Chernobyl nuclear power station stands on the banks of the Prypiat River near its confluence with the Dnieper and the Uzh Rivers in northern Ukraine on the border with Byelorussia. The irony of this horrendous nuclear accident is that the Chernobyl nuclear disaster which began on 25 April 1986 was initiated as an experiment to improve safety. The final death count of this nuclear accident is unknown and will probably never be known. Coming closer to our own era, the renowned Japanese sage, Meishu Sama, born in 1880 in a Tokyo slum, foretold of the Earth undergoing "a mighty upheaval, the greatest cataclysm in all history" at a time, which he believed to be the biblical "last judgment". The modern American prophet Edgar Cayce predicted massive earthquakes and geological upheavals occurring at various points on the globe near the end of the 20th Century, some of which we have possibly already seen: “There will be a shifting of the poles. There will be upheavals in the Arctic and the Antarctic that will make for the eruption of volcanoes in the Torrid Area. The upper portion of Europe will be changed in the twinkling of an eye. The earth will be broken up in the western portion of America. The greater portion of Japan must go into the sea.”

According to Moira Timms in her book Beyond Prophecies and Predictions: Everyone’s Guide to the Coming Changes, in astrological terms the 17 September 2001 signified a change in radiation, as well as “intense karmic retribution” and it is predicted that, “it is America ‘whose Sun at thirteen degrees Cancer is conjunct Jupiter in this chart’ where transformation of the creative forces will begin at the close of the old world order. The ‘New Order of the Ages’ will first take root on what is now known as the North American continent …” Perhaps this date is close enough to 11 September 2001, the date of the terrorist attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, to be significant in relation to future events that are still likely to occur?

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Whether any of these varied prophecies has already occurred or will still come to pass in our time or indeed at any time in the future, nobody can tell. However if astrological, climatic, environmental and geological anomalies are to be harbingers of the coming Change, as prophesied by the wisdom teachings of many diverse cultures, then perhaps there is cause for concern, for the scientifically documented changes occurring in the natural world at this time are serious and extensive. So serious in fact, that on 18 November 1992 the Union of Concerned Scientists published a document titled “Warning to Humanity” in Washington D.C. It was signed by 1600 of the world’s leading scientists, including 101 Nobel Laureates. These scientists represented 69 nations.

The Warning observed that, “Human beings and the natural world are on a collision course. Human activities inflict harsh and often irreversible damage on the environment and on critical resources. If not checked, many of our current practices put at serious risk the future that we wish for human society and the plant and animal kingdoms, and may so alter the living world that it will be unable to sustain life in the manner that we know. Fundamental changes are urgent if we are to avoid the collision our present course will bring about.”

The Union of Concerned Scientists warned that “Our massive tampering with the world’s interdependent web of life – coupled with the environmental damage inflicted by deforestation, species loss, and climate change – could trigger widespread adverse effects, including unpredictable collapses of critical biological systems whose interactions and dynamics we only imperfectly understand. Uncertainty over the extent of these effects cannot excuse complacency or delay in facing the threats.”

The Warning went on to explain that, -“The earth is finite. Its ability to absorb wastes and destructive effluent is finite. Its ability to provide food and energy is finite. Its ability to provide for growing numbers of people is finite. And we are fast approaching many of the earth’s limits. Current economic practices, which damage the environment – in both developed and underdeveloped nations, cannot be continued without the risk that vital global systems will be damaged beyond repair. A great change in our stewardship of the earth and the life on it is required – if vast human misery is to be avoided and our global home on this planet is not to be irretrievably mutilated.”

It left no doubt that “A new ethic is required – a new attitude towards discharging our responsibility for caring for ourselves and the earth. We must recognise the Earth’s limited capacity to provide for us. We must recognise its fragility. We must no longer allow it to be ravaged. This ethic must motivate a great movement, convincing reluctant leaders and reluctant governments and reluctant peoples themselves to effect the needed changes” because “no more than one or two decades remain before the chance to avert the threats we now confront will be lost and the prospects for humanity immeasurably diminished.”

