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THE SMART NEWS SOURCE | Feb 11 2012 00:41 | LAST UPDATED Feb 11 2012 00:41 |
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In this section: Claire Janisch, Makgabo Seema, Lauren Waller, Nicholas McLean and Peet du Plooy, Pavs Pillay and more. Claire Janisch; co-creator; Genius Lab She has a master's degree in environmental process engineering, but Claire Janisch doesn't build dams. Instead, she focuses on how to produce things that don't make a mess in the first place. Janisch is the co-creator of Genius Lab with art therapist, Amanda Gifford. They have created an innovation hub, which offers everything from environmental workshops for curious kids to seminars for businesses in innovative thinking. Janisch is also an independent consultant on projects for big business: at Eskom she looked at ways of cleaner production of the Duvha power station and at Nedbank, she completed an environmental products and services feasibility study. She tries to help different types of organisations -- from factories and mines to conventional and organic farms -- seek new ways to solve old problems, always integrating what she learns from one place to another. For example, it turns out that there's a lot a cow can teach you about ingenius factory design, such as eat green grass, make white milk with zero waste. It's this kind of holistic thinking -- and making connections in different fields with different organisations and people -— that genius solutions is all about. But Janisch is taking this all one step further. She's researching ways to design systems that are actually good for the environment. She recently started on her second master's degree with the Biomimicry Institute in the United States, in which she is one of 16 people in the world who are studying solutions adopted by nature with the aim of imitating these designs and processes to solve mankind's biggest problems. As part of her studies, she's just returned from the Amazon. Soon, she'll be packing her bags for a trip to Costa Rico. Lucky for us, Janisch will be coming back to impart her genius back home. -- Jane Steinacker Lunch spot: Piggly Wiggly, Natal Midlands  CONTINUES BELOW Makgabo Seema, public relations officer, EnviroServ Waste Management Makgabo Seema was born in rural Makgalong village (Moletjie) in Limpopo province. She graduated with an honours degree in dramatic arts from the University of the Witwatersrand, taught drama at the National School of the Arts and worked as a voice coach for the tour guides at Constitution Hill. But it was after working for the NGO ARA: Be Your Best Rock Challenge, that she found her way into the environment. She went on to head up the corporate social investment projects for her employer, EnviroServ Waste Management, as its public relations officer. There is no shortage of challenges for Seema as a woman working in the male-dominated waste management sector, with the threats of global warming increasing. She is tasked with both internal and external communications but she says the greatest opportunity she's been given is the ability to give back to "mother earth". -- Eamon Allan Lunch spot: Simply Asia, Gardens, Cape Town Lauren Waller, conservationist Lauren Waller stays on Dyer Island for a few weeks at a time when she's working. There are only two other inhabitants on the island but there is no roughing it. In fact, there are many houses left over from the days of guano (bird poo) collecting and seal hunting; power comes from a generator and water from saline distillation. "I love it," she says of her second home, which she shares with seals, penguins and birds. "I love seeing the interaction of animals. But what's sad is that you might think that because it's an island it's pristine but there is still pollution, there are still birds that get caught in nets. It's not as pristine as you might think." As part of a programme between Cape Nature and the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, Waller's job is to oversee burrows that have been supplied, since most of the guano was scraped from the island in the 1900s. This helps our tuxedo-clad friends to breed underground, out of the sun and away from predators. -- Eamon Allan Lunch spot: Savannah Café, Hermanus Nicholas McLean; partner; Roots Landscape DesignNicholas McLean has been interested in plants since he was a teenager. From the age of 13, he started keeping his first bonsai and this sparked a passion that grew into his current occupation. McLean is a partner and landscaper for Roots Landscape Design. As part of this position he works with a group of specialists to offer sustainable energy, food and waste solutions, which all fits well into his other job. McLean is also a yoga teacher at Grace Yoga Studio in Highlands North who trained at the Patanjali School of Yoga in Himachal Pradesh, India. -- Eamon Allan Lunch spot: Sai Thai, Cyrildene, Johannesburg Peet du Plooy; trade and investment adviser, WWF An erstwhile Eskom employee, Peet du Plooy crossed over to the greener side of life to become trade and investment adviser to the local arm of the World Wildlife Fund in 2004. The mechanical engineer with a master's in public policy works to promote economic