IN THIS EDITION
News
New Open Access book exploring collaborations between African universities and farming communities
Green energy boom and its impact on jobs in SA
Black Friday’s environmental impact is an e-waste crisis
All the 2023 Eco Logic Awards winners
News from the Mycelium network
To diarise
World Wildlife Day poster Design Competition
Khetha 2024 Story Project
!AITSA Screening in Cape Town
Save the Date: Oxford Real Farming Conference
Interesting reads
See the photos that made National Geographic’s Pictures of the Year
Growing African vegetables on buildings can save space and feed cities
Tourists are returning to South Africa – but the sector will need to go green to deal with the country’s electricity crisis
A mushrooming trend: how fungi became an It food
We are loving …
South Africa secures loan deals to foster the Just Energy Transition
Construction begins on South Africa’s first EV stations free from load shedding
Driving residential green certification in 2024
Who are Mycelium?
WELCOME
By Megan Lindow
Writer and Storyteller
There is alchemical magic in collaboration. When we each bring our own unique strengths, experience and insights to serve a common purpose, we make magic together. We offer what is uniquely ours and at the same time merge our efforts into wider processes involving other people contributing their own particular talents, skills and perspectives. When these efforts flow generatively, our co-creations as collectives far surpass what any of us could achieve alone.
Working recently as a writer and editor on a book about collaboration between African universities and rural communities to strengthen agricultural livelihoods, food security and responses to climate change, gave me a new perspective on the valuable, and challenging, nature of collaboration. The book, featured below in this newsletter, explores a participatory approach to collaboration that developed from within a large network of African universities. Leaders in the network realised that universities needed to get much better at collaboration if they wanted to make relevant and useful contributions to society beyond offering ‘technical solutions’.
From this realisation, a new approach of Community Action Research Platforms developed. The book contains stories of these platforms that brought together farmers, academics, students, local government officials and others to research, learn and innovate on issues of indigenous and famine foods in Zimbabwe and Darfur, climate adaptation in Namibia, sustainable development of baobab value chains in Benin and much, much more.
Entering these collaborations as a writer and storyteller, I was able to contribute by weaving the different stories, learnings and perspectives drawn from diverse countries and contexts into a coherent narrative to be shared with the wider world. Playing this part enabled me to grasp the inherent messiness, complexity and rigour of collaborative processes where diverse people learn and navigate emerging challenges together. I believe that learning to collaborate well with each other is a superpower that can help us find our way and ultimately thrive in a complex world where there are no easy ‘solutions’.
NEWS
New Open Access book exploring collaborations between African universities and farming communities
University Engagement with Farming Communities in Africa: Community Action Research Platforms (Routledge, 2023) explores an emerging role for African universities, researchers and students as thought leaders and catalysts for sustainable development through participatory, multi-stakeholder collaborations with rural communities in agriculture and food systems.
The book shares stories, lessons and research findings from 21 different collaborations with rural communities across Africa. It highlights a critical yet underutilised role for African universities as collaborators and catalysts for multi-sector solutions that safeguard rural resilience, livelihoods and indigenous knowledge and respond to climate change, biodiversity loss, youth unemployment, food and nutrition insecurity and other complex challenges.
Mycelium member Megan Lindow contributed to the book as a writer and editor. The Open Access version of the book has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license and can be accessed here.
Green energy boom and its impact on jobs in SA
In 2023, South Africa experienced a surge in vacancies for green energy jobs, reflecting a notable shift towards sustainable energy alternatives in response to the ongoing energy crisis. Paul Byrne, the head of Insights at CareerJunction discusses the burgeoning landscape of green energy careers. His insights shed light on the evolving trends and opportunities in the South African job market, specifically within the renewable energy sector.
The increase in green energy job opportunities is a direct response to the pressing need for sustainable energy solutions due to the shortcomings of mainstream commercial power providers.
Byrne explains, “We anticipate continued growth as new jobs are born out of the demand to service the green energy sector. This is being forced by our need to find sustainable energy alternatives because of the failings of Eskom; the demand is accelerating.”
This trend is not just about existing green energy jobs; it’s about the birth of entirely new industries and opportunities. From maintenance, repair, and manufacturing of energy systems to research and development aimed at enhancing the efficiency of solar technologies, the green energy sector is destined to drive multifaceted growth.