The essence of this Warning was repeated in the World Scientists’ Call for Action presented at the 1997 Kyoto Climate Summit held in Japan. More than 1500 scientists from 63 countries, including 110 Novel laureates and 60 US National Medal of Science winners, signed it. It is more relevant now than ever before.

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Sigmund Freud stated that “human character is now earth’s destiny”, for never before in the known history of the planet, have there been as many people jostling for breathing space, sleeping space, living space, and working space. Our sheer numbers, building up and pressing down on the tectonic plates that form the rafts of our survival, will determine our odds for the future. But whatever our universal future holds for us, and nowhere is this written in stone, one thing is clear: as we move further into the 21st Century, the world that we are inhabiting is changing in many fundamental and momentous ways. Ways that as yet we have little understanding of.

These changes have touched people’s awareness everywhere, both at an intellectual, cognitive level and also at a deeper, more intuitive and spiritual level. The great concern of the 21st Century will be how we are going to survive, and beyond that, thrive, in a world that seems to be spinning out of control. Our destiny and the destinies of the planet’s other inhabitants are going to be largely up to us in this century. And it is clear that each and every one of us will have a part to play in the survival of our planet as we know it. Hopefully this book will play a part in ringing the clarion call for us all…

MIRACLES < OF HOPE: SURVIVING AND THRIVING IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Foreword by Dr Ian Player …

In the Greek story about Pandora’s Box, Pandora is overcome with curiosity despite being warned not to open the box. She does so and all the evils in the world fly out to plague mankind. Only one bee is left and it is the bee of hope.

Carole Knight’s book brings our attention to all the problems of “blackness and despair” that prevail in the 21st Century. We ignore them at our peril but we must hold onto the bee of hope. Carole Knight deals with both and in bringing information from a huge field of research; the book makes us ponder about the fate of the earth and all its inhabitants including ourselves. This is a book that all people can profitably read – both scientists and lay people alike.

Ecology has always been the central science and in the materialistic haste of the Western world we have shut our eyes to the long trail of disaster that has followed in the wake of what can only be described as the greed of modern man. With a critical and analytical approach Carole Knight highlights our successive failures in not coming to grips with ecological thinking. She writes in an easy to understand style but chooses her words carefully. The stupidity of our species is plain to see for those who care about the earth and our future.

Doom and gloom has become the stock in trade of the modern environment and with good reason. The decline of the world fisheries alone is more than enough to send us into the slough of despond.

I recall how after returning from the 2nd World War at the age of 19 and with no skills I went to the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal and earned my living catching fish with rod and line. Today 56 years later, I would starve to death. It is a story repeated worldwide on a massive scale. But Carole Knight’s book does not dwell on the dismal. It reminds us of our potential to tackle problems and solve them in new ways. She brings a balanced perspective and after reading about all the problems she provides an antidote to the tendency to sink into negativity. Again I am reminded of my own experience in the late 1950’s when we faced the challenge of the White Rhino becoming extinct. We overcame the technical and political problems and from a small number of 437 White Rhino in 1953, there are now 12 000 in the world. A small team of dedicated people made the difference.

Given a chance and a rest Nature responds with amazing rapidity and this is the central message of this fine book. Listen to Nature, work with her and she will respond.

The bee of hope in Pandora’s Box is brought to life by Carole Knight and becomes a beacon of light and a clarion call to the collective unconscious of mankind, to wake up and do what Nature expects us to do. Work towards a better understanding of where we have come from and how bright a future awaits us if we put our minds, hearts and souls into our work for the Earth.

Ian Player D.M.S.

Preface

Speeding silently through the deep darkness of outer space, our planet is a unique and wondrous place. Encapsulated by an ethereal blue band of atmosphere, its sea, continents and swirling clouds appear to space-travellers to be tranquil and self-contained. It is a tiny speck in a universe believed to be billions of light years across. And yet it alone appears to harbour life.

Through aeons of time, as our world has tilted and spun its way around its sun, it has sheltered myriad living organisms. Billions of life forms have come and gone in wave after wave of evolution and extinction, some to leave traces of their passing and others not. As the great continental slabs of the Earth have drifted their way around the globe, this life has evolved into a pinnacle form. That of human intelligence. A human capacity so powerful that it has literally shaped the face of the Earth.

