May 2023 News

Cape Town TV is very excited to be launching an hour of eco content, curated by Mycelium member Jemima Spring,  covering a wide variety of themes that support healthy planet, people and communities, from Friday 2 June 2023.  Broadcast times are Fridays 14h00 – 15h00 and Sundays 16h30 – 17h30. Cape Town TV is free-to-air in the Western Cape or on Dstv channel 263, with much of its content available on their online platform capetowntv.net. Each hour features a mixed bag of films and short videos , some are one-offs, others are part of a series. Themes covered include water, energy, food, biodiversity, earth protectors, activism, community care, regeneration and restoration, ecosystems and habitats. Content partners include WWF South Africa, Afristar Foundation, Centre for Environmental Rights, Fishwater Films (Freshwater Research Centre), Mycelium Media Colab, Uhuru Productions and Friends of the Liesbeek, along with independent content creators focusing on ecological and social regeneration.

The hour kicks off with an episode of the discussion series Let’s Talk Regeneration (Afristar Foundation) which travelled South Africa having conversations with activists, visionaries, academics, artists, designers, elders, farmers, scientists, engineers, economists, nature custodians, community leaders, politicians and youth, asking a common set of questions that explore a range of themes and solutions around an regenerative future. Each video focuses on a different question – such as, what is wealth to you?

Content ranges from hyperlocal to Cape Town eg videos from the Friends of the Liesbeek on what it takes to restore and look after an urban river; to Western Cape focused eg Saving Sandfish from Fishwater Films – following a quirky and fun team of freshwater fish biologists on their journey to protect this highly endangered fish that most people have never heard of; to national issues such as the Cancel Coal campaign spearheaded by the Centre for Environmental Rights, supported by videos that explain the Climate Change Bill. From Uhuru Productions, the Producers of Miners Shot Shot Down, there is  Hot Spot a series of short films on Climate Change and energy –  and The Food Series – which features Farm to Fork, made by Mycelium. From WWF South Africa content includes inspirational profiles of South African eco-warriors and videos on protecting Cape Town’s watery safety net, our groundwater. There is also some fiction –  The Water Queen is a film that looks at a possible future Cape Town that has run out of water.

As an added bonus, Cape Town TV’s daily live youth show Ekse will feature guests connected with Eco Hour content every second Thursday between 5pm and 6pm, starting this Thursday 1st June 2023, with Nokwetaba Makhanya from WWF SA, to talk about her journey from intern to scientific officer working on climate change.  If you have eco content that can be licensed for broadcast, please contact Jemima on jemima@capetowntv.org.za.

South Africa has 10GW of renewable projects awaiting approval

The applications come after President Cyril Ramaphosa abolished a limit on the size of power plants private companies can have built for their own use amid the country’s worst-ever outages. The total is equivalent to almost a third of South Africa’s current electricity demand, which state utility Eskom is failing to meet. Instead, rotational power cuts of more than 10 hours a day are being imposed. A major constraint to the projects being added to the grid is the lack of adequate transmission infrastructure. Creecy said 15 environmental impact assessments on transmission and environmental infrastructure projects are being considered.

The power crisis has led to calls for South Africa to extend the lives of some of its ageing coal-fired plants. Electricity generated from coal accounts for more than 80% of South Africa’s power and is the main reason the country is the world’s 14th biggest producer of greenhouse gases.

“Concern has been expressed that as we battle load shedding, we are considering delays in decommissioning ageing coal-fired power stations,” Creecy said. “Current modelling will advise how we balance our decommissioning schedule so we can achieve energy security within the context of our climate change commitments and air quality improvement.”

Written and directed by filmmaker Andréa Gema, The Last Seed is a cinematic journey through Africa’s modern-day food and agriculture crises. The film explores profound themes such as seed sovereignty and the delicate balance between humanity and the planet through a coherent narrative adorned with evocative music, mesmerising dance rituals and captivating visuals. The Last Seed was produced by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation in collaboration with the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, Biowatch South Africa, and PELUM Tanzania.

The Last Seed focuses on the struggles and triumphs of African small-scale food producers as they navigate the complex web of science, politics, and economics surrounding the corporate capture crisis. The documentary is interspersed with interviews and soundbites that provide illuminating insights into the perilous state of our food systems and the critical need for change.

Despite the challenges, there is hope. Meet the agroecological farmers who embrace sustainable and adaptable agricultural practices with wisdom and resilience. Their testimonies offer a glimpse of a better way forward. As the film reaches its crescendo, it leaves us with an uplifting finale. Senegalese women rise up with unwavering determination to protect their seeds and indigenous knowledge for future generations.