“We see the impact going as far as the finance industry as companies develop and market more affordable payment solutions for otherwise expensive installations. And so, the list goes on.”
The increase in green energy job opportunities mirrors South Africa’s efforts to combat the energy crisis. “Need is a driver of demand. Households and businesses that can afford to install alternative energy solutions are doing this en masse to avoid the inconvenience of load shedding,” says Byrne.
Individuals and businesses in a position to afford alternative energy solutions are swiftly adopting these to circumvent the inconvenience of scheduled (and unscheduled) power outages and reduce reliance on traditional energy providers. “Government is not the driver here; this acceleration into the future of our greener energy is purely driven by our need to find alternatives to a failing monopolistic system.”
Black Friday’s environmental impact is an e-waste crisis
As Black Friday deals swept across South Africa, consumers eagerly replaced their old appliances and electrical items. However, this annual shopping frenzy is exacerbating the country’s e-waste problem, warns non-profit organisation Circular Energy.
South Africa is currently grappling with the fastest-growing waste stream in the country: electronic waste. Each citizen generates between 6 to 7 kg of e-waste per year, but only a small fraction (7% to 12%) is formally recycled. This Black Friday, the influx of discarded appliances could further strain the already overwhelmed waste management systems.
Circular Energy, an environmental advocacy group and producer responsibility organisation (PRO), highlights that all items dependent on an electrical current, or those with a plug, cable, or battery, can and should be recycled when no longer in use. These items often contain hazardous materials that pose a significant threat to the environment when improperly discarded. For every gram of recyclable materials not recovered, tonnes of raw materials must be mined or manufactured, causing further environmental harm.
Despite these risks, South African consumers are not yet in the habit of recycling their unwanted electrical and electronic items. The country lags behind in implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, which require manufacturers, importers, and resellers of recoverable items to fund legally compliant recycling schemes.
Consumer e-waste can be divided into two main categories:
TVs and other large CRT displays: These electronics contain lead and other heavy metals, which can be harmful if not recycled properly.
Computers and laptops: Consisting largely of plastic and other materials that can go to waste when broken or old, these devices are often tossed in with regular rubbish when disposed of.
There is a third category of e-waste that is rising exponentially because of the rapid pace of development and accelerated upgrade cycles: lithium batteries. All those powerbanks, smartwatches and smartphones that will get thrown away can have dangerous consequences. According to a study by CSIRO, lithium-ion battery waste is growing by 20% per year and could exceed 136,000 tonnes by 2036. Some of the sources of lithium battery waste include single-use vapes, which are often discarded after use. More than half of people that buy these vapes bin them, according to the research. While each vape contains just 0.15g of lithium, the scale of the waste means about 10 tonnes of the metal is ending up in landfills.
Circular Energy invites South Africans to join its mission to save the planet by using its free and convenient service to collect and recycle their e-waste, whether on Black Friday or any other day.
All the 2023 Eco Logic Awards winners
The 2023 Eco Logic Awards took place recently at the Two Oceans Aquarium, in Cape Town and saw bronze, silver, and gold winners awarded across 13 categories. The awards are an important national platform to showcase and promote those individuals, organisations, products, and services that are doing good for ‘people and planet’.
