Five ways to green your home on a budget
By Jessie Taylor As homeowners battle rising energy costs and increasing power outages, many turn to energy solutions such as generators and inverters. While these may keep the lights running, they still come with a cost to the environment. Renewable energy, such as solar heating, may be more attractive for those seeking a greener solution to meet their home’s energy needs. But unfortunately, these alternatives can come with a price tag beyond the average homeowner’s budget. However, there are affordable options that every family can implement to make their home greener. Here are five ways to green your home on a budget: 1. Reduce your energy consumption There are several ways to reduce your energy consumption with minimal cost. This includes tricks such as fitting a timer or adding insulation to your geyser. You can also replace outdoor lighting with solar lights to reduce the energy you use and replace indoor light bulbs with energy-saving ones. If you have some budget, consider making a few strategic changes to your home, such as installing infrared heaters, which can save up to 50% on energy costs, or connecting a solar heat pump to your geyser. 2. Refit your home If you plan to renovate your home, it is the ideal time to include some greener choices. Consider using eco-friendly flooring like bamboo, which is becoming the go-to alternative for wooden floors. Also, consider improving your home’s insulation to reduce the amount you spend on heating your home in winter and cooling it in summer. One way to insulate your home is to include eco-friendly cellulose-fibre ceiling insulation. When repainting your home, change to low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints. VOC are some of the most harmful chemicals found in paint. Changing to low-VOC paint will reduce the number of contaminants in the ozone layer, groundwater and landfills, and it also has less toxic emissions and less impact on air quality. 3. Become water wise South Africa is a water scarce country and every drop of water you can save at home counts. Fortunately, there are a few affordable ways to save water in your home. You may consider a solution for your toilet that only allows flushing when the toilet handle is held down, which is easy to add to your existing cistern. You could also invest in water-efficient shower heads in your bathrooms. If you have a budget, you could also invest in a greywater system or rain tank. Rainwater tanks are an excellent alternative for watering gardens, and with the inclusion of a cleaning device, they could even be used to supply water to your swimming pool or taps. Greywater systems can divert water from your bath, shower or basin for irrigation. These systems could reduce your water bill by a third. 4. Reduce your waste There are affordable ways to reduce your impact on the planet by reducing the amount of waste your home generates. The most effortless change is using environmentally friendly detergents, dishwashing liquid and washing powder. You can also reduce your waste through recycling. Numerous companies will collect and sort your recyclable waste, but you can also sort them yourself and drop them at your local municipal depot. Food waste is another area where you can easily make affordable changes. Consider starting a worm farm at home to generate compost for your garden. Not only will your plants thank you, but you will also be part of diverting a fifth of all the waste that goes into landfill sites. 5. Green gardening Gardens are an area that can significantly make your home more environmentally friendly. A garden helps purify the air, reduce noise pollution, and cool your home in summer. You can set aside space for a vegetable garden, which will help reduce your food bill at the end of the month. In addition, using indigenous plants reduces your water usage and provides a home for indigenous insects and birds. If you’ve got some funds set aside, consider investing in a natural pond to ensure your garden has a vibrant ecosystem of dragonflies, toads and other wildlife. Some great solar options of filters and aerators will ensure you don’t increase your electricity bill. Sources: IOL | Private Property | Reman
The Future of Sustainability Conference 2025: The countdown begins!
