"During this year I have found that I have an important role to play… the outings and projects gave me an insight of how important it is that we view the future of our earth in a serious way. We cannot just waste water or electricity and throw our rubbish around… Next year I will be in secondary school and I hope to also motivate my fellow students to form part of this great project".
Victoria Jacobs, Grade 7, Kerria Primary School, Atlantis, at the ceremony on 1 December 2004 when her school was awarded its Eco-School flag.
The WESSA WWF-SA Eco-Schools programme is designed to encourage curriculum-based action for a healthy environment. It is an internationally recognised award scheme that accredits schools that make a commitment to continuously improving their school's environment.
Eco-Schools is a programme of the Foundation for Environmental Education and the South African programme was launched in May 2003. Funding has been granted from Nampak, through WWF, to the Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) to co-ordinate the development and implementation of the international Eco-Schools programme within South Africa, to encourage and support whole-school learning and curriculum-based action for a healthy environment.
In the pilot year, 2003, of Eco-Schools in South Africa over 140 schools registered with the programme, exceeding all expectations of only 50 schools registering! During 2004 over 340 South African schools registered with the Eco-Schools programme. By the end of October 2004 many of these schools submitted a portfolio that documented the change that had taken place over the year in their schools.
Lesson plans and photographs are key parts of these portfolios. Following careful assessment by Eco-School teams around the country, 125 schools earned their green flags. Of these, 25 are particularly special Eco-Schools as they had already earned their flags in 2003. Through continued environmental efforts, they have earned a 2004 certificate and the right to continue flying their Eco-School flag. There are therefore 100 new Eco-Schools in SA. This year over 600 schools have registered with the programme.
Cape Town's unique character is founded on its location and environment, together with its people and their rich culture and heritage. It is renowned for its beauty and unique biodiversity, but it faces many serious environmental resource challenges.
Cape Town is already experiencing the impacts of climate change and will continue to feel its effects in the future. In recognising the need to respond to this and seek viable solutions, Cape Town is gaining a reputation for decisive action and pioneering measures in sustainable energy development.
Energy and Climate Change - an innovative strategy Energy supply and consumption play a key role in economic growth and development, as well as welfare promotion. However in South Africa, our major source of energy is fossil fuel based, a source of energy which results in global warming, the most serious environmental threat facing the world today. The City of Cape Town has responded by becoming the first African city to prepare a comprehensive Energy and Climate Change Strategy, based on the state of energy use in the metropolitan area.
This strategy, which is in a final review phase, stems from the City's overarching Integrated Metropolitan Environmental Policy (IMEP), and sets out a vision for the delivery of more sustainable, environmentally sound energy to the population of the metropolitan area. This will be achieved through the promotion of sustainable development in all core functions of the City within a framework that provides a clear vision and direction for the City as a whole, and specifically the energy sector.
The strategy identifies five core energy sectors, i.e. Transport, Electricity Supply, Residential, Government, Industrial and Commercial, with specific targets for 2010, working towards broadening the sources of energy and efficiencies in each of these sectors. Apart from attempts at greater energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy alternatives, the strategy will also explore measures aimed at preparing for and reducing the anticipated impacts of climate change on communities, the natural and built environments, as well as the economy.
The Energy and Climate Change Strategy includes various quantifiable targets for Cape Town. Amongst these are the targets committed to in the International Action Programme developed at the Bonn 2004 Renewable Energy Conference: 10% renewable energy supply by 2020, and 10% of households with solar water heaters by 2010. These and other targets within the strategy are summarised in the table below.
The City of Cape Town acknowledges that in order to meet these targets, support from local partners, national government, and international agencies will be necessary.
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