2023 Eco-Logic winners
Nature Conservation Award | Sponsored by Ford WildLife
Gold: Tale of Two Leopards: Cape Leopard Trust & Endangered Wildlife Trust
Silver: The Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW)
Bronze: Grootbos Green Futures Foundation
Climate Change | Sponsored by Daily Maverick: Our Burning Planet
Gold: Mary Scholes
Silver: GreenCape’s SA Climate Change Champs project
Bronze: AfriSAM
Eco-Innovation | Supported by NCPCSA
Gold: Urban Surfer
Silver: Wetland-in-a-Box: Vertical Up Flow Mular Constructed Wetland Water Treatment System
Bronze: EWT: A high-tech solution that saves threatened birds from power line collisions
Circular Economy & Waste Innovation | Sponsored by Interwaste
Gold: ACEN (African Circular Economy Network)
Silver: AECI Women in Waste Management Project
Bronze: Sun international – Time Square
Water Conservation | Sponsored by Rand Water
Gold: The Water Hub
Silver: Vergelegen Wine Estate
Bronze: JoJo
Eco-Fashion and Lifestyle | Sponsored by Pick n Pay Clothing
Gold: The Joinery
Silver: LEVI
Bronze: The Legacy Collection
Eco-Health and Wellness
Gold: Esse Skincare
Silver: SOiL Organic Aromatherapy
Bronze: The Apothecary Skin & Personal care range
Eco-Friendly Products | Sponsored by ElectroLux SA
Gold: Bokashi Bran
Silver: ProNature Paints
Bronze: Ener-G-Africa – Clean Cooking Stove Implementation Programmes
Eco-Friendly Community | Sponsored by Danone
Gold: Backyard Farms
Silver: Kabega Primary
Bronze: Mosselbank River Conservation Team
Eco-Angel | Sponsored by The Endangered Wildlife Trust
Gold: Helen Turnbull – CEO Cape Leopard Trust
Silver: Jane Trembath – Korsman Conservancy
Bronze: Jonathan Leeming
Eco-Warrior | Sponsored by PolyCo SA
Gold: All Rise Attorneys
Silver: Ntsindiso Nongcavu – Coastal Links
Bronze: Makoma Lekalakala – Earthlife Africa
Eco-Intelligence | Sponsored by GCX
Gold: Mark Anderson – CEO of BirdLife SA
The awards show will be televised on People’s Weather DStv channel 180 and Openview channel 115 on 16 December at 8am/ 2pm.
News from the Mycelium network
Mycelium are currently working on a publication for a project, Rural Action for Climate Resilience (RACR) and hosted a 2 and a half day workshop with their citizen journalists in Cape Town last week. The journalists are from the Eastern, Western and Northern Cape. They spent the time working through ideas, writing styles and forms, and even got to co-create a poem on climate resilience.
Mycelium Media Colab founding member Jacqueline Van Meygarden participated in a Radio Pulpit interview a short while ago, speaking about Mycelium as an entity and her film Temperature Rising from HotSpot Climate Series that was recently released. Have a listen here: https://iono.fm/e/1380786
Temperature Rising Screening in Johannesburg: As climate induced disasters are on the rise across Southern Africa, three activists grapple with what thinking globally and acting locally means in practice.
https://www.thebioscope.co.za/temperature-rising/
SCREENINGS:
SAT 16 Dec 4pm
SUN 17 Dec 4pm
DIARISE
World Wildlife Day Poster Design Competition
It’s that time of year again! 3 months to #WorldWildlifeDay 2024! Are you a graphic designer who’s passionate about #wildlife and interested in showcasing your design talent in the official poster for #WWD2024?
Submit your design by 22 Dec. 2023
Info here: bit.ly/40PP5ge
Theme Title: “Connecting People and Planet: Exploring Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation”For this year’s theme, we’re learning about #digitaltechnologies (i.e., camera traps, AI, electronic trade permits, DNA sequencing) and their evolving role in the conservation of animals and plants around the world!
Khetha 2024 Story Project
Attention seasoned journalists, dedicated conservationists, and media outlets! The Khetha 2024 Story Project aims to assist South African and international journalists to report on wildlife crimes and conservation challenges in the Greater Kruger area through access to local, on-the-ground knowledge. We envisage awarding more than eight story grants ranging in value from R15,000 to R75,000 to seasoned journalists with a proven track record of producing news or feature stories in any medium. To apply for a Khetha Story Grant click here: https://forms.gle/bHBqwyxQqw81J2gA9
!AITSA Screening in Cape Town
After sold out screenings at this year’s Encounters Film Festival and as all screenings in Cape Town sold out in November, there will be another special screening of !AITSA this December. Directed by Dane Dodds, !AITSA, is an immersive journey that transcends the boundaries of tradition, science and spirituality. The film explores the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project in the Karoo, which seeks to unravel the mysteries of the universe through looking back to the beginning of time. However, it is not merely a scientific exploration, as Dodds takes the viewer on a historical expedition, delving into the traditional roots of the Khoi and San populations of the region.
Tickets: https://qkt.io/hjXP5B
– The Labia Theatre
– December 21st
– 20:15 pm
Save the Date: Oxford Real Farming Conference
The ORFC 2024 programme is live! With 150+ sessions in Oxford and 45+ session livestreamed online, there’s plenty to explore! Join 150 inspiring speakers to celebrate 15 years of ORFC and address critical issues including;
Agroecology for Net Zero
Future Farming Policy
Commons and Commoning
Food and Sea Sovereignty
Crofting and Ancestral Knowledge
Land as Reparations
… and much more!
