Mention the word “litter” in a conversation with a group of people and it is almost guaranteed that everyone present will have a horror story or example of the scourge of litter. Kloof Conservancy chairman, Paolo Candotti, will tell you about his distress at the quantities of litter seen during a weekend walk through the
Environmental Ponderings No:11
Have you ever said things to yourself like, “It’ll never happen to me”, or “It won’t affect me”, “I can never do that”, or “It doesn’t apply to me”? Do these phrases sometimes come back and bite you? In the environmental business, we get many issues that do just that. I am not just talking
Environmental Ponderings No. 10: How much do we appreciate water?
How much do we appreciate water? No, seriously, have you thought about how important clean, fresh water is to you and what it would be like without it? No, of course not, you are used to opening a tap and using as much as you want. It’s cheap, we are told it is one of
Unicef Report – Water, Children & Climate Change
UNICEF have released a report entitled, “Thirsting for a Future – Water and Children in a Changing Climate”. The report can be freely downloaded from the UNICEF page. Climate change is one of many forces contributing to an unfolding water crisis. In the coming years, the demand for water will increase as food production grows,
New Fruit Peel Adsorbent Material Helps Clean Contaminated Wastewater
Mexican researchers have developed a new adsorbent material, made from orange and grapefruit peels, that could help clean highly contaminated wastewater. The new process, called Instant Controlled Pressure Drop (ICPD) treatment, modifies the structure of the residues, giving them adsorbent properties such as a greater porosity and surface area. The researchers spearheading this project are
The Updated Ceres Road Map to Sustainability
The CERES Road MAP to Sustainability is described as a strategic vision and practical framework for sustainable corporations in the 21st Century. The Roadmap presents 20 expectations in the areas of governance, stakeholder engagement, disclosure, and performance that companies should seek to meet by 2020 in order to transform into truly sustainable enterprises. Moving on
Transportation Environmental Procedures Manual
This manual was produced in 2015 by the South Dakota Department of Transportation. It focuses upon US state and legal compliance but there are some very useful sections which can function as templates for developing or customising procedures. So often, people struggle with wording and content of procedures and this manual helps to give a
Waste Reduction Techniques – An Overview
This paper was published in Pollution Prevention Review, Winter 1990/91 and is a prompt to go back to basics. Many concepts may be old but they are still applicable to businesses. The techniques used in waste reduction are broken down into four major categories-managing inventory, modifying production processes, reducing waste volume, and recovering waste. Within
Environmental Management Tools and Techniques
This publication was supported by UNDP and GEF and published under the auspices of the Bhutan National Environment Commission. Although published in 2011, there are useful perspectives included because it was produced as a teaching tool. The publication is split into four main sections: Environmental Management Concepts; Environmental Management Principles; Environmental Management Tools and Techniques;
Sustainable Development Goals – A Guide for Business
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) define global priorities and aspirations for 2030. They represent an unprecedented opportunity to eliminate extreme poverty and put the world on a sustainable path. The objective of the Guide, developed by GRI, the UN Global Compact and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), is to support companies in aligning
Picking up the Pieces and Mending the Breaks After the Event
“…There is no such thing as chance or accident; the words merely signify our ignorance of some real and immediate cause…” Adam Clarke Introduction After incidents and accidents, most organisations go through some form of review or soul-searching to ask themselves if they could have done things better. The problem with this is that often
BP Energy Outlook 2017
Annually, BP produces an informative and broad-based review and prediction of energy production and usage. There is a 6½ minute video presentation by BP Group Chief Economist, Spencer Dale, which summarises the contents of the report. On the same page as the video presentation, there is a link to the Energy Outlook launch webcast hosted
Reporting Guidance For Responsible Palm Oil Production
Palm oil is the world’s most common and versatile oilseed, found in products ranging from cooking oil to biofuels and household chemicals. Conventional palm oil production can be associated with illegal and unethical practices such as clearing of rainforest, land appropriations and the use of forced labour. These issues create regulatory, operational, and reputational risks
Smart Office Handbook – A Guide to Greening Your Office
The downloadable print version of this book is available here. However, should you wish to make use of the on-line toolkit, along with all of its various links, start here. The on-line kit and handbook includes information on energy efficiency, waste reduction, biodiversity protection, and sustainability beyond the office. The on-line facility also links to
Business Case for the Green Economy
The UNEP publication, “The Business Case for the Green Economy – Sustainable Return on Investment”, although published in 2012, is still a relevant and valuable document, particularly when preparing motivations for sceptical directors and reluctant managers. This 40 page document is right-sized to provide the basic facts and these are well supported by nine, one
Better Business, Better World Report Released