Satellite photographs from outer space show massive areas of the continents to be cubed neatly into buildings, parks, highways and streets according to humanity’s will. But this has only recently been the case. For almost our entire brief sojourn on Earth, our species Homo sapiens (thinking Man) has existed through the means provided by hunting and gathering, depending on the natural world for sustenance and shelter. Even after civilising ourselves and taming the plants and animals of our world to provide our bidding, we still relied on the air, water, seasons and soil for our survival.

Recently however, over much of the Earth’s surface this ancient status quo has been reversed. We now have the means to grow our food in plastic structures, artificially lit and artificially earthed. We are able through genetic engineering to reproduce our livestock in a laboratory far away from any grassy field. Our homes are human-made and human-powered and we have the technology to harness an energy source that is the basic power of the universe. There can be no doubt that through both voluntary and involuntary means we are reshaping the crust of the Earth. Even the heavens and the sea have been infiltrated by our interference. Thus for probably the first time in the millions of years of their existence the landmasses, sea and sky have lost their exclusive dominion. So where to from here?

Historically our species has gained its strength from the equation of nature as master over humankind. From the earliest times environmental pressures provided the impetus for the cultural and technological developments that enabled our ancestors to survive, prosper and multiply on Earth. As our forefathers marched before the onslaught of ice, flood or drought they grew clever and strong.

They learned ingenuity through the need to adapt to geological diversity. The changing seasons gave them a sense of time. Co-operative effort, tools and language developed out of a need to hunt the huge-bodied animals of their ice age world. Art, image and notation as a means of self-expression, imitated the abundant animal and plant life that roamed and grew around them. And even the spiritual life of the ancients was guided by the sprites of the forests, streams and skies.

Thus for millennium after slumbering millennium, it was nature that shaped and nurtured human beings and human beings who submitted to nature. Now that this ancient status quo has been turned on its head, how will we as a species fare? Will our intelligence find a way through the maze of human congestion to an equitable future? Or, as many would have it, has the evolution of our intelligence outstripped our species’ capacity for wisdom, so that in the final analysis our brainpower, unharnessed by insight, will run away with us, leading to a catastrophe of technological self-destruction?

Certainly when one looks at incidents of historical and recent evidence, one can see a panoply of human errors pointing in this direction. Errors in thinking, errors in judgement, errors in planning and errors in behaviour spanning the centuries that human beings have walked the Earth. However this is only one side of a darkening picture. The flipside is our human capacity to rectify things if we can just have the time, wisdom, knowledge and will to do so. There can be no doubt that we are living in a time of unprecedented epochal significance when the fortunes of humankind could swing either way.

But it is not within the scope of this book to make predictions for the future. What this book does attempt to do is to provide a balanced perspective of the human condition and its relevance to these times we live in. It has been researched and written in direct response to the negative, overplayed version we have of ourselves, of a species of delinquent demi-gods running roughshod over the Earth as we trash every other life-form in our headlong flight into catastrophic oblivion. And it attempts to explore the human spirit in many of its multitudinous facets as a beacon of hope for the future. It is neither a superficial motivational manual nor an academic treatise. Rather it is a subjective exploration of the human spirit as an agent for ultimate survival.

Researching and writing this book was a six-year work of both joy and despair. Joy, because I discovered pockets of hope in the unlikeliest of places, and despair because I had not realised the full extent of human fecklessness. But in essence this very human duality is also what made the book such a challenging project. During the researching and writing of this book there were many times when I felt overwhelmed by the scope of what I was trying to achieve. In those times of doubt I would consciously recall the words of my dear father, who advised me to only take one step at a time at whatever endeavour I was trying to achieve. So Dad, this book is for you. May your footsteps in Heaven be eternally joyful ones.