Wherever you are, settle in for two days of incredible knowledge-sharing and community connection. Why not invite friends to register online and host an ORFC watch party in your area? https://orfc.org.uk/orfc-2024-online-programme/
INTERESTING READS
See the photos that made National Geographic’s Pictures of the Year
Some 165 photographers working on assignment for National Geographic shot more than 2.1 million images in 2023. Now, 29 are featured in its annual “Pictures of the Year” retrospective. The feature — published in the magazine’s December issue and online in November — contains “stunning photographs that unearth remarkable, rarely seen moments,” according to National Geographic. The full collection shows moments of joy and silence, celebrations of tradition and science, and the exploration of Earth and outer space. CNBC Travel
Growing African vegetables on buildings can save space and feed cities
As cities grow, more people need food. However, space for farming is limited in cities. Building facades can offer a solution for growing food. We asked landscape architect Karen Botes to tell us about her research – cultivating traditional African vegetables on walls. Selecting traditional African vegetables increases the feasibility and resilience of crop performance. These crops can tolerate sub-Saharan Africa’s harsh climate conditions. The Conversation
Tourists are returning to South Africa – but the sector will need to go green to deal with the country’s electricity crisis
Tourism is a vital contributor to the South African economy. In 2019 the country welcomed over 10 million foreign visitors. The sector contributed up to 6.4% of the gross domestic product along with 1.5 million jobs (9.3% of total jobs). These figures have contracted significantly because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Visitors are returning. But the financial recovery and viability of the sector, which is composed mainly of small businesses, continues to be hampered by the electricity crisis. The Conversation
A mushrooming trend: how fungi became an It food
You can’t walk more than a few aisles in the grocery store these days without running into some kind of new mushroom product. Mushrooms frequently top food trends lists and were even named “ingredient of the year” in 2022 by the New York Times. So what’s behind the craze that’s allowed mushrooms to sustain such momentum? The Guardian
WE ARE LOVING…
… these initiatives which support our aim of living in a more sustainable world.
South Africa secures loan deals to foster the Just Energy Transition
South Africa has officially entered bilateral loan agreements with the World Bank, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), and the African Development Bank (AfDB) to bolster the country’s Just Energy Transition. The concessional financing includes a loan of some $1bn from the World Bank, some €500m from KfW and a further $300m from the AfDB.
“The loans provided by KfW and the AfDB follow their partnership with the World Bank on the second Development Policy Operation DPO to support South Africa’s commitment to the just transition for a low-carbon and resilient economy. These are sovereign loans provided directly to the National Treasury for general budget expenditure purposes.
“The financing facilities from the three development institutions are in line with the National Treasury’s funding strategy to diversify its funding mix for international borrowing and access concessional financing instruments offered by the development partners to support government’s key reforms under climate change and the electricity sector. “These facilities also enable the National Treasury to raise funding at very affordable rates which help to reduce the government public debt,” Treasury said in a statement.
Construction begins on South Africa’s first EV stations free from load shedding
Zero Carbon Charge has broke ground on its first 100% renewable energy charging station in what will become South Africa’s first national network of 120 solar-powered charging facilities spaced out at 150km intervals. Unlike other charging stations that connect to Eskom’s grid (and thus use coal as their primary energy source), Zero Carbon Charge’s charging stations are powered by South Africa’s abundant and renewable supply of sunshine.
Each Zero Carbon Charge charging station generates electricity on-site using solar PV and stores energy in lithium iron phosphate batteries, with generators fuelled by hydrotreated vegetable oil as a backup power source. Hydrotreated vegetable oil is used as it offers a reduction of carbon emissions of up to 90% compared to diesel.
Driving residential green certification in 2024
The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) is set to spearhead the increase of green certification within South Africa’s residential-property sector. This announcement emerged as a highlight from the 16th Green Building Convention, held at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town.
SA’s residential-property sector is currently evaluated at R7.7tn and that only a tiny fraction of that sector has GBCSA certification. He said the GBSCA sees this as a potential market to focus on as 27% of South Africa’s total energy produced is consumed by the residential sector; 44% of the municipal-waste stream is household waste, and households account for almost 60% of municipal water and sanitation use.
Thank you for reading our monthly newsletter! Please share this with like-minded friends or join our conversations on Facebook and Instagram.WHO ARE MYCELIUM?
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/
