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.

Sustainable Stellenbosch


Sustainable Stellenbosch is an initiative of the University of Stellenbosch, in partnership with the Sustainability Institute, TSAMA Hub and Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies, to promote sustainable development in the wider Stellenbosch through close collaboration with the Stellenbosch Municipality (through the Reinventing Stellenbosch partnership), community and business sectors. The focus of the initiative is to leverage the knowledge and experience within the University of Stellenbosch to support the local community of Stellenbosch through several research and action programmes. The University of Stellenbosch is promoting sustainability both on campus and in the wider Stellenbosch community through its core activities of research, teaching and community interaction. Read more for an update on this year's activities submitted to the Rector in July 2009.

 

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Stellenbosch Landfill is Full



The Stellenbosch Landfill is Full - Stakeholder Workshop, 9 July 2009, Sustainability Institute

In response to the realisation that the Stellenbosch landfill is full, and as part of the Science and Society initiative within the Sustainable Stellenbosch Programme, the Sustainability Institute convened a workshop that was attended by 75 people from Stellenbosch Municipality, the University, NGOs, businesses, community representatives, ratepayer groups, informal waste  pickers living on the landfill, welfare societies and recycling organisations. The Stellenbosch landfill is not only full, if it is closed down it could cost Stellenbosch up to R2 million per month to transport the waste elsewhere, but it cannot be assumed that other local authorities will allow Stellenbosch to fill up their rapidly filling landfills. Everyone needs to pull together to resolve this problem.

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Stellenbosch Food Security Initiative



At his installation in 2007 Prof Russel Botman, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, alluded to his vision of a ‘pedagogy of hope' and a new positioning for Stellenbosch University (SU) as an institution of excellence in the 21st Century. After more than two years of planning and consultation this ‘pedagogy of hope' started taking form in the University's Overarching Strategic Plan (OSP). The OSP consists of internal objectives and commitment of funds to realise 5 key themes (combating poverty, promoting human security, human dignity, democracy and environmental sustainability) through 21 OSP Projects.

The Food Security Initiative (FSI) is one of these 21 OSP Projects. The FSI “contributes to the emergence of a resilient, sustainable food system for Southern Africa, by reconceptualising the food security challenge, and creating new models of practice in the food system, through the integration of findings from in-depth research on key issues in the food value chain, collaboration across disciplinary boundaries, capacity building, and systematic impact assessment.” This project initiative is being coordinated by Prof Jimmy Volmink of the Faculty of Health Sciences.
As one of the projects within the OSP Food Security Initiative, the Sustainability Institute has been awarded funding to research food security in the Greater Stellenbosch.

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