Warriors of the Rainbow

As Eyes of Fire slowly came awake to the new day, she became aware of the familiar, comforting sounds of her Cree village also coming to life in the cold clear dawn. For a long moment she savoured the snug warmth of her caribou robe bed before turning her frail old body over to face the entrance flap on the opposite side of the tepee. It was still dark inside although shafts of bright sunlight danced through tiny holes in the large rawhide cone that was her family’s home. For as long as she could recall, it had been her custom to begin each new day with a greeting to the rising sun. And from her grandmotherly place of honour at the rear of the tepee facing East, Eyes of Fire was well placed to welcome these first playful sunbeams of the new morning.

It was an important time. Her youngest son was embarking on a vision quest prior to his entry into marriage and this was to be the day that he ventured on his own into the solitude of the distant mountains. Preparations for this sacred journey had engaged Eyes of Fire and the other female members of her clan for many moons. Caribou skins had been stretched tightly and lashed to a square frame of wooden poles.

Women in the village had helped to scrape the skins clean of all hair, fat and tissue. After washing in the creek, the skins had then been smoked over an open fire to give them a pleasing honey colour. And thus prepared, the supple skins had been lovingly stitched with sinew into garments and moccasins appropriate for this significant occasion. Foremost among the garments was a caribou robe that Eyes of Fire had decorated herself with elaborate beading and quillwork. It was to be worn about her son’s shoulders against the fierce mountain winds and freezing snows that he would encounter on his journey north, and with it went all her love and motherly blessings. Fish, meat and other foodstuffs had been gathered, dried and stored in a food bag. These supplies were to provide sustenance and strength for her son for the time ahead. All was ready. The crisp clear dawn would be a good time for her son to leave the Cree camp.

Eyes of Fire lingered a little while longer in her warm bed and then, resolutely drawing the caribou skin that covered her away from her body, she began to make her way across the floor of the tepee. In spite of the warmth generated by the still-smouldering fire and the huddled forms of her sleeping family, she could feel the bite of the sub-arctic dawn. Reaching the entrance flap she pushed the heavy rawhide skin away so that she could look out onto the new day. The world that greeted her was peaceful and pristine. Every tree, every lichen-covered rock, every snowy field was as it should be. Everything was reassuringly in its place according to the timeless pattern of the Earth Mother. Gathering her strength, the old woman stepped out of the tepee and stood for a moment, relishing the sights and sounds of the crisp early morning.

As she gazed about her, Eyes of Fire became aware of a darkening of her senses. It seemed as if the sun had suddenly been swallowed up by a low, black cloud that blanketed all sound and with the darkening the world seemed to quieten and shift and go out of focus. Faltering and losing her balance, Eyes of Fire fell painfully to her knees like a wounded caribou caught in a hunter’s cruel snare. And like the snared caribou she felt a rising wave of panic that threatened to engulf her. For what she saw in her mind’s eye was beyond her comprehension.

How could it possibly be that the world would become ravaged? How could the deep, blue sea become blackened? How could the streams that had always run cold and clear over smooth brown pebbles become lifeless and poisoned? How could the deer in the snowy winter fields drop dead in their tracks without a hunter’s arrow? How could her People lose their spirit? How could the world change so that nothing was as it should be? And how could her People possibly survive in such a world?

After a time the fearful vision faded and Eyes of Fire rose shakily to her feet. She shook her old, grey head to clear the mist that had formed before her eyes. She knew what she must do. With the time left to her she must warn her People of what was to come. She, Eyes of Fire, must rally them and prepare them for the teaching of a future generation, so that they could in turn teach another future generation until just before it was too late, her People would regain their spirit and teach the white man to have reverence for the Earth; so that banding together they could become Warriors of the Rainbow….

I have had numerous requests to publish my book “Miracles < of Hope: Surviving and Thriving in the 21st Century" as an e-book, and so have decided to serialize it. Here is some information about the book that you may find interesting:

The Author – Carole Knight:

I am a futurist, investigative photojournalist and environmental activist with over 20 years experience of publishing across a wide range of international and national media platforms. I live in the Western Cape of South Africa, in a house that my husband and I owner-built ourselves. Our house, which is located in a UNESCO-registered Biosphere Reserve, was built along sustainable lines, and living as close to nature as we do, my husband and I try hard to “walk our talk” by disturbing as little of the surrounding fynbos and wildlife as possible.

