Overstrand is runner-up in national arbor competition
Mbombela (Nelspruit), Mpumalanga, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) announced the winners of its annual Arbor City Awards.
This competition, sponsored by TOTAL SA and jointly hosted by the DAFF and the Institute for Environment and Recreation Management (IERM), aims to recognise municipalities that are doing their best to green their surroundings and to encourage others to do the same.
Municipalities from all over the country compete in three categories: Metropolitan, local and rural.
In the category local authorities, the Steve Tshwete Municipality walked off with the coveted first prize, with Overstrand Municipality in second place.
In recent years, Overstrand has made great strides with the greening of new housing developments by planting trees in co-operation with the Department of Environmental Affairs.
The project that impressed the judges most, though, was the Karwyderskraal landfill site where 600 tons of green refuse is diverted on average for composting purposes.
The 33 municipalities that entered the competition were judged based on the portfolio of evidence they submitted to substantiate their claims that they are ensuring compliance with the relevant greening legislation and raising general awareness regarding the importance and value of, especially trees in residential areas.
Amongst others, the portfolio had to include evidence of a greening policy and/or strategy as well as plans and a budget to support future projects aimed at clearing invasive plants in partnership with, for instance, NGOs. Entrants were also allowed to include material such as a tree register and videos/photographs to illustrate their commitment to the cause.
As a matter of interest, the City of eThekwini came out tops in the metropolitan category, while the Dihlabeng Local Municipality walked
off with the laurels in the rural category.
When asked what Overstrand plans on doing with their R250 000 prize money, the Municipality’s horticulturist, Lauren Rainbird said it will probably go towards planting more trees in the area.
“Greening our living spaces is vitally important to our well-being. I would like to thank everybody across the Overstrand who supports our efforts in the greening of our environment,”she said.
Last week’s cold, wet wintery weather did little to dampen the excitement when the Deep Blue Ambassadors once again participated in the Municipality’s greening events to celebrate Arbor Month in Gansbaai.
Seventeen Wild Olives and Cape Ash trees were planted on the high school grounds of Gansbaai Academia in partnership with Dyer Island Conservation Trust’s Environmental Education Programme (known as DEEP), Marine Dynamics and International Marine Volunteers.
The Deep Blue programme focuses on several lessons per term about fauna and flora of the marine environment, whilst improving environmental management at the schools as well as environmental learning. The aim is to ensure that the children adopt a healthy respect for nature and a love for the environment; ultimately leading to studies in the field of marine conservation and future employment in the field.
Gansbaai’s Environmental Officer, Benjamin Kondokter, says planting trees on school grounds provides an ideal opportunity for environmental education, getting children to think about greening and beautifying the school environment.
“Twenty years from now, when visiting the school, they will remember this day when they planted small trees and it will be a wonderful feeling for them to see how they grew into giants,” he said.