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Emergency Preparedness and Response - 2011-09-28 Everyday we read in the newspapers about tragedies having occurred because there was not enough equipment, materials or people to do something which would reduce the losses/prevent the injuries. Everyday we go about our daily routines expecting all will be normal. Yet, we do not go out into the world unprepared. We take our raincoats i... more Power to Mozambique! - 2011-06-13 Mozambique will soon start developing a new power distribution and transmission line to distribute power from Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric Dam. The line will be almost 1 500km long and carry about 9 200MW of power and is estimated to be finished in the next 3 years. Although the line will benefit Mozambique in many ways we must reme... more Kyoto Extension vs. Brick Wall - 2011-06-13 Canada has confirmed, joining Japan and Russia, that it will not be a party to the ‘new’ Kyoto Protocol currently being negotiated in Germany. The Kyoto Protocol only binds emissions of industrialised countries until 2012, the meeting in Germany is trying to extend the Protocol but with more ‘large’ countries pulling out of the agreement... more Acid Mine Drainage on the Witwatersrand Has Been Included in the Gauteng Agriculture and Rural Development Department's Oversight Programme - 2011-06-09 Acid mine drainage on the Witwatersrand has been included in the Gauteng agriculture and rural development department's oversight programme, the DA said on Monday. "The inclusion... is a victory for environmental activists and multi-party democracy and will hopefully send out a message that national government is accountable to p... more Environmental Compliance Needs More Encouragement than Enforcement - 2011-06-08 The best way to achieve the intended aims of environmental regulation is to focus more on promoting compliance with environmental laws before enforcement, says University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) School of Law environmental law professor Tumai Murombo. Overemphasising enforcement is costly and ineffective in protecting the environment because, ... more Duality, Legal Uncertainty in Environmental Legal Framework Challenging - 2011-06-08 South Africa’s current legal system for environmental management in mines is creating duality and friction between the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) and the Department of Environmental Affairs, says environmental legislation consultant Green Gain Consulting MD Nicolai Massyn. The structure of the National Environmental Management Act... more Post Election News in Ekurhuleni - 2011-06-07 During February and May election posters filled up every pole in sight, all the happy smiling faces nearly succeeding in becoming our new national flower! Unfortunately the political parties were in some instances much slower to take down their posters than what they were in putting them up. The Ekurhuleni Municipality Police Service By ... more Grootvlei mine now stands in ruins - 2011-06-02 This week Business Report found that one of the shafts, Ndlovu number six, had been destroyed – its towering headgear cut away leaving nothing but a heap of bricks with a gaping hole that reportedly runs 400 metres deep. Mine shaft number four had also been stripped and was barely functional. It poses an environmental hazard because ... more Mining companies should enforce safety or face financial penalties - 2011-06-02 Mining companies that do not enforce safety at their operations will be facing financial penalties once the Mining Health and Safety Act is reviewed, says Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu. In her budget vote speech presented to Parliament on Wednesday, Shabangu expressed her concern over the increase in deaths in mining accidents ... more May 2011 Newsletter - 2011-05-17 Click here to read Green Gain's May 2011 newsletter. In this issue you will read on the following - AMD - SA's Grave? 5 Top Contaminants in Our Food Supply Legal Updates Just for Interest An Interesting Case... or two The Worlds Biggest Oil Consumers !Loud and Proud! Killer Heat Stress The Plight of the Bushmen Miners... more 2011 ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW WORKSHOP: NELSPRUIT - 2011-05-10 2011 ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW WORKSHOP: NELSPRUIT Date: Thursday, 9th June 2011 Venue: Venue to be confirmed with registrati... more What Every Worker and Employer Should Know About Safety in the Workplace - 2011-04-08 This guide was written in the interest of the health and safety of workers in South Africa. It is not intended as a substitute for