What you will gain by reading the book:

Sigmund Freud stated that “Human character is now Earth’s destiny”, for never before in the history of this planet, have there been as many people jostling for breathing space, sleeping space, living space and working space. Our sheer numbers, and the actions we collectively take in the time ahead, will determine our odds for the future.

This book provides a realistic, yet balanced, perspective of the momentous times we live in. As such it covers important global issues, answering many of the most pressing questions of our time while offering verifiable hope for the future. The book has many fascinating anecdotes and it synthesizes scientific investigation with down-to-earth investigative journalism. It will give you:
* A sense of optimism and hope.
* A model for values-led living and working.
* A holistic overview of major global issues as they are currently playing out.
* A deep understanding of the interconnectedness between humankind and the natural world.
* A confidence in your ability to motivate positive change, thereby actively influencing the future.

Some interesting facts about the book:

The book took more than six years to research and write. It covers an enormous field of information, and is in essence a “one stop human wake-up call”. However it is also ultimately a book of hope. In terms of accreditation the book has a Foreword by the late and highly-esteemed Environmental Statesman, Dr Ian Player. For more information as well as Comments from readers, you can go to the book’s page on my website.

Who the book is aimed at:

This book is aimed at everyone who is concerned about the world of the present and future, and their own and their family’s place within this tumultuous and ever-changing world. However it will especially interest someone who has an interest in conservation, global green issues, societal developments, eco-business and environmental best practice.

Human < beings did not evolve to live alone on this Earth. Yet unless we are part of a culture bound to animals in a pact of survival, such as a Bedouin caravan with its camel train trudging across burning desert sands or a Tibetan tribe negotiating the treacherous foothills of the Himalayas with a herd of shaggy yaks, we seldom give credence to our connection to the other travellers on this planet, paying little attention to how human and animal consciousness touch and blend. Shortly after my father died after a long and hard-fought battle with cancer, I had an incredible experience that confirmed this sacred bond.

I was sitting alone one evening quietly watching television while waiting for the other members of my family to come home, when an immense wave of grief suddenly swept over me. This unexpected and devastating feeling of loss did not come from anywhere in my conscious mind as I had not been thinking of my father, and I don’t think my facial expression changed in any way.

However, as this flood of deep emotion washed over me, our family pet, a big, black dog named Maxi, who had been sitting some way away from me on the other side of the room, got up and came over to me. It seemed that somehow my deep feeling of sadness had communicated itself to her, and she started whining and began violently nuzzling me as if she was trying to comfort me in the only way that she could. I am convinced that somehow she felt what I was feeling, and in her doggy way she reacted in a manner that may be perceived as being concerned or compassionate.

Who can really know for sure where human and animal consciousness touch and blend? It is quite possible that the threads of connection binding us together are stronger than we can ever imagine. Indeed, our world would be a lonely place without other living creatures, for on our lonely planet in our enormous galaxy they are a source not only of wonder, but of a healing and helpful companionship that is vital to our human psyche.

A week ago our home was invaded by a troop of baboons. Since moving into our house, which my husband and I owner-built ourselves, we have had a number of baboon visits, however, this incident was by far the worst. It is also a good example of how animal home invasions could impact future < world health.

A young technician was fixing our WiFi and had come into the house, closing the door behind him, but not locking it as he was going in and out. Baboons are amazingly intelligent and opportunistic animals, and the whole troop, a big alpha male, females with babies, young adults and little juveniles entered the house after the big male opened the front door.

I was working in my office at the time, and the first I knew of the invasion was an almighty crash in the kitchen at the other end of the house: the alpha male had opened the fridge door – no door handle this time – and pulled out the glass top shelf which crashed to the tiled kitchen floor when he dropped it, shattering into a million pieces.

What a mess as two dozen organic eggs also crashed to the floor!! I shouted and clapped my hands together loudly, and as the troop left through the open front door, the big male grabbed a Tupperware container filled with stone-ground, organic flour – as you can imagine I wasn’t going to argue with him and he had a feast!! My husband and I laughed about it later, but the incident has a wider and more serious significance in terms of future world health.

