Each year the best players from different soccer clubs are selected to represent the Stellenbosch Local Football Association at a regional level, and this year four from the Sporting Football Club (which includes our own Eco FC Team) were chosen.  Congratulations to the boys (featured below):

• Oswald Phillips & Mightyman Nkoko (selected for the SLFA under 15 team)
• Shaun Roman & Katleho Mabeba (selected for the SLFA under 17 team)

Sporting FC is coached by Meshack Lefifi. The boys played their first games on Saturday 28th June in Paarl against the Drakenstein LFA and both teams won!

The Youth Theatre Group gave their first performance "Die Onskuldiges" (The Innocent) on Tuesday evening the 24th June. The play was a workshopped improvisation piece created by the 23 members of the Youth Theatre Project over the last six months, in respect of happenings in their community. The members are between the ages of 11 and 15 years old. The project is under the leadership of the Flom Community Theatre group in partnership with the Sustainability Institute. There was a large community & members family turnout for the performance and although it was some of the children's first time performing in front of people they all deserve Oscars for their enthusiasm, verve and vitality.

The last few months have been a busy time at the Sustainability Institute, and we have - and still are - running a number of exciting and important projects.  A short description of various is given below.

CURRENT PROJECTS 

Cordaid / UCAL Berkeley Funded Projects: October 2006 - current

Energy Efficiency Office within the Cape Town Partnership (CTP):  Cordaid provided 2 years’ funding to assist the CPT in promoting energy efficiency in CBD offices.  This has become increasingly important with the present energy crisis in South Africa.  An energy efficiency office has been established within the CTP and outcomes to date have included energy audits for key buildings within the City of Cape Town, as well as advocating  energy  in partnership with the CCT and various Cape Town businesses. 

Energy retrofits for selected buildings are set to occur in 2008. One of the initial project concepts was to capture savings from audited and retrofitted buildings, and plug these savings into poverty alleviation/job creation schemes within the CCT.  The complexity of building ownership and management  is one of the factors has made this output quite a complicated one to achieve.  Within the CCT, many building owners do not occupy the buildings  or manage the utility systems within the building. They often hand these services over to intermediaries who provide services and billing systems (for a fee and a profit), therefore energy efficiency is not in their interest.   In tenanted buildings, tenants often pay the utility bills themselves. In cases like this, building owners do not  necessarily have an incentive to “capture savings.”

The Sustainability Institute has also identified a highly experienced CT-based ESCO that can be sub-contracted as the CTP’s “preferred service provider” with respect to building audits and retrofits. This ESCO would provide the technical capacity for audits and retrofits. A percentage of the implementation costs of the retrofits will provide the revenue stream for the project management and marketing efforts required. The first goal is financial sustainability for the project itself. If there is a surplus, this would go toward poverty alleviation projects.  The CPT would continue to promote energy efficiency to its members by sanctioning the direct dealing with the chosen ESCO who will handle implementation.  In addition, arrangements are being made with Eskom (SA energy provider) to fast-track any application for DSM funding that may come through the CTP.  The Sustainability Institute is currently identifying  potential ESCO’s and financial implementation models.

Going forward, there has been a call from the CTP to establish a full-time Sustainable Development office within the partnership which could address and advise on broader sustainable development issues on an ongoing basis.

Capacity Building for Sustainable Neighbourhoods:  Following on work previously done for Cordaid, this project seeks to further develop the idea of socially mixed Sustainable Neighbourhoods, with a special focus on sustainable energy, water and waste systems and sustainable resource use in low-income communities. The Sustainability Institute has been working with the Community Organisation Resources Centre (CORC) and the Federation of the Urban Poor (FEDUP) and designers to  include better passive solar and window design, insulation, solar heating options, and alternative wastewater treatment systems in housing design, using a sustainable neighbourhood approach. 

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B/M Phil students on the Complexity Theory and Systems Thinking module this week were fortunate enough to have the opportunity of attending a number of fantastic presentations and lectures by world-renowned leaders in their fields.

On Monday, students had the chance to listen to distinguished speaker, ecological economist Marjan Van Den Belt and her System Dynamics Approach to Mediated Modeling.

Tuesday, the students had a presentation by Prof Jan-Hendrik (Jannie) Hofmeyr.  Prof Hofmeyr presented to the students an insight into his complexity approach to his work and research in biochemistry (available here).  Prof Hofmeyr is currently at the University of Stellenbosch and is a highly regarded, A-rated scientist and winner of several awards, including the Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award.  

Prof Paul Cilliers, professor in philosophy at the University of Stellenbosch, another A-rated scientist and first social sceintist to win the Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award winner is the leading lecturer on the Complexity Theory course for the sixth year running.