Democracy and Development in South Africa

Cape Town, South Africa

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The Life Aquatic in Cape Town


L to R: Display of pollution of Cape Town beaches by the
waterfront, seafood watch symbols,  a close up of display
and a map of the plastic in the water. 

Cape Town is a city of paradoxes, especially when it comes to the environment. Many South African espouse the glory of nature and the need for recycling and conservation. But, Cape Town still struggles with recycling and air pollution, as it is a motorized city with poor public transportation infrastructure (WMATA, I will try to stop complaining about your service). Most people travel to work and play by taxi, mini bus, or cars.  One South Africans told me that Cape Town does not have air pollution because of the Cape Doctor, which is a strong south-easterly wind that blows the smug away from South Africa’s coast, but when the doctor is away the smog will play (see below).  
Air pollution haze above Cape Town
As South Africa struggles, like other countries, to become greener, I wanted to highlight one of Cape Town’s educational green initiatives at the Two Oceans Aquarium. This visit is due in thanks to Professor Tumi, Cape Town native, who shared that it was a great place to visit.  And boy, was she right!  Throughout the Two Oceans Aquarium, there were signs, displays and images that stressed the importance of the sea and the need for us to watch for our environmental imprint/impact. I was especially impressed with two educational displays at the aquarium. The first was “For Love of Water (FLOW), which reminded visitors that “we are a mirror image of this composition – our human bodies also comprise 70% water; without water we would die and so would the planet.”[1] These messages were written on the fish tanks to remind us to stay in touch with the ocean. The second display focused on overfishing and over-consumption of fish, which is an important issue that the United States rarely discusses (Unless you have friends, who work at NOAA and talk about Total Allowable Catch limits). The aquarium used the stop light  (or in South Africa, robot signals) colors to indicate to visitors “green” species of seafood.  You can even call or text a number to check to see if a fish you wish to eat is from a healthy population. This display reminded visitors that we are consumers and that we can  “make a huge difference to our ocean resources by choosing to eat seafood that is still plentiful and can cope with today’s fishing pressures.[2]  So think or text (079 499 8795) before you eat!
 
Below is a list of easy green recommendations from the Two Oceans Aquarium:
By saving energy and using more renewable sources of energy, we can reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and help cool the earth and the oceans.
·       Change a light: Replace one normal light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) and save 330kg of carbon dioxide a year. Make sure you dispose of the CFLs safely as they contain mercury which is toxic.
·       Drive less: Walk, cycle, catch a lift or take public transport and save 2.2kg of carbon dioxide for every kilometre you don't drive.
·       Recycle more: Save 5 280kg of carbon dioxide per year by recycling just half of your household waste.
·       Check your tires: Keep your tires inflated and improve petrol usage by more than 3%. Every litre of petrol saved keeps 44kg of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
·       Use less hot water: Install low flow showerheads (770kg of CO2 saved per year) and wash your clothes in cold or warm, not hot, water (1 100kg saved per year).
·       Turn off your computer overnight – a standard monitor left on overnight uses enough energy to print 5 300 copies!



[1] Two Oceans Aquarium website: http://www.aquarium.co.za/conservation_research/going_green/
[2] Two Oceans Aquarium website: http://www.aquarium.co.za/conservation_research/going_green/

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