With increasing urbanisation, wild areas are shrinking around the world, bringing wildlife closer to people. As in our case, this inevitably results in incidents of house raiding and home invasion. More concerning, however, are potential health impacts as disease-carrying animals and insects move closer to people.

A warming planet also carries increased disease risk for populations around the world: at 2ºC of warming, a point we are likely to arrive at in about 2030 if we do not greatly reduce our carbon emissions, we are in danger of reaching a significant tipping point or crossing a climatic threshold into a new climatic regime. This level of warming could be disease altering, bringing changes in vector ecologies and a wider vector range. It could also result in recombinations of microbes of greater virulence, and the emergence of new pathogenic viral strains, with the next pandemic being zoonotic in origin (animals to humans). This has extremely important implications for future world health.

The Polystyrene Packaging Council (“PSPC”) in partnership with the Mobile Education and Training Trust (“METT”), a Non-Profit Organisation, are involved in the construction of a Village of Hope, a R285 million project which is nearing completion in Kosmos in the North West Province of South Africa. This project is turning waste < into a valuable building material.

Based on the concept of the successful LIV Village, which was founded by Tich and Joan Smith in KwaZulu-Natal in 2001, this new 20 850m² Village of Hope is situated on 285 hectares of land overlooking the beautiful Hartebeespoort Dam, and is built entirely from a revolutionary new building and construction method that incorporates recycled polystyrene.

“There are over five million orphaned and vulnerable children in South Africa, mostly due to HIV/AIDS and poverty, with 12,000 children being added to this number every month. Like the LIV village, the Village of Hope will exist to raise the next generation of children in South Africa by placing orphaned and vulnerable children into a family environment with a trained foster mother to love them, a school to educate them, and a place where all their physical needs are met,” says Hennie Snyman of METT.

The pilot programme, which effectively uses polystyrene which has been separated at source owing to its patented chemical cocktail that neutralises the bacteria contamination, was launched in 2012. Building with recycled polystyrene offers government a much needed solution for reducing building and construction costs in low cost housing projects, as well as to the polystyrene recycling industry. It successfully uses and includes coloured and black contaminated polystyrene found in abundance in food packaging applications, including fast food trays, take away cups or trays used to package meat and fresh fruit.

“Until a few years ago, only clear, colourless or white polystyrene was considered to have recycling value. As a result, waste management and recycling companies preferred to only collect and recycle unpigmented containers, while the coloured and black material offered the same excellent insulation qualities and was readily available,” Adri Spangenberg of the Polystyrene Packaging Council explains.

Thanks to Snyman and his team, however, a new globally-patented mixture was developed containing all grades and colours of recycled polystyrene, combined with nine different chemicals and cement. The PSPC plays a facilitation role between end-users of recycled polystyrene and waste management companies to ensure a continued supply of material that will keep up with the demand. Each week large quantities of polystyrene are delivered to the site for recycling primarily by growers, nurseries and plant centres located in Brits and surrounding areas, as far afield as Pretoria, who use expanded polystyrene for their seedling trays. This is helping to turn waste into building material

“We recycle 720 kg of polystyrene to build a build a 68 m2 house. Last year alone we recycled and diverted more than 613 tonnes of polystyrene away from landfill through our building method. Not only does our solid wall system greatly reduce the use of cement and concrete, but it also reduces the overall cost of building by up to 40%,” Hennie says. The various elements are mixed, poured into slabs and left for seven days to dry before a lightweight, yet strong and incredibly solid wall structure is rock hard and ready to be used.

METT is proud to deliver documented proof of the fact that their buildings have gone through every conceivable test, ranging from structural and load impact tests, to rain penetration resistance and the so-called “knock test” to hear if the walls have a hollow sound. In each test, the product far exceeded the minimum requirements. “Fire rating is obviously a very important consideration for low cost housing in South Africa where we have too much losses and deaths caused by fires in townships. During a recent four-and-a-half hour burn test in a furnace of 1 800 degrees Celsius, the fire only penetrated one centimetre into the walls, giving it one of the best fire ratings in the world. The SABS, CSIR and various international agencies have tested or products, and it came through with flying colours every time,” Snyman says.

