Building a Sustainable Future: The Rise of Bio-Construction in South Africa The modern construction industry is facing a crisis of conscience. Globally, it is responsible for nearly 40% of carbon emissions—a staggering figure that reflects not only the materials we…

Syntropic Gardening and Farming: A Regenerative Path to Abundance Syntropic farming is a regenerative approach to agriculture that imitates the dynamics of natural ecosystems to restore soil health, increase biodiversity, and produce abundant food without external inputs. The term “syntropic”…

Why Biodiversity in the Urban Environment Matters The Global Decline of Insects and Urbanization Across the world, insect populations are plummeting at an alarming rate. Scientists estimate that nearly 40% of insect species are at risk of extinction within the…

Upcycling & Underconsumption In today’s fast-paced, consumer-driven society, it can be hard to escape the pressure of buying new things constantly. Whether it’s the latest fashion trends or upgrading to the newest tech gadget, we’ve been conditioned to embrace a…

Deep Sea Mining: Unearthing Resources at a Cost In recent years, deep-sea mining has emerged as an increasingly discussed topic in the realms of science, politics, and environmental advocacy. As the demand for resources like metals, minerals, and rare earth…

Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas for This Christmas With Christmas just a week away, you may still be searching for the perfect gift for your loved ones. If you’re hoping to give something special this year that also benefits the planet, here…

15 Edible Tree Leaves You Should Add to Your Pantry When we think of trees, we usually picture their fruits or timber, but many trees also offer edible leaves that can enrich your meals. From savoury greens to nutrient-packed additions,…

Sponge Cities and How They Work Cities worldwide are grappling with the challenges of managing stormwater and preventing flooding in the face of increasing urbanization and climate change. Enter the concept of “sponge cities.” These innovative urban designs prioritize water…

Embracing Our Heritage: The Role of Natural Construction Materials Heritage is a tapestry woven from the threads of our collective history, culture, and environment. It encompasses the practices, traditions, and materials that have shaped human civilization. Construction materials are a…

New Developments in Energy Storage: Paving the Way for a Sustainable Future In a time when climate change and environmental sustainability are top global concerns, energy storage technology plays a crucial role in transitioning to a greener future. Energy storage…

The lesser known black market trade: Butterflies Imagine a dimly lit room in a Tokyo bar where a group of eager collectors huddle over a table, each trying to outbid the others for small, white triangular envelopes. This scene might…

Urban Mining: A way towards a circular economy and better resource management   The concept of urban mining represents a paradigm shift in how we view construction and resource management, treating urban waste not as refuse, but as a valuable…

What does an architect do? Introduction An architect in its simplest definition is a qualified person who designs, plans and supervises the construction of a building. The word architect is routed in the Greek word ‘arkhi’ meaning chief and ‘tekton’…

How Urban Farming Can Transform Our Cities: From Necessity to Sustainability Introduction: Urban farming, a concept deeply embedded in the annals of history, experienced a profound resurgence during the Second World War in the United Kingdom. As food shortages gripped…

Unveiling the Vile: The Problem with Greenwashing In a world increasingly concerned about environmental sustainability, consumers and businesses alike are eager to jump on the green bandwagon. But while many corporations tout their eco-friendly initiatives, there’s a dark side lurking…

Groundwater: A Limited Resource Groundwater is a crucial part of the earth’s water cycle, which sustains healthy ecosystems around the world. At its most basic, groundwater refers to water that has collected deep underground in porous rock and soil. These…

How to care for Hoya in the home Hoya, also known as the wax plant or porcelain flower, is a climbing evergreen tropical perennial plant in the Apocynaceae family, with over 5,000 accepted species. They are mostly found in Asia…

Can we Geoengineer our way out of Climate Change?   After last year’s disastrous COP28 and record-breaking heat in 2023, it is clear that humanity won’t transition away from fossil fuels soon enough to curb the worst effects of climate…

COP28: The Highs, the lows and the scary   As you might know, COP28 is currently underway in Dubai in The United Arab Emirates. COP is an international climate meeting held each year by the United Nations to agree on…