Cape Town, 13 March 2025 As the world accelerates toward a more sustainable future, the Future of Sustainability Conference 2025 is set to take centre stage in just two weeks! With a continuous mission to drive impactful change, this year’s conference will bring together some of the most influential thought leaders in the realm of sustainability to tackle Africa’s most pressing environmental and economic challenges. The Future of Sustainability Conference, hosted at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg, is a must-attend event for professionals and stakeholders across industries focused on sustainability, innovation, and transformation. Set to take place on 26-27 March 2025, the event promises to foster rich dialogue, inspire actionable insights, and spark collaborations that will shape the future of Africa’s sustainable development. Top speakers to watch We are proud to announce an exceptional lineup of keynote speakers and panellists, each with unique expertise and a shared vision for Africa’s sustainable future: Key topics & panel discussions This year’s conference will feature high-impact panel discussions tackling the most critical issues surrounding Africa’s sustainability journey. Expect thought-provoking conversations on: Have a look at the programme here and the event factsheet here. Why you should attend The Future of Sustainability Conference 2025 is an unparalleled opportunity to engage with global and local leaders, participate in groundbreaking conversations, and collaborate on solutions that will shape the future of Africa’s sustainable economy. Whether you are in business, government, or the NGO sector, this conference will provide you with the insights, tools, and connections you need to lead the charge toward a more sustainable world. At the heart of Topco Media conferences is networking and you are sure to leave with new business contacts. Thank you to our gold partner, HEINEKEN Beverages South Africa; our premium digital partner, iME; our silver partner, Old Mutual Insure; our bronze partners, Nestlé, Nespresso, Dell Technologies / Intel and Isanti Glass; and our showcase counter partner, AECI. A special thank you to our knowledge partner, The Carbon Trust, and strategic partners: UN Global Compact Network South Africa, Good Governance Africa, GreenCape, and Primedia Out of Home. Secure your spot today! The Future of Sustainability Conference 2025 is only two weeks away, with limited tickets still available. Don’t miss out on this transformative event that will help define the next chapter of Africa’s sustainability journey. Book your ticket on Quicket. Join us at The Future of Sustainability Conference 2025 and be part of the movement driving Africa’s sustainable future! For more information, please contact:Thabiso M. Mohlabengthabiso.mohlabeng@futureofsustainability.co.za
Green energy, green economy, green opportunities
By Nicholas Fordyce, Communications and Publications Manager, Green Cape The building blocks of any economy are the same; to power an economy, we need sources of energy. To grow our community, we must provide food and other resources. We need infrastructure to supply and distribute water and sanitation services. We require a waste management system that can capture, process, and safely dispose of, or clean, the waste we generate. And for all of the above, we require modes of transportation. However, not all economies are built the same way. For far too long, people have pursued a form of economy based on a linear “take-make-waste” model based on the extraction and consumption of limited fossil fuel resources. This has gradually plunged us into a number of crises, including the global climate crisis, the 6th extinction, resource availability crises, landfill airspace shortages, and significant widespread inequality. Globally, there is now an urgent trend towards transitioning to alternative ways of operating. A green economy has all of the same building blocks as its linear counterpart, but with an emphasis on technological solutions that are circular, clean, renewable, sustainable, and, critically, also profitable. Moreover, a green economy is one that is considered socially inclusive, creates meaningful and dignified job opportunities, and is focused on service delivery to those communities that are most vulnerable. For businesses that transition to green technologies, enhanced business resilience and profitability are anticipated outcomes. Through its partnership with the City of Cape Town, GreenCape, a non-profit organisation that drives the widespread adoption of economically viable greentech solutions across Africa, has published a suite of freely available case studies and industry briefs designed to showcase the broad range of green economy opportunities, solutions, and interventions across all of the aforementioned sectors that are currently present within Cape Town. The examples provided below are not exhaustive but paint a clear picture of the types of opportunities that exist within Cape Town’s enabling environment. The energy crisis For South Africans, the most glaringly obvious challenge facing our country is our energy crisis. Load shedding is now a daily reality, and with the schedule so extreme, we shift through many stages a day. Indeed, in 2023, we saw more hours of load shedding, and at higher stages, than in any previous year. For businesses, the combination of energy insecurity and rising Eskom tariffs makes the provision of electricity