the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993. It is intended to explain the Act in simple, non-legal terms to all the role players in the South African occupational health and safety field. To this end the role of the ... more NGOs Call for Fairer Mine Law Overhaul - 2011-04-08 Environmental and rights groups said yesterday that separate and unequal environmental rules for mines were “no longer defensible”. The organisations complained that they were being sidelined from early efforts to overhaul mining laws. The 13 groups, including Lawyers for Human Rights, WWF South Africa and the Endangered Wildlife ... more Road Map to Environmental Legislation / Environmental Law Update Workshop 2011 - 2011-03-11 Road Map to Environmental Legislation Road Map to Environmental Legislation is a great companion for anyone who needs a quick reference to environmental law or persons who wish to understand the legal context of their activities. Developers, business and industry, government officials, decision-makers, environmental practitioners, the plan... more Mines Fail to Release Vital Acid Water Information - 2011-03-02 The government did the right thing by releasing a report on acid mine drainage (AMD) last week that referred to the water pollution problem in the mine voids of the Witwatersrand as a “crisis”. Now it is the turn of gold mining firms to peer beyond self-interest and open up their own databases. By stalling the release of detailed information on t... more - 2011-02-14 Following a significant boost in sponsorship from ArcelorMittal South Africa, one of Collect-a-Can's primary sponsors of the National Schools Competition, this year's prizes in the schools competition stand at R368 000 in prize money. This competition runs from February to October 2011 and pays cash prizes to the schools that collect the... more Cape Poisoning Followed Food Dumping - 2011-02-14 food poisoning outbreak in a Cape Town informal settlement in January followed the distribution of food that should have gone to a dump site, the city said on Tuesday, 8 February 2011. It had finalised an investigation into the events that led to residents of Pholile Park informal settlement in Lwandle falling ill over the weekend of 8 Janua... more Miningsafety.co.za Launched - 2011-02-14 The Development of the Miningsafety.co.za information portal has been inspired by the development of the well known road safety website ArriveAlive.co.za. During the development of this road safety portal the developers rendered assistance to several mining companies in creating awareness of safety aspects such as safe transportation, driver fatigu... more February 2011 Newsletter - 2011-02-14 Click here to read Green Gain's February 2011 newsletter. In this issue you will read on the following - Bisphenol A Hysteria Ground Breaking Archaeological Finds for 2010 New Legislation Just for Interest Road Map to Environmental Legislation Fortified (Medicated) Water An Interesting Case or two Environmental Law Update Works... more Green Scorpions Proceed to Mpumalanga for Next Leg of National Law Enforcement Campaign - 2011-01-26 The Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI), popularly referred to as the Green Scorpions, will this week conduct National Environmental Law Compliance inspections in Mpumalanga province from 17 - 21 January 2011. The inspections will take place in Eskom Komati Asbestos site, N4 Ring road, Eskom- Camden Substation and the transmission ... more Green Scorpions' Limpopo Enforcement Campaign - 2011-01-19 The Green Scorpions inspected five Eskom projects in Limpopo and they made the following preliminary findings: In Lephalale wherein Eskom is authorized to carry out the construction of the Medupi Coal Power Station and associated structures as well as the construction of raw water reservoirs and the associated pipelines for the power station, the p... more Green Gain's Quarterly Newsletter, November 2010 - 2010-11-16 Beach Time !!!!!!! Although it is hard to believe, another year has flown by and we are on the brink of another well deserved holiday! As South Africans most of us are heading to the beach to enjoy some sublime summer sun, although the state of the beach may be less than acceptable.... For most people cleanliness is one of the most import... more Gauteng's Acid Water Problem - 2010-08-02 For most who watched the acid water presentation on Carte Blanche on the 1st of August 2010 it was most likely a rude awakening to the environmental catastrophy that is unfolding in our county's economic hub. Here is what it was all about - "A bitter paradox is unfolding in the economic heartland of South Africa: we're sho... more Environmental Crime Reporting - 2010-07-19 Any person may report an