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