The Business & Sustainable Development Commission (BSDC) has launched its flagship Better Business, Better World report. The report sets out to map the economic prize that could be available to business if the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are achieved. Following extensive research, it has identified 60 sustainable and inclusive market “hotspots” across four key areas (energy;
Environmental Resource Guidebook for SME Manufacturers
The Environmental Resource Guidebook for SME Manufacturers was produced by the Federation of Hong Kong Industries in September 2008. Despite its age, it has a great deal of very useful information on key environmental issues in different industry sectors and discusses in basic terms, different environmental management tools that are available. The general checklist for
Municipal Service Paying For Itself and Generating Surplus
The Marselisborg Wastewater Treatment Plant in Aarhus, Denmark, produces over150% more electricity than is required to run the plant. The plant generates energy from the biogas it creates from household waste water and sewage. Carbon is extracted from the waste water and pumped into bio-digesters kept at 38°C. The bacteria on the bio-digesters produce methane
Energy Toolkit 2.0: Leading Instruments And Methodologies For Sustainable Energy Planning
The Worldwatch Institute, in collaboration with the Low-Emissions Development Strategies Global Partnership (LEDS GP), have produced the second iteration of the Energy Toolkit The toolkit is a collection of leading instruments and methodologies for climate-compatible energy planning, offering energy practitioners, policymakers, and experts a quick reference guide to some of the best-established instruments available at
Handbook Of Drought Indicators And Indices Released
The Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) has released a Handbook of Drought Indicators and Indices which is freely downloadable The IDMP is co-sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and some 30 other partners. The handbook is aimed at those who want to generate indicators and indices themselves, as well as for
WBCSD – Lifestyle Material Footprint: An Explanation
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has released a Briefing Paper, Lifestyle Material Footprint: An explanation, which explains in plain language exactly what the material footprint is. The material footprint measures the resource use over the complete life-cycle of products, services and activities that shape lifestyles, e.g. food consumption and mobility patterns. It
CERES Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaire: Building the Foundation for Sustainable Supply Chains
The CERES Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ): Building the Foundation for Sustainable Supply Chains has been designed to assist companies seeking to strengthen their supply chain engagement. The aim is to help companies be more competitive and build resiliency in their supply chains by identifying, assessing, managing and disclosing supply chain sustainability risks. The SAQ will
Open Access Journal – Environmental Health Perspectives
Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) is a monthly, peer-reviewed journal of research and news, published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. EHP‘s news content is prepared by science journalists and reviewed by subject matter experts. Published since 1972,
WBCSD Report – Quantification Matters – How To Mobilize Finance For Social Impact
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) report, “Quantification Matters – How To Mobilize Finance For Social Impact”, first released in September 2016, demonstrates how impact and financial value go hand in hand. The private sector can be a central actor for positive social impact, transforming global problems into opportunities. The report suggests that
Freshwater Governance For The 21st Century – Free Book
Freshwater Governance for the 21st Century is a free book published by Springer Open and the South African Water Research Council. The stated purpose of the book is to illustrate, in broad terms, the general matters of freshwater governance, mapping the spectrum of decision-making. The book aspires to contribute to the transitioning between techno-centric and
Comic-Santa’s Green Christmas – Father Christmas Battles Climate Change
Comics Uniting Nations have released a new aid for teaching and raising awareness of climate change. Santa Claus gives a deeply personal account of his struggle to recognize, understand and take action against the widespread global impacts of rising temperatures and extreme weather events, and the rapid Arctic ice melting that is threatening the very
Nature Doesn’t Need People – People Need Nature
The NGO, Conservation International, has prepared a series of short videos (1 – 2 minutes each) which encapsulate many of the reasons why Nature and our environment are important to us. The series opens with a video narrated by actress, Julia Roberts, as “Mother Nature”. She points out that Nature has been around for 4.5
Rethinking the Future of Plastics
A new report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, World Economic Forum and McKinsey, suggests that by applying circular economy principles, the role of plastics and plastic packaging could be reshaped. The report, The new plastics economy: Rethinking the future of plastics, does not come up with a detailed proposal for the restructuring, but it does
Electric Scooters-Cost Effective Transport of the Future?
A Cape town-based company, EWIZZ electric vehicles, is pushing electric powered scooters as the economic, environmentally friendly way of the future. They are selling a range of five electrically powered scooters which they claim cost R0.05 per kilometre for fuel and cut out many of the polluting components of a combustion engine vehicle such as
GEMI ISO 14001:2015 Self-Assessment Checklist
GEMI (Global Environmental Management Initiative) have produced an ISO 14001:2015 Self-Assessment Checklist which is freely available. The purpose of the checklist is to improve a facility manager’s understanding of the requirements and elements of the updated ISO 14001:2015 environmental management systems standard. The criteria of the standard have been rephrased in the format of a