The Last Seed poses profound questions for our time: what have we lost, and who can show us the path to a more harmonious relationship with our planet? The film has already won awards at several international film festivals, including the Colorado Environmental Film Festival, Cine Paris Film Festival, Beyond Border International Film Festival, and Western Canadian International Film Festival, among others. It continues to travel the globe, shedding light on the seed struggle in Africa and has been accepted by various film festivals, including the Minnesota International Film Festival, the Environmental Film and Screenplay Festival in Los Angeles, and the Africa International Human Rights Film Festival.

Hundreds of participating cities battled it out recently for the City Nature Challenge, but only a handful were crowned the cream of the biodiversity crop. The challenge, which has its roots in California, began as healthy competition between cities and science lovers as they sought to discover urban bio-diversity; spotting species and ‘secret’ residents. Years later, the competition is now a fully-fledged global one, with 482 cities competitors going toe-to-toe around the world this year.

From the coastal species of Athens to bustling Taiwanese hubs, this year’s City Nature Challenge saw 1 870 763 observations recorded and appreciated.Cape Town scooped second place overall with 52 518 observations and 3 847 species across the city, coming second only to La Paz, Bolivia with 126 435 observations. Last year, Cape Town also nabbed second place, following an epic 2021 where the city was crowned first out of just 150 countries. Thousands of Cape Town’s curious took part in this year’s run, with plenty of natural reserves and open spaces filled with excited spectators over the four-day exploration session.

What do you feel when you think about the ocean? When last did you visit the ocean? What do you think are some of the biggest threats facing the ocean? These are some of the questions which researchers want South Africans to answer as part of the Ocean Connections Survey, a research project through Cardiff University, the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, and funded by The British Academy. The Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation is asking South Africans to share their understanding and experience of the ocean by completing the Ocean Connections survey – follow the link here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/OLinSouthAfrica.

The Ocean Connections Survey is one tool amongst many being developed by the South African Ocean Literacy Network to enable the foundation to truly understand multiple ocean experiences across cultures, geographies, age groups and identities. It aims to inform their way forward in the development of ocean literacy initiatives on the African continent.

DIARISE

Mycelium Members’ Meet

For your diary: Join us for our next online Mycelium Members’ Meet. If you have a project you’d like to present on for feedback, brainstorming and reflection, this is the space for it. Let us know by the RSVP date if you’d like to share. Bring a drink or snack, and we look forward to seeing you then!

World Environment Day on 5 June is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and held annually since 1973, it has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach. It is celebrated by millions of people across the world. The theme for World Environment Day on 5 June 2023 will focus on solutions to plastic pollution under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution.

The world is being inundated by plastic. More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled. An estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas. Today, plastic clogs our landfills, leaches into the ocean and is combusted into toxic smoke, making it one of the gravest threats to the planet.

World Environment Day 2023 will showcase how countries, businesses and individuals are learning to use the material more sustainably, offering hope that one day, plastic pollution will be history.

FILM FESTIVALS TO ENTER

Nature Stories, Romania

A festival which brings in the spot Nature and People living nearby, a celebration of NATURE and an opportunity to reflect on the way people interact with it. The Festival will take place in a beautiful region of the Carpathian Mountains, in Rasnov, a medieval town in southern Transylvania, between August 30th and September 2nd, 2023. It is addressed both to professionals and to the general public passionate about nature and healthy living, exploring these topics through films (shorts, documentaries and feature films), debates, workshops, music, exhibitions, theater and other types of artistic approaches.

Regular Deadline: June 30, 2023  https://www.naturestoriesfestival.com/

Neum Underwater Film Festival, Bosnia and Herzegovina

For the love of our nature, we started festival to promote all kind of underwater film’s art, no matter what camera you use, no matter amateur or extreme professional are welcome. Important – minimum 50% of film, to be filmed underwater (sea, river, lake, ocean, waters etc).

Regular Deadline: June 30, 2023  https://www.uff.ba/

Ceres Food Film Festival, USA

Now entering its 7th season, CFFF is an annual film festival dedicated to increasing awareness of food security issues globally. CFFF is looking for diverse, innovative and creative responses to food insecurity, food quality, and food waste. We want films that inspire and engage audiences. In particular, CFFF is seeking short and feature films that do so creatively, artistically, and critically and explore political and social structures in place that need to be challenged. It is also important that the films are accessible to the online audience and have a high degree of technical excellence.

Regular Deadline: July 15, 2023  https://www.ceresfilmfestival.org/

Bio Film Festival, Italy
Agricultural biodiversity must be preserved and protected for its environmental, cultural, socio-economic and gastronomic value. We have the responsibility to protect the huge heritage of crops and plant varieties that people have used and selected over hundreds of years. The objective of the Bio Film Festival is to share and promote agricultural biodiversity and build awareness around this topic. It is a festival that aims to present the works of Italian and international talents, who through their films will talk about rural biodiversity and all its aspects.