As a result, METT has been appointed as the preferred supplier to Government. Plans are currently underway to build four factories per province to ensure that 68% of all schools, clinics, and houses built by 2018 contain waste material that have been diverted from landfill, as well as the establishment of factories elsewhere in Africa.

Snyman adds that the design of the first 32m² pensioner’s house has just been approved, costing only around R28 000 to build. “This is an affordable construction option that enables Government to provide the poorest of the poor with houses. But we are not only restricted to GAP or RDP houses. We were recently involved in providing material for a 1600 m2 designer home in Bela-Bela (previously Warmbaths), as well as various three story designer homes in Fourways,” he says.

The Village of Hope will be able to accommodate 1 000 orphans from the North West province when it officially opens its doors in January 2017. It will provide long term foster care, giving children a sense of belonging in a homely environment, modelling an African village lifestyle.

Once completed, the project will consist of a fully equipped nursery school, an early childhood development centre, a primary school, high school and various on the job training facilities for agriculture. Other buildings on the site include an outreach clinic, internet café, safe haven for abused women and children, and a satellite police station. It will also include sporting grounds, 10 ha gardens designed by leading landscape architects and a special agricultural training centre for emerging black farmers. All of these facilities are currently being constructed or completed.

“Long-term plans for the Village are enough to make a person’s head spin,” says Snyman as he lists an impressive array of corporates who have taken on the Village of Hope as their project for Corporate Social Investment. “This will be the flagship of all future projects and other villages that will be built around the country. Our aim is to ensure that we are completely self-reliant as we grow our own food to feed the children, educate them, and later equip them with skills that will allow them to secure jobs in the future.”

“It is clear that this composite product offers great potential and will be the solution for all housing and social needs in South Africa as it effectively turns waste into building material.” concluded Adri Spangenberg.

This < is a pic of my front garden - yup I am lucky enough to live under a spectacular 300 million year old mountain, overlooking the ocean, in the heart of the Cape Floral Region. Living this close to nature definitely has its pros and cons, however. Some of the pros are that we are able to see a feeding frenzy in the ocean or a school of passing dolphins from the viewpoint of our living room; a Cape spurfowl mother and her family of chicks busily scratching in rocky soil as they hurry by; a family of mongooses running playfully along the rocks right in front of our house; or a tortoise laboriously making its way up our garden path. After a rain shower on a spring morning we are able to hear a cacophony of frog calls as the males advertise for mates. From time to time we hear the wild call of an eagle circling in the thermals high above us, or the raucous “caw” of a pair of crows that have made their home on the mountain slope above our house. It is also possible to hear the bark of a male baboon as he summons his troop, a sound that brings goosebumps with its haunting wildness.

Some of the cons are seriously venomous snake species like the Cape cobra pictured here, the puff adder we came upon the other day sunning itself on the road in front of our property; or the juvenile rinkhals my husband nearly had a bath with – accidental I can assure you as the rinkhals is very poisonous!! Another con are invasions by a troop of baboons that frequent the area, such as happened just this Friday.

However, between the good, the bad and the ugly, living this close to nature is still an incredible privilege, especially on a planet where wildlife and wild places are rapidly disappearing. For this reason we will never develop the front half of our property or intentionally kill a wild creature – we rather relocate them up the mountain in the fervent hope that they never visit us again. Nor will we ever use rat poison or insecticides of any description, for on this people-intensive but wildlife-scarce planet, wild creatures and wild places need all the help they can get!!

Johannesburg, 4 May 2016 – Yesterday Procter and Gamble (P&G) mark an important milestone of their P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water Programme – providing 10 billion litres of clean drinking water to needy communities around the world.

