EE Friends Quarterly Newsletter June 2015 T his quarter included the big trifecta - Earth Day, International Day for Biological Diversity and World Environment Day; as well as International Museum Day, World Oceans Day and World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. It can be a challenge to know what to focus on or what one thing you should take away from such a diverse spectrum of issues. But maybe that’s just it, there is strength in diversity and strength in the cumulative nature of all the work we do. No act is too small to make a change when it forms part of the collective move towards doing things for the greater good. And therein is the strength of a group such as the EE Friends. GOALS OF THE EE FRIENDS To enable networking and communication amongst environmental educators. To share ideas, information, programmes and resource materials. To provide opportunities to learn and be informed. To improve coordination of environmental education activities. To enable people to participate in decision-making and advocacy. To enable members to promote their initiatives. The search is on for the Eco-Logic Champions of 2015 Entries open for the Eco-Logic Awards 2015, which recognise South Africa’s environmental champions and reward outstanding achievements. Organised annually since 2010 by The Enviropaedia, the Awards invite entries from large and small businesses, municipalities, groups and individuals who are leading the way in environmental excellence and innovation. David Parry-Davies, the force behind The Enviropaedia and Eco-Logic Awards, explains that the awards are unusual because the judging criteria are about quality not quantity. This levels the playing field between small initiatives and large corporates. “We use the seven-rooted value system that we call Eco-Logic as the basis for judging the Awards. We believe this is a critically important ingredient in changing our current environmental trajectory and producing the kind of world we would all like to live in.” This year, a new category will be included: Business Green Economy Initiative. This category seeks to identify a business that builds and supports the Green Economy in South Africa. The other 2015 Award categories are: Water Conservation, Energy Efficiency, Eco-Innovation, Transport Award, Recycling and Waste Management, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Municipalities, Youth, Eco-Community, EcoAngel, Eco-Warrior and Lifetime Achievement awards. Small businesses, large corporate organisations, non-governmental and community-based organisations, municipalities and individuals have until 31 July to submit their entries via the Eco-Logic Awards website. There is no entry fee. The same project can be submitted in multiple categories. Winners will be announced at a Glamorously Green Award Ceremony, to be held in Cape Town during October. Guests include environmental movers and shakers, thought leaders, celebrities, sponsors and top business executives, government and municipal representatives, previous winners and 2015 finalists. For more information, nominations and entries visit their website. Follow them on Twitter or Facebook. EE Events and Projects Gallery Jungle Theatre Company and Nal’i bali reading -for-enj oyment campaign has developed a new production called How Stories Began based on the retelling of this traditional Zulu folktale by Wendy Hartmann. It will feature at the Masque Theatre from 29 June to 3 July with a performance and workshop for children 4 years and older. Elemental Kids ran the first 2015 BSG EE Centre holiday programme in April - Leafy Expeditions: Creating a stop motion animation film. More exciting programmes to follow in the coming holidays. African Oyster Catcher Count group on route to Melkbosstrand, part of a Friends of Blaauwberg Conservation Area initiative. The Smart Living Drama Festival workshops kicked off in February. The final event is on 31 July and 1 August. (28 February) How clean is our water? In May Sweet Valley Primary, grade 6, explored water quality with Eco-Activities. The lesson started by learning about pH and exploring the story of the Keyser River. The group did a litter audit of the river, checking the water quality, pH and temperature. The highlight was visiting the constructed wetland at Clovelly, where the group did a miniSASS to estimate water quality. It was quite a job persuading them that the diversity of animals is important not the quantity, it was great to see that most of the kids were still happy to get their feet wet and see what they could catch. Share your work and exciting activities with us Email photos with captions to EE.Friends@capetown.gov.za Mike Woods Environmental Education Centre hosted four learners from Simanyene and Holy-cross high schools, in a Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day. The