Fighting climate-despair with Hope Introduction: Climate despair, also called Ecological grief is defined as “the grief reaction stemming from the environmental loss of ecosystems by natural and man-made events.”[4] Another definition is “the grief felt in relation to experienced or anticipated ecological losses,…

Floating Cities: The future or just a passing fad Throughout history, humanity’s most iconic cities have been situated along coastlines and waterways. From Venice’s winding canals to New York’s bustling harbors, these cities have thrived near the water. However, in…

Regenerative Architecture: A way towards true sustainability The world of construction has long been at odds with the environment. Traditional construction practices have often prioritized short-term gains and convenience over the long-term health of our planet. The consequences of this…

How to make your own wildlife pond: from start to finish Building your own pond might seem like a daunting task. How large should it be? How deep and how do I maintain it and not end up with an…

Five Things to do in the garden this August After the cold snap, we experienced all across South Africa in mid-July, most gardeners may look at their garden and wonder if it’s even worth gardening this time of the year.…

The world is changing. Year after year, new record-breaking temperatures are recorded from Europe to Beijing. Storm surges and hurricanes batter coastal towns, and it is becoming clear that cities need to change and adapt to combat the worst effects…

Introduction: All around the globe, Energy costs are rising. In South Africa, we also have to deal with an unstable energy grid and increasing blackouts impacting how we live and work. With added environmental concerns, understanding your energy usage and…

What is Cob? Cob is an ancient building material that has been used for centuries worldwide. It is a natural and sustainable material made by mixing earth, sand, straw, and water. Cob has many advantages over other building materials; It…

What is rewilding? Rewilding is a form of environmental restoration that include multiple disciplines and can include reforestation, ecological rehabilitation, and re-establishing keystone species into degraded ecosystems. All across the globe, environmental scientists are testing strategies for rehabilitating and restoring…

When approaching clients for a garden design, I often hear the phrase, ‘I can’t have a nice garden because my dogs destroy and eat everything.’ If this seems familiar and resonates with you, there is good news. Nature is exceptionally…

The world is waking up to the devastating effects and long-term damage that rising CO2 levels can cause in the earth’s atmosphere and increasing global temperatures. In the past couple of years, we have seen record-breaking temperatures all across the…

Our ancestors, as far back as the hunter-gathers, foraged in nature for part of their food. A recent archaeological find in Iraq by the Liverpool John Moores University revealed that Neanderthals survived on various berries, wild nuts and grasses, and…

Modern-day suburbia is dominated by one garden feature: the well-manicured lawn. It has become so synonymous with suburban living that those of us, who dare to let our properties grow wild, are sometimes judged severely by our neighbours. It is…

Have you ever arrived or entered a building you had never visited, and it somehow felt familiar? Or revisited a childhood holiday destination and were somehow taken back to your youth? Almost like a memory triggered by a smell or…

Introduction For thousands of years before the invention of electricity, civilizations like the Persians in the Arabian desert or Celtic people in the British Isles designed their homes and cities around ancient practices to help regulate the temperature in their…

Since the pandemic started in 2020, we have noticed food shortages once distribution networks became interrupted. We saw food spoiling on docks while people in large cities across the globe struggled to find necessities. The UN still predicts that by 2050 almost 68% of the world…

Water is one of our most valuable resources on the planet. No plant or animal species can survive without water. With rising ocean temperatures, the water cycle on our planet is changing, and the distribution of water is sure to…

What is a tiny home? A tiny home is a recent trend that gained a lot of traction in the past ten years together with interest in a more minimalist lifestyle. With ever-growing property prices and most millennials not being…

Be honest. How often do you think about what ends up in your trashcans and what happens with that waste after the municipal trucks come and collect it on collection day? In South Africa, we see the trolley guys arrive…

For those of you who might not already know Biodiversity refer to the diversity of species both Fauna and Flora found within any giver ecosystem. We are facing a global housing shortage crisis and with the ever-increasing global population, the…

Shelter and safety are some of the most basic needs for every human on the planet. For as long as people have been living together in groups we have collectively altered the environment around us to better suit our needs.…

What a loaded question. If you ask this to most people in the street they wouldn’t care one way or another. So why is it important for the common man on the street to care about being ‘green’? After years…