a major liability. There is now a huge movement for businesses to ensure security of supply, with many opting for the costly and dirty solution of running diesel generators or seeking energy storage solutions. But those are not the only solutions. There is an increasingly strong business case for small-scale embedded generation (SSEG), a green economy solution that allows for the generation of clean, renewable energy at a cost significantly lower than that of Eskom tariffs. Indeed, the uptake of SSEG has exploded in South Africa, particularly in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sectors. So, what’s the catch? Until recently, a significant one was the upfront capital costs associated with installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) system. But accessing finance has now shifted from being a barrier to becoming a competitive means of extracting additional value. Consequently, the most significant consideration for companies is selecting the most appropriate financing option for their project, and a range of innovative financing options exist. While outright purchases still provide the best return on investment over the lifetime of the asset, power purchase agreements (PPAs) and lease agreements have cash flow and system performance benefits and provide great alternatives for businesses without the upfront capital for a solar PV system. Many businesses are starting to take up these opportunities. For example, Pick n Pay (Brackenfell, Cape Town) has demonstrated the benefits experienced from installing a 250.8 kW solar PV system (developed, designed and installed by Emergent Energy and financed through a solar rooftop rental agreement by Decentral Energy). Urban agriculture: the growth of cannabis Turning to agriculture, a trio of urban agricultural opportunities in the hemp market—in pharmaceuticals, in the construction industry, and in textile production—demonstrate the inherent potential within Cape Town’s urban agricultural market. Globally, the cannabis sector is growing, and is currently valued at ~$51.28 billion (Statistica 2023). Nationally, recent policy and regulatory changes have created an enabling environment that is opening up local opportunities for investment and job creation within the cannabis sector. In Cape Town, the first of these key opportunities for investment in the cannabis sector, lies within the pharmaceuticals industry. Because medicinal cannabis can be grown in three different production systems (indoor, greenhouse, or outdoor), opportunities exist across the value chain, not only in cultivation and processing but also in the companies that provide the required agro-technologies and services. The medicinal cannabis companies in the Western Cape use both greenhouse and indoor production systems, and so agro-technology suppliers of systems such as lighting, fertigation (the practice of applying fertiliser solutions with irrigation water), drip irrigation, water treatment, etc. will benefit from the greater market demand as more medicinal cannabis start-ups set up facilities. Industrial zones, such as Epping, are well-suited for start-ups looking to repurpose existing warehouses and set up indoor facilities. Additionally, in 2018, Cape Town was the leading medical destination for medical travellers in Africa and has a competitive advantage in that it has world-renowned doctors, a medical industry that has pioneered many ground-breaking surgeries, and a favourable currency exchange rate (in comparison to the US Dollar, Pound Sterling, and Euro). This only serves to highlight the potential of the opportunity within the Cape Town context. In addition to pharmaceuticals, there is a growing global interest in the use of hemp in the construction sector, particularly as the sector looks at different pathways for reducing the overall carbon footprint of the value chain. It is estimated that the building and construction sector accounts for around 40% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally, from materials to heating, cooling, and lighting (Muller et al 2020). There is also growing concern that the price
Hydrogen: A catalyst to fuel Africa’s green industrial revolution
By Tiago Marques, Head of Content of Global African Hydrogen Summit and Vice President of Production at the Sustainable Energy Council What is hydrogen and how is it produced? Hydrogen is a clean alternative to methane, also known as natural gas. It’s the most abundant chemical element, estimated to contribute 75% of the mass of the universe. Hydrogen can be made directly from fossil fuels or biomass, or it can be produced by passing electricity through water, breaking the water into its constituent components of hydrogen and oxygen. