For far too long, big corporations have forced plastic packaging into our lives when we buy their products. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers. But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. It’s time for corporations to move away from single-use plastic. WE ASK YOU TO CUT YOUR USAGE TO STOP THE DEMAND FOR THESE ITEMS! The more that businesses move toward biodegradable or reusable alternatives, the cheaper they will become, and the less plastic makes its way into the environment.

Oupa Fats Wetland is strategically situated in the middle of the South Western Townships, 30km from Johannesburg. (Soweto on the North, Eldorado Park / Klipspruit on the East, Lenasia on the South and Zuurbekom on the West). Wetlands are an important ecological resource, equivalent to a rainforest. Wetlands enjoy protection as a Protected Conservation area as per the RAMSAR Convention (1998). They are the lungs of the planet and perform the following important functions: 🐝 It prevents flooding in the surrounding areas 🐝 It purifies water 🐝 It purifies Air by depositing large amounts of carbon in its soil. 🐝 It is a Bird Sanctuary of note with blue cranes being some of its dwindling residents. Sadly, this Wetland is in danger of becoming a wasteland. It has been held hostage for the last 20+ years by criminals. Illegal theft of eco-sensitive soil, illegal dumping, illegal fishing with nets, hijacking and even burning of electrical cables for extracting coppers have prevented the local community from enjoying this pristine eco wonderland. Compounding the challenges which this Wetland faces is the anomally of "ownership" of several erfs which comprises this area. For some dubious reasons, ownership rests with National Housing instead of City Parks where it rightfully belongs. This was to facilitate the unlawful sale or lease of this land to private developers. The community has made several efforts over several years to save the Wetland, including meetings with and visits by several government departments and local councillors - but seems to be fighting a losing battle. We have continued to preserve the area as best as we can through private donations from the community; this has cost us in excess of R30 000 thus far. The transfer of these erfs to City Parks will rightfully place the preservation of the area in their hands.

While we commend The Daily Coffee Café in Hillcrest for not providing a few single-use plastic items, we do note that plastic straws are given with your smoothies, that although are served in paper cups, already have a polystyrene sip lid on them, and that meals purchased that don't need cutlery are being supplied this regardless too. We feel these practises are unnecessary, and ask that The Daily commits to extending your healthy, real and wholesome principals to the planet too, by stopping these practises and extending this to all the single-use plastic used in Café in addition. For far too long, big corporations have forced plastic packaging into our lives when we buy their products. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers. But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. It’s time for corporations to move away from single-use plastic. The disgusting state of our coastline is one blaring example of why. Months have passed since the nurdle spill at Durban harbour, yet bits of plastic still end up on our beaches – we’re talking about a 3,000 km radius! These plastic pellets, used to create other plastic items, would not have been at our harbour in the first place had there not been a demand for plastic. WE ASK YOU TO CUT YOUR USAGE TO STOP THE DEMAND FOR THESE ITEMS! The more that businesses move toward biodegradable or reusable alternatives, the cheaper they will become, and the less plastic makes its way into the environment.

Given Circus Circus Beach Cafe's proximity to the Durban Beach Front, we expect that you are well aware of the impact plastic pollution has had on the environment. For far too long, big corporations have forced plastic packaging into our lives when we buy their products. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers. But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. It’s time for corporations to move away from single-use plastic. The disgusting state of our coastline is one blaring example of why. Months have passed since the nurdle spill at Durban harbour, yet bits of plastic still end up on our beaches – we’re talking about a 3,000 km radius! These plastic pellets, used to create other plastic items, would not have been at our harbour in the first place had there not been a demand for plastic. WE ASK YOU TO CUT YOUR USAGE TO STOP THE DEMAND FOR THESE ITEMS! The more that businesses move toward biodegradable or reusable alternatives, the cheaper they will become, and the less plastic makes its way into the environment. Be part of the solution by RETHINKING PLASTIC. * More than 8 million tons of plastic are dumped in our oceans every year. * 1 in 3 species of marine mammals have been found entangled in marine litter * Over 90% of all seabirds have plastic pieces in their stomachs -- plasticoceans.org