project provides girls with opportunities to deepen their thinking and aspirations about their role in society and expose them to career opportunities. The group toured the reserve to see the diversity of careers available in conservation, tourism and water and sanitation. (27 May) Eco-Activities ran an intensive 2 day Fynbos identification course for 23 City of Cape Town employees at Tygerberg Nature Reserve (11 June). Upcoming Events and Projects 29 JULY 28 AUGUST SMART COOKING TRAINING BSG EE CENTRE LAUNCH The City of Cape Town Environmental Resource Management Department will be hosting a halfday training intervention in Smart Cooking for feeding programmes and City registered caterers. The City of Cape Town Environmental Resource Management Department will launch its recently refurbished Biodiversity Showcase Garden Environmental Education Centre, based adjacent to the Green Point Urban Park. Should you have any delegates to nominate, please contact: fahmieda@gmail.com 21 - 24 SEPTEMBER 20 - 23 OCTOBER INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF EEASA NATIONAL WETLANDS INDABA The 33rd annual conference of the Environmental Education Association of Southern Africa (EEASA) will be in Matsapha, Swaziland. The conference theme is Creating sustainable societies: Scaling up ESD though the Global Action Programme. The 20th annual National Wetlands Indaba will be hosted in the Western Cape, at Goudini Spa. The theme Wetlands for our Future, will highlight the role that wetlands play in sustainable development and management of urban and rural landscapes and livelihoods. For more information: www.eeasaconference2015.com For more information: http://indaba2015.wetlands.za.net Check These Out Repair Cafés - Toss it? No way! What do you do with a chair when the leg comes loose? With a toaster that no longer works? You can repair it at a Repair Café. Repair Cafés are free meeting places that are all about repairing things together. You’ll find tools, materials and repair specialists to help you make any repairs you need to any number of things. If you have nothing to repair, you can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, lend a hand with someone else’s repair job or get inspired in a reading area. While Repair Cafés don’t yet exist in South Africa, it is a novel idea that would fit right in. Visit the site to find out how to start your own! For more information: repaircafe.org Avid observer or photographer of life? iSpot is a friendly and free community helping to identify wildlife and share nature. www.ispotnature.org Member Profile: Eco-Activities W endy Hitchcock runs Eco-Activities, a small business that offers creative, enriching and thought-provoking plant, biodiversity and art classes, courses, field trips and workshops for children, teachers and adults. Not only does she bring an exciting style to all her programmes, with qualifications in b o t a n y a n d education, she brings knowledge and skill. Some of her other projects include teacher workshops and learner programmes for the Primary Science Programme, lessons at the Biodiversity Showcase Garden, creating illustrations and resources, and even some landscaping. The most recent programmes include a Fynbos identification course for the City of Cape Town, and a water quality lesson for Sweet Valley Primary (grade 6). Programmes are interactive and practical, and include skills-based, hands-on activities in and out of the classroom. The importance of biodiversity is key and participants are encouraged to appreciate the world around us. Fynbos identification courses focus on clarifying confusing terminology, working with available books and learning to identify what family a plant belongs to. We look forward to Wendy running some fun, inspiring activities with us at the next EE Friends workshop. For more information: Wendy Hitchcock Hitchcock@mweb.co.za The Lighter Side Animal, vegetable or mineral? Which Kingdom does each organism fall into? Bacteria, Protozoa, Chromista, Plantae, Fungi, Animalia Our Next Meeting: 12 November 2015 Inspiration for Educators Biodiversity Showcase Garden EE Centre Activities are welcome Photos and classification from iSpot 1. Pretzel slime mold (Hemitrichia serpula) - Protozoa 2. Purple soft coral (Alcyonium fauri) - Animalia 3. Cushion codium (Codium papenfussii) - Plantae 5 May 2016 Responsible Tourism and Smart Living Two Oceans Aquarium Answers EE Friends is an informal network of individuals and organisations involved in Environmental Education in and around Cape Town; without a constitution, office-bearers or membership fees. For more information please visit www.capetown.gov.za/EEFriends. If you would like to know more or become a member of EE Friends, please contact: Mrs Skye McCool Tel: +27 (0)21 487 2318 E-mail: ee.friends@capetown.gov.za