environmental crime, which is any crime against environmental law that is liable for prosecution. These crimes may be reported anonymously to the following number - 0800 205 005 The hotline operates 24 hours a day. The Department of Environmental Affairs has also published a booklet regarding this issue - Stepping Up E... more South Africa's Water Crisis - 2010-07-19 South Africa faces an electricity supply crisis today because the government ignored the warnings it was given more than ten years ago. The same situation is now facing us with regard to water supply. A combination of polluted water sources and poor management of dams, sewerage works and treatment plants has led to a situation where our water suppl... more Is the NEM: Air Quality Act now fully operational? - 2010-05-03 The AQA is now fully active. This means that The old APPA is completely repealed. Most important to note is that air emissions licenses will now be done in terms of NEM:AQA and no longer in terms if APPA. Persons with current APPA scheduled process certificates should take note of Section 61 of NEM:AQA which deals with the transitional arrange... more February 2010 Newsletter - 2010-02-01 Your Carbon Footprint Greenhouse gas emission responsibility worldwide, 2008 Global warming and the idea of your personal contribution, your carbon footprint, can create an inner panic but with minimal effort we can all make a difference. There is a perception that global warming is least likely to influence ‘ME’ but one look at a weat... more Top 10 Green Living Myths - 2009-11-30 There are a number of alternative ideas going around that are supposedly environmentally friendly, but they are not always as straight-forward as one might think. Let's take a look at the eco-friendly messages we've come to take for granted. Turning off the lights saves CO2 - It makes sense for individuals to use less el... more How 16 Ships Create as much Pollution as all the Cars in the World - 2009-11-24 As ships get bigger, the pollution is getting worse. The most staggering statistic of all is that just 16 of the world’s largest ships can produce as much lung-clogging sulphur pollution as all the world’s cars. Because of their colossal engines, each as heavy as a small ship, these super-vessels use as much fuel as small power stations. But, u... more Plastic Bag Billboard - 2009-06-22 A total of 2000 plastic bags were collected and woven together by seven self-employed crafters to create a 40m² ‘canvas' on which Nedbank and its advertising agency partner, Net#work BBDO, could spread a message of commitment to the preservation of the environment. It took six weeks to produce and was a challenge to the crafters who... more Hypermiling becoming popular for increasing fuel efficiency - 2009-04-14 As fuel prices hit record highs around the world, American drivers are turning to driving techniques popular in poorer countries in order to save petrol. While certain methods to save fuel are well known, proponents of a more radical variety of fuel saving techniques known as 'hypermiling' claim that these measures can improve ga... more Air Pollution in Cape Town a Serious Problem - 2009-03-23 The City of Cape Town is changing its "outdated" air pollution bylaw, which it says is "not hitting hard enough" at offenders who release noxious gases into the environment. It is the latest of several zero-tolerance steps taken by the city council in its bid to make Cape Town "the African city with the cleanest air". James Vos, chair of the ... more Consumers Getting Serious About Greener Products - 2009-03-23 Companies are under growing pressure worldwide to cater for consumers demanding environmentally friendly services, says a research report released by IBM on Tuesday. "Customers are increasingly demanding socially-minded products, services and even supply chains... the more socially-aware customer evaluates an enterprise's corporate social r... more Coal Mining Threatens South Africa's Water Supply - 2009-03-23 Acid pollution as a result of coal mining poses a serious threat to South Africa's already strained water supply, according to academics and public advicacy groups. According to Professor Terence McCarthy of the school of geosciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, proposals to mine in an area northwest of Ermelo, where the Va... more *Interesting Facts* - 2009-03-11 Every day 50 to 100 species of plants and animals become extinct as they and their habitats are destroyed by human influences. The uncontrolled fishing that is allowed has reduced the amount of commercial species. Some species, up to one-tenth of their original population. 70% of the world's surface is covered by water but 97.5% of that is... more |