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory from the US Department of Energy, hydrogen has very high energy for its weight, but very low energy for its volume, so new technology is needed to store and transport it. And fuel cell technology is still in early development, needing improvements in efficiency and durability. The emerging clean hydrogen market The International Energy Agency (IEA) has stated the key pillars of decarbonising the global energy system are: In addition to the projected volume of emissions reduction hydrogen is expected to facilitate, hydrogen is positioned to play a significant role in the energy transition due to emerging capabilities to produce clean hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels as well as increasing hydrogen demand generation. According to McKinsey research, total hydrogen demand has the potential to reach up to 660 million tons by 2050, abating more than 20% of global emissions. Realising this opportunity will require all relevant stakeholders to come together to develop clean hydrogen value chains – often across geographies. Those positioned to take action in these areas will be uniquely advantaged to create new sources of value and play a leading role in future global energy markets. Clean hydrogen is expected to play a critical role in decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors, often as a complement to other technologies, including renewable power and biofuels. Hydrogen has the potential to decarbonise heavy industries including steel, petrochemicals, fertilisers, long-haul transport and more as well as to support flexible power generation, among other applications. While momentum is strong, more needs to be done to be on track to achieve net zero ambitions by 2050. The increasingly supportive policy and funding environment – including quantified 2030 production capacity targets for many countries – means about two-thirds of announced projects are projecting start-up by the end of the decade. The momentum created by the US Inflation Reduction Act has helped boost energy-related sectors globally, including low carbon hydrogen. For investors, comparing the effect of hydrogen-related policy and legislation on costs and pricing will be a key element of making informed, data-driven investment decisions. However, the emerging hydrogen economy faces significant challenges in ramping up, including: The opportunity for Africa For many African countries, the question is not about reducing their carbon footprint but rather to sustainably harness their existing resources to meet the growing demand for energy that will advance economic development, map a sustainable path to a net zero future and eliminate energy poverty across the continent. To this end, some African countries are setting their sights on clean hydrogen. In the global drive to develop and commercialise clean hydrogen, Africa is on an equal footing with developed economies. Governments around the world are promoting projects for domestic and export markets of clean hydrogen, with billions of dollars expected to be invested over the next few years. To capture the opportunity, supportive and facilitating policy will be needed to incentivise investment as well as: Given the advantage of abundant wind and solar resources, vast underpopulated landmasses and strategic coast lines, the continent could be highly competitive in supplying clean hydrogen for local and global consumption. A McKinsey Achieved Commitments scenario projects global hydrogen demand could grow sevenfold by 2050, accompanied by falling hydrogen production and renewable capacity increases. Africa has a significant opportunity to export the clean hydrogen needed to balance global demand with available supply. Collectively and through collaboration, hydrogen-producing African countries have the potential to complement African hydrogen exports of up to 40 megatons by 2050 with self- supply its full domestic demand potential of 10 to 18 megatons of hydrogen. To enable these shifts, McKinsey projects $2.9-trillion of cumulative capital expenditure would be required between 2022 and 2050, most of which would need to be dedicated to green energy sources. In 2022, annual investments in energy amounted to $70-billion, of which nearly 60% were derived from oil and gas activities. By 2050, the annual investment required is expected to more than double to $160-billion, with the focus of investment likely shifting to an expected 43% of capital expenditure spent on hydrogen, 38% on renewables, and 17 percent on power transmission, distribution and mini-grids. The African clean hydrogen potential represents a major opportunity for growth, employment and innovation. Stakeholders across the public and private sectors, both domestically and internationally, will have a critical role to play in moving Africa and the countries across it toward a sustainable energy future. The opportunity for Namibia Hydrogen as a catalyst to propel green industrialisation across the African continent is emerging as a multifaceted solution that aligns to domestic, regional, and global agendas. By capitalising on its renewable energy potential and strategic geographic location, Namibia can spearhead the development of a green industrial ecosystem that not only supports its own economic objectives but also contributes to broader regional and global sustainability goals. If executed diligently, it represents a pathway to overcome its structural economic constraints while simultaneously fostering high-skill job creation, increased productivity, market expansion, and foreign direct investment. Central strategies include promoting export development, enhancing efficient production, ensuring external debt sustainability, and developing an integrated industrial strategy. Namibia’s own Green Industrialisation Blueprint also highlights the importance of modernising agriculture, empowering women and disadvantaged groups, and fostering a highly skilled and productive labour force. To avoid the potential pitfalls identified by its founding fathers and enshrined in Vision 2030, Namibia must reduce its reliance on the primary sector and adopt policies that promote economic diversification and resilience.