While we commend Wimpy to for slowly phasing out a few single-used plastic items, we want to make a bigger commitment by opting to abandon the rest of your single-use plastic. For far too long, big corporations have forced plastic packaging into our lives when we buy their products. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers. But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. It’s time for corporations to move away from single-use plastic. The disgusting state of our coastline is one blaring example of why. Months have passed since the nurdle spill at Durban harbour, yet bits of plastic still end up on our beaches – we’re talking about a 3,000 km radius! These plastic pellets, used to create other plastic items, would not have been at our harbour in the first place had there not been a demand for plastic. WE ASK YOU TO CUT YOUR USAGE TO STOP THE DEMAND FOR THESE ITEMS! The more that businesses move toward biodegradable or reusable alternatives, the cheaper they will become, and the less plastic makes its way into the environment.

Despite jumping onto the #StrawsSuck bandwagon, Kauai still continues to offer single-use plastic straws to customers. We want you to make a genuine effort to phase out plastic completely. For far too long, big corporations have forced plastic packaging into our lives when we buy their products. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers. But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. It’s time for corporations to move away from single-use plastic. The disgusting state of our coastline is one blaring example of why. Months have passed since the nurdle spill at Durban harbour, yet bits of plastic still end up on our beaches – we’re talking about a 3,000 km radius! These plastic pellets, used to create other plastic items, would not have been at our harbour in the first place had there not been a demand for plastic. WE ASK YOU TO CUT YOUR USAGE TO STOP THE DEMAND FOR THESE ITEMS! The more that businesses move toward biodegradable or reusable alternatives, the cheaper they will become, and the less plastic makes its way into the environment.

A look around the polluted environment surrounding Zack's branches is all that is needed to understand why it is important for your business to become single-use plastic free. For far too long, big corporations have forced plastic packaging into our lives when we buy their products. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers. But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. It’s time for corporations to move away from single-use plastic. The disgusting state of our coastline is one blaring example of why. Months have passed since the nurdle spill at Durban harbour, yet bits of plastic still end up on our beaches – we’re talking about a 3,000 km radius! These plastic pellets, used to create other plastic items, would not have been at our harbour in the first place had there not been a demand for plastic. WE ASK YOU TO CUT YOUR USAGE TO STOP THE DEMAND FOR THESE ITEMS! The more that businesses move toward biodegradable or reusable alternatives, the cheaper they will become, and the less plastic makes its way into the environment.

The Ocean Basket made a major commitment to abandon single-use plastic straws, and we would like them to take bolder steps. For far too long, big corporations have forced plastic packaging into our lives when we buy their products. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers. But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. It’s time for corporations to move away from single-use plastic. The disgusting state of our coastline is one blaring example of why. Months have passed since the nurdle spill at Durban harbour, yet bits of plastic still end up on our beaches – we’re talking about a 3,000 km radius! These plastic pellets, used to create other plastic items, would not have been at our harbour in the first place had there not been a demand for plastic. WE ASK YOU TO CUT YOUR USAGE TO STOP THE DEMAND FOR THESE ITEMS! The more that businesses move toward biodegradable or reusable alternatives, the cheaper they will become, and the less plastic makes its way into the environment.

Kenya Railways Corporation & China Road and Bridge Corporation have proceeded with Phase 2 of Kenya's Standard Gauge despite a court order preventing this on account of an unlawfully obtained Environmental Impact Assessment. Any gains related to this development are shortsighted as there is so much more to lose: For starters, the Park is a world famous tourist attraction sight and major revenue earner for the country. It ranks fifth in respect to visitation and income generation - and has 100,000 visitors per year, earning the country 450,000 USD annually. Naturally, it provides employment for hundreds of Kenyans. Not only is the Nairobi National Park a Black Rhino Sanctuary (Black Rhinos are highly endangered) it is home to over 100 species of mammals and 400 species of birds. It provides dry season refuge for wildlife, with its greatly diverse habitats. The Park also services the ecosystem by purifying the Mbagathi River's water, it is a Carbon sink (One of Nairobi’s lungs) and it is a crucial area for education.