“The < P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water Programme was initiated in 2004 in order to address the global crisis of lack of access to clean drinking water. This crisis is particularly prevalent in Africa, with 319 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa lacking access to improved drinking water,” explains Khululiwe Mabaso, CSI Associate Director for Sub-Saharan Africa at P&G. Mabaso continues, “P&G created the Purifier of Water packets using our laundry detergent research. Each four-gram packet, which uses powder technology, can purify 10 litres of heavily contaminated water wherever it is needed, which is enough clean water for a family of five for a day. The packets are convenient and easy to transport, and users need only a bucket, a cloth and a stir stick to complete the purification process in just 30 minutes. With the assistance of our 150 partners in 75 countries around the world, we have helped provide the power of clean drinking water to millions of people who need it most.” Access to clean water is a global emergency. UNICEF estimates that 1.8 billion people globally drink faecally contaminated water. The effects of consuming dirty water are far reaching. Water-related diseases, such as typhoid, bilharzia and cholera, affect countless African communities. Additionally, stagnant water is a breeding site for mosquitoes, which spread malaria, yellow fever and dengue. Children are particularly affected by this scourge. Diarrhoeal disease, usually caused by poor water quality, insufficient hygiene, or inadequate sanitation, is the third leading cause of death among children under five. It is estimated that almost 340,000 children globally die annually from these diseases.

The P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water Programme has provided six billion litres of clean drinking water to 39 African countries in the past 11 years. Although the programme has not yet been implemented in South Africa, it will soon start making a difference in our country later this year, in partnership with Gift of the Givers.

In anticipation of the important impact the P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water Programme will have in South Africa, the 10 billion litre milestone was celebrated today at Thabotona Primary School in Tsietsi Informal Settlement in Ekurhuleni. Well-known rapper and TV personality, ProVerb, leant his voice to this worthy cause by showing the learners how the PUR sachets can purify 10 litres of dirty water in just 30 minutes. The children were also taught about the importance of clean water on their health and general wellbeing.

“Clean water does not only quench thirst, promote health and prevent unnecessary deaths. It means more people can work, and enhances productivity at individual, household, community and national workforce levels. In fact, the World Health Organisation has estimated that every $1 invested in clean water, sanitation and hygiene generates $4 in increased productivity, which enables sustainable and equitable economic growth,” says Mabaso.

Looking towards the future, P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water Programme has pledged to deliver 15 billion litres of clean water globally by 2020. “That’s five billion more litres of clean water in just four years to assist in achieving one of the United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals – Ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water Programme is committed to continuing its work in Africa and the rest of the world, in order to ensure that even more communities have their lives enhanced by this basic human right,” concludes Mabaso.

A < handball tournament carried out in partnership with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) and hosted by the German International School in Cape Town (DSK) set out to educate players about climate change.

Handball is not a well-known sport in South Africa, however, parents and spectators who came to visit saw a lot of talent among the enthusiastic players. But The focus of the event was not only on handball. An essential part of the tournament was the “Green Award” and the Eco-Trail, which were designed to enhance environmental awareness among youth, with special emphasis placed on educating about environmental issues, such as waste management, responsible water usage and sustainable living. To translate this idea into action, tasks were given to the teams prior to the tournament and teams were challenged to develop ideas as to how they could contribute to a clean and healthy environment.

The most creative idea was awarded with a “Green Award” on the day of the tournament. The Talfalah Primary School in Manenberg won this award and was given a tree donated by the environmental organisation, Greenpop.org, which also supports the initiative. Besides the “Green-Award”, there was an Eco-Trail which awarded exciting tombola prizes. The Eco-Trail educated the participants about environmental pollution, recycling and climate change.

Christina Teichmann, Project Manager of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) explained why KAS, as a German political Foundation, supports this project: “The aim of our Foundation is to promote Democracy, Good Governance and the Rule of Law worldwide. KAS acknowledges that Climate Change is most probably the single greatest challenge of current and future generations and poses a threat to political stability, peace and prosperity. That is why we need to educate young people about the environment; how to manage natural resources responsibly; and how to live more sustainably. Sport is an excellent tool to bring across the message of healthy and sustainable living . Sport further brings communities with different cultural backgrounds together and hence promotes social cohesion. Especially in South Africa, a country still shaped by its Apartheid past, it is immensely important to create such opportunities.”

Nicola Scholl (Director of NPO PLAY HANDBALL ZA (PHZA) said: “I am very happy with the whole day. This was the first tournament that combined handball with environmental tasks, educating the players about climate change.”