The Sustainability Institute is a non-profit trust, founded in 1999. An international living and learning centre focussing on studies and experience in ecology, community and spirit, we work in partnership with the School of Public Management and Planning, University of Stellenbosch in the following areas of  education (Masters and PhD degrees in Sustainable Development Planning and Sustainable Agriculture), Early Childhood Development, Community Development Practice and Management, project facilitation to establish Sustainable Neighbourhood Developments in various localities,policy research in the sustainable development sector. The Institute is located in the Lynedoch EcoVillage, a place where we have provided development facilitation to create a space for sustainable living and learning.

Green Economy for Gauteng

On 1 March 2010 at a venue at the University of Johannesburg, the Gauteng City Region Observatory (GCRO) (www.gcro.ac.za) hosted a seminar to discuss two policy documents recently adopted by the Gauteng Government, namely the Gauteng Industrial Policy and the Developmental Green Economy Strategy for Gauteng. Firoz Cachalia, the MEC for the Department of Economic Development (DED) who has been the political head of this policy process, opened the seminar by arguing that the Gauteng Government believes that is necessary to reconcile sustainability and industrial growth. The Industrial Policy was presented by the authors of the policy -  the Corporate Strategy and Industrial Development unit at University of the Witwatersrand. The Green Economy strategy was presented by Mark Swilling on behalf of the Sustainability Institute team that drafted the document under the leadership of Frank Spencer. Significantly, there is considerable overlap between the two documents. The Industrial Policy proposes a medium-tech light industry future for Gauteng which means moving away from a dependence on energy intensive mining and heavy industry sectors. The Green Economy strategy proposes a range of interventions in transport, water, energy, waste and human settlement planning that will result in the decoupling of growth rates from rates of resource consumption. The Gauteng Economic Development Agency has been mandated to implement a strategy for building a renewable energy industry in Gauteng.

Internship applications for 2010 now open!

An exciting opportunity to join the Sustainability Institute team in August and September this year as an intern for interested students passionate about sustainable development and seeking an opportunity for a hands-on experience in a unique, South African setting. This flexible programme can be designed to suit each intern’s interests and availability, and is currently open for applications. The Sustainability Institute is looking for enthusiastic, flexible and dynamic young people to work with their team through this internship programme. Click here for more details.

The Sustainability Institute Turns Ten

Written by Adi Enthoven, Spier, and Sustainability Institute board member

I can hardly believe 10 years has gone by since the inception of the Sustainability Institute and the Lynedoch eco-village. If I recall correctly, my first interaction with the Sustainability Institute was a conversation with Mark and Eve sometime in 1995 or 1996 on a proposal to establish a leadership institute at Spier. This ultimately came to fruition in a much bolder dream; namely to not only create what became the Sustainability institute, but to embed it in a community that would seek to radically redefine the social and ecological reality of South African, and indeed global, living.

I've learned that these kinds of journeys do not have a destination, but what has been achieved in these years is truly remarkable. This community has become a leader in the living, learning and thinking about the world in which we live today, and the world we dream of for tomorrow. To Mark and Eve, the team at the Institute, Grantham and his team at the school, the residents of Lynedoch and to all of you who have made this happen, you can be really proud of what you have achieved. I for one am immensely proud to be associated with your achievements. I look forward to partnering with you into the future in your journey of not only dreaming, but building the dream of a world that we will be proud to hand over to our children.