Late Deadline: July 31, 2023  https://www.biofilmfestival.it/

INTERESTING READS

Put African values at centre of climate change mitigation efforts

Interesting opinion piece from Dr Oulie Keita, the executive director of Greenpeace Africa. At every step towards climate justice, Africa must be guided by African values, because they provide a strong foundation for sustainable development and environmental justice. It is an invitation to see our shared inter-connectedness, and to build partnerships and collaborations that promote sustainable development and climate action. Mail and Guardian

MaXhosa on sustainability and the export of a proudly South African narrative

South African luxury brand, MaXhosa has also raised its hand and vowed to be a healthy brand concerned about the environment as it hosted the first-ever MaXhosa Africa Sustainability Festival on World Earth Day at Nirox Sculpture Park. Founder Laduma Ngxokolo tells us, “We don’t just feel that it is important. We feel that it is an obligation to be a conscious brand, not just within the environmental space… Our brand pillar is triple Ps, but people come first, the planet comes second, and profit, of course, is what sustains into the future.” News 24

Wits rolls out Save Our Resources campaign

Wits University has begun engaging the Wits community with the aim of raising awareness levels on environmental degradation and climate change. Ensuring sustainability is part of the University’s 2033 strategic framework. The Save Our Resources campaign encourages Wits staff and students to play their part in caring for the environment and the resources vital for our survival. The first phase of the campaign focuses on saving two critical resources: electricity and water. Wits University

Lights, camera, sustainability!

South Africa’s film industry is breaking new ground as it turns the spotlight on the environment and takes centre stage in the green revolution. In this era of climate consciousness, filmmakers are embracing green practices both on screen and behind the scenes to bring about real-world change. From raising eco-awareness through storytelling to adopting sustainable practices on set, the industry is playing a crucial role in promoting a greener future. Mail and Guardian

City of Melbourne’s Urban Forest project still attracting weekly love letters to trees

More than a decade ago, every council-owned tree in Melbourne was given an email address. It was a way for the City of Melbourne to track any maintenance, but it soon took a more poetic turn. Monash University researcher and social media historian Julian O’Shea told ABC Radio Melbourne people had started writing love letters and poems after the Urban Forest project’s launch in 2012.  ABC News

Recipe for Change Carbon Offset Project Wonderbags

The Recipe for Change Carbon Offset Project is a community-focused project fighting climate change and tackling the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Using a Wonderbag saves energy otherwise used for cooking, which supports the environment and our precious resources. Recipe for Change Wonderbags are subsidised using Carbon Credits to ensure we get Wonderbags to people who need them the most at a price point they can afford. Eligibility = Persons living in South Africa, affected by energy shortages and climate change. By signing up, you join the fight against the climate crisis and are helping to empower more lives across South Africa.
  https://www.mywonderbag.co.za/welcome

The Fynbos biophilic building

Construction is set to imminently begin on The Fynbos, a 24-storey living, breathing mixed-use building that is about to take up residence on Upper Bree Street in Cape Town’s CBD. The building, which is currently undergoing Green Star accreditation, will be the first biophilic building on the African continent. Biophilic buildings incorporate things like natural lighting and ventilation, natural landscape features and other elements for creating a more productive and healthy built environment for people. One of the most sustainable design features at The Fynbos is its exterior, which will be draped in a 1200m2 vertical garden made up of 30 species of indigenous trees and 20 species of indigenous shrubs.

Abalobi launches new online store

Abalobi, the social enterprise working to elevate small-scale fishing communities through data and technology, has launched a new online store making its products more easily accessible to the broader public. Named Fish with a Story, after the company’s tagline, the new online store allows home cooks to shop premium local Yellowtail, Cape Bream, Carpenter and other ethically caught filleted fish as well as coastal pantry products including Dune Fig Jam, Bokkom Biltong and Sea-Lettuce Salt.  www.fishwithastory.org.

Mycelium Media Colab is a co-operative of multimedia creatives and regenerators working together towards a healthy and sustainable world. We’re a collaborative enterprise with a strong focus on communication for change, producing compelling content and experiences that shift people’s mindsets.

We collaborate with academics, activists, dreamers, big thinkers, movers & shakers, and those who want to grow a regenerative world. Bringing together the talents, skills, resources and energy of multimedia creatives, we offer a networking, support and income-generation platform for members and affiliates. We develop and implement our own initiatives, and provide a range of professional services.

Membership to the Mycelium Media Colab is open to multimedia storytellers, artists and regenerators that share our vision collaborative and transformative change. It offers a networking and support space for members to share skills and inspiration, and creatively cross-pollinate, as well as a platform and organisational structure for projects that require a team.  Ownership of projects is shared between the creators and the co-operative. Contact info@myceliumcolab.com for more information and visit https://myceliumcolab.com/