This is necessary as the Western Cape cannot support any more people with the natural resources available (especially water), and encouraging housing development on undeveloped land will only lead to problems in the future. The City Of Cape Town should cease approving unsustainable property development in the Western Cape, and instead focus on protecting the natural environment and improving the lives of the citizens that already inhabit these areas - not the citizens that don't. Everyone is affected; the harm to the environment will only add further to climate change and the endangerment of native animals species. An example of this in Cape Town is the leopard toad, whose population has nearly gone extinct due to over development and the destruction of its natural habitat. With more unsustainable development, the populations of wild cats, snakes, buck, various insects, birds and plant life will decrease, and we may lose these creatures permanently if we are not careful. Secondly, additional housing is being created to attract more people outside of the Western Cape, which is experiencing drought, will result in even greater strain on water supplies and cause even greater hardship for the original inhabitants of the Western Cape. The use of water and resources in building these properties detracts from our already limited supplies. This is also a significant waste of funds that could have been dedicated to improving infrastructure that already exists within the region, such as education, the electricity grid, roads and emergency services. Furthermore, the investment being dedicated to these housing developments could have gone towards desalination tanks and other schemes to protect our steadily decreasing water supply. Thirdly, there is an even greater human element in this. The housing developments being green-lit are in relation to upper middle- and upper-class housing, rather than catering for poor households. This could be seen as a far reaching issue for housing developments near lower class towns or settlements, as a process of gentrification could occur that may lead to the displacement or replacement of these neighbourhoods due to higher rent or further demand for land to cater for High Income Households. In the most extreme cases, parts of these neighbourhoods may be bought out to create more high class estates. Examples of this can be seen throughout history, with gentrification occurring in New York. This may not happen, depending on the circumstances, but the recent development of the Cape Capri Estates opposite Masiphumelele does lead to a very stark parallel between this and gentrification in the USA and other countries. Finally, the Economic consequences of this cannot be understated as well. Property development on Farmland and bio-diverse ecosystems destroys potential opportunities to create long term jobs for the residents of the Western Cape, and could potentially lead to a reduction in Tourist revenue in the long run should the natural habitat be eroded. Property Development is not a sustainable form of income generation as it relies on the availability of a fixed resource, LAND, and within the context of South Africa is only being developed to be utilised by foreigners and upper income households. Alternately, investment in the Tourist sector would generate both long term jobs as well as a much stabler revenue inflow. Tourism allows for both economic growth and development within an economy, and in South Africa - where potential economic growth far outweighs actual economic growth - Tourism is essentially one of the few viably sustainable means of income generation. We cannot accept further unsustainable development. Property development does generate jobs and income for people, but jobs can also be generated from shifting that investment towards improving existing infrastructure, as well as conservationism which in turn offers more sustainable jobs that do not end once development is finished.

The approval for a 4,000-megawatt facility at Duynefontein, adjacent to the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, comes at a time when South Africa can neither afford, nor does it need a new nuclear power station. The South African fiscus cannot afford any new nuclear build, the Finance Minister said so on 25 October 2016. If we invest in nuclear, we'll have less money for water and education - needed in the province and the rest of the country. Nuclear is not the cheap, safe and affordable option it is often presented as. Instead it is costly, dangerous and nuclear accidents are devastating: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_and_radiation_accidents_and_incidents With high unemployment rate in SA, we should be investing in renewable energy as it will be available much quicker than nuclear and it creates more jobs - and is far less dangerous. Nuclear creates fewer jobs than renewable energy generation. In terms of the nuclear jobs potential in SA, the Russian state-owned nuclear company Rosatom stated in mid-2013 that 15,000 new jobs would be created directly by the procurement. However, in March of this year, that number dropped significantly, to only 5,760. The whole Nuclear Deal is shrouded in secrecy. What is worse is that as usual the SA government continues to make key energy decisions in secret -- which will have a negative impact on current and future generations in South Africa -- and without any input from the people. Please sign - to Say NO to The New Nuclear Power Plant plans and urge the government to invest in sustainable renewable energy.

The ocean is filled with beautiful animals that have as much right to life as you and I, yet people are killing them to the extent that certain breeds of fish are now endangered. I realize that fish is a food source, but this is going to far. Also, what is the point of killing dolphins? Japanese "Drive hunts" kill 20000 dolphins every year, and for what? Who eats dolphins? They are beautiful mammals that need to be preserved. In addition, if fish become extinct, they won't be there for people to eat in the future.