policy for sustainable development and engages directly with various South African multinationals on corporate sustainability strategies. He has served on various advisory bodies that consult with government as well as national business on issues including climate change. Du Plooy is developing an online corporate sustainability reporting platform, as the basis for an investment index. This will include an ecological footprint in its valuation to help drive sustainable portfolio investment decisions. He is passionate about solar power, electric vehicles and, "digital divide" solutions. -- Lynley Donnelly Lunch spot: Saffron, Strathavon, Johannesburg Melumzi Nontangana, head of research and development, waste department, Cape Town Melumzi Nontangana believes in reincarnation. He also likes to use refuse dumps as landmarks when giving directions. It's a good combination for the head of research and development at Cape Town's waste department. He spends his days trying to find ways to create renewable energy from rubbish and how to change the lives of the poor and save the earth while he's at it. A tall order from trash. But renewable fuels, Nontangana says, have the power to change the planet, to stop wars and to give the poorest of the poor a decent life with electricity and the services they deserve. And you thought it was just a pile of rubbish. -- Hendri Pelser Lunch spot: News Café, anywhere Vicki Penfold; creator; Bio Baba Vicki Penfold never dreamed she'd end up as an environmental advocate. After post-graduate studies in politics at Rhodes University and a successful career in marketing and media, she became a mother. She tried in vain to find non-disposable nappies for her baby, but failed. That's how she came to design, test and launch Bio-baba, a range of eco-friendly cloth nappies. Penfold now runs the business from home and recently launched an online Bio-baba store. Although the product won REAL SIMPLE magazine's Green Innovation Award in the household category this year, the market for cloth nappies in South Africa is small. So Penfold has been attending workshops and antenatal classes to educate midwives and mothers about the cloth nappy alternative. She's also been speaking to waste management experts about the environmental and health risks associated with disposable nappy use. -- Faranaaz Parker Lunch spot: Café Mosaic, Lakeside, Johannesburg Lena Lukhele; land restitution manager, SANParks Lena Lukhele clearly remembers her first big land claim in Mpumalanga. During an old chief's retelling of how his community was forced off their land, the farmer's grandson and current landowner, started crying. Land ownership is an emotional issue and during the process Lukhele has to be a friend, councillor and shoulder to cry on. But, it's worth it, she says, because land restitution is about power and dignity. Lukhele believes land means freedom to the disenfranchised. Lukhele has been a public servant for nearly 12 years and the SANParks land restitution manager is adamant that she will stay in the public sector for some time to come. She started off her career specialising in urban food security at the Gauteng agriculture department but realised that land reform was her forte. Her real motivation is not the salary. It's about making a direct difference in people's lives. -- Hendri Pelser Lunch spot: Mug & Bean, Menlyn, Pretoria Tessa Mackay, project leader, Hatch Being the daughter of a diplomat meant that Tessa Mackay grew up all over the world. And for the next year, she'll be in Vancouver for the Hatch group as the project leader for sustainable development in the design group. She says her job is a perfect marriage between her love for the environment and engineering. With a BSc in civil engineering from the University of Cape Town, the outdoor enthusiast explains that an engineer will always find a solution to a problem. In essence, Mackay's day-to-day problem is finding the fine balance between the environment and the budget when it comes to large engineering projects or building mammoth plants. -- Hendri Pelser Lunch spot: Contessa, Rivonia, Johannesburg Pavs Pillay, communications officer; Marine Research Institute; UCT Pavs Pillay gave up the sunshine of Pretoria to heed the call of the ocean. She's now scientific and communications officer for the Marine Research Institute and Africa Centre for Climate and Earth System Science at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Pillay attained her honours degree in marine biology from Wits University. She then added a master's in fisheries management at UCT. But "pure academic life" didn't hold her for long. Pillay felt "a need to communicate ocean and marine issues to the public". Now she has found her niche, bridging gaps between scientific research outcomes and popular publications. Pillay is also passionately involved in the Green Auditing of Schools project. She hopes such initiatives will help people change their behaviour and start living environmentally sustainable lives. She believes it's not enough just to create awareness. -- Percy Mabandu Lunch spot: Wild Olive, Observatory, Cape Town TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE
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