Training courses on sustainability – for you 'jo public' (Jhb and CT)
The team at icologie (Grace, Andy and Andrew) now offer Smart Living (remember the handbook?) to South Africans at large. The courses give practical advice on how to preserve resources and often save money in the areas of energy, water, waste and biodiversity. There are 5 courses: practical solutions, sustainability and climate change, event greening, sustainable business implementation, and sustainable business strategy. Visit www.icologie.com, or email them

New rhino poaching hotline
The endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) is protecting the rhino with a hotline for anyone to use. If you are aware of any illegal or suspicious activities concerning rhino poaching or the sale, movement and or trade in their horns, call 082 404 2128 or email them.

No kak (design that gives a damn) finalists announced
In August 2010, 20 finalists were selected for their eco design concepts, submitted as story boards , during the competition's first selection round. These "Fresh Talent" now have the opportunity to create life size prototypes of their design ideas, using natural, organic and waste materials  sourced from South African suppliers with clean efficient processes, such as "made by hand" and "local sourced and produced". The eco design prototypes will be showcased at next year's Design Indaba in Cape Town. For more visit www.nokak.com

pic: Seaweed Lamp by Wren

I'm a fan of theatre in any form. I particularly admire those who do theatre with a message (alright, I know all theatre has a message, but, you know), especially one with climate change for school kids. And this one is aimed at grades 5 to 9.

What's more, the team of actors, are prepared to act just about anywhere – in a quad, hall or field – just so that they can get their message across.

The “high-octane, action-packed adventure story” by the theatre team Craig Morris, Lerato Moloi, Jacques De Silva and Joni Barnard, from the Well Worn Theatre Company has already made it to the halls and quads of at least 20 schools with their climate change programme.

Encounters documentary festival is NOW ON in Cape Town and in Jo'burg. And there are a lot of 'green' angle films, some of them like local film maker and journalist Helena Kingswell's vital "Buried in Earthskin" really worth catching.

The section for the movies with a green bent is called 'Green Movies: rewind, review, remake' and you can look out for the following:

“Dirt! The Movie” Dirs: Bill Benenson, Gene Rosow USA, brings us that much closer to understanding and appreciating the substance that provides food, shelter, implements, warmth, even giving our wines their

Hottie – The world’s most travelled hot dog stand comes with a social and environmental conscience.Become a part of the World’s most travelled Hot Dog Stand and support kids of the Bushmen in South Africa. Dream, inspire and create positive social change to neglected children.

This Hot Dog stand is travelling around the world handing out a bite of Danish culture and hot dogs for free. Countries visited since 2003 include Denmark, Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, England, China, Japan and across the US. Next stop South Africa soccer World Cup 2010.

How does it work? The visitors get a hot dog for free and the

Last night I attended the public sector equivalent of the Oscars - the Impumelelo Social Innovation Awards, dubbed Impumelelo's 2010 Sustainability Awards. I didn't know what to expect, not having gone before, and I'm not sure how the awards stacked up to previous ones, but last night I was blown away. There was glitz, glamour, fantastic entertainment, plenty of laughs and wonderful recognition for the most important work being done in South Africa at the moment. The Oscars actually paled in comparison.

The awards ran on for an hour longer than the program predicted, finishing at 10pm last night. So it was a four hour event, longer than any ceremony, movie or theatrical performance I'd attended before. With Mark Lottering as MC it was more than theatre - it was entertainment of note!

Not that I was not expecting to be entertained; the purpose

This weekend the Good Food and Wine festival is happening at the CTICC. I went along to discover how much sway the local and organic movement has over food in our country at festivals such as this one.

South Africa has many hidden food gems that are scattered throughout the country and you sometimes have to be in the know and other times you may just stumble across some great produce. Now let’s face it, festivals such as this one are aimed at the well heeled and if you can tear yourself away from the celebrity chefs, there are several stalls featuring organic or eco-friendly foodstuffs.

Green Home, which happens to be supplying the BBC Lifestyle

The 4th annual Green Building Conference and Expo kicks off tomorrow at Gallagher Estate, Midrand, Joburg. If you'd like a complimentary ticket to the expo worth R50 drop us an email at giveaways@sprouts.co.za.

If you're a professional in the building sector or just interested in green building this is definitely one to check out. Take a look at the Green Building Exhibition website for more information and see the list of exhibitors over here.

Rain water tanks and harvesting systems, eco-friendly flooring, fittings and furnishings made from recycled polystyrene, energy saving solutions, led lighting, green roofing, bamboo products and thermal insulation are some of the products you can check out.

proteas in the cape floristic kingdom, one of the most biodiverse and threatened kingdoms“The year 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and Conservation. The Biodiversity Expo 2010 was designed to address the failure of many South Africans to recognise the true value of biodiversity. The Expo serves as a communication and education tool to reach those South Africans who will be responsible for the future of our countries environmental wealth.”

Biodiversity Expo 2010 had more than 30 conservation exhibitors. Exhibitions focused on various conservation issues ranging from threatened species to calculating your carbon footprint.

If you're in Cape Town and interested in all things green and organic, then I can guess where you'll be heading this weekend. Now, as a reader of urban sprout, you'll get to visit for free - click here for your complementary ticket that allows you access to both the Natural & Organic Products Exhibition and Womens Show.

This year's show at the CTICC (Fri 19 - Sun 21 Feb) promises to be bustling, judging by the turnout at the Joburg show last year and the growth in consumer interest, so get there early!

Cape Town's Natural & Organic usually draws more visitors with 15 000 attending in October 2008, but this was eclipsed in Joburg last June when 26 000 people visited the show. This was a 370% increase over the last Joburg show and at a time of recession!

Clearly the organic & green movement is shifting

design: anja bredellno waste, no pollution and absolutely no harm! This is not a trend. This is an opportunity to design and sustain our very own futures. Together we can create a better quality of life for all and a better place to call home, through the application of clean, smart design. Would you like to live responsibly in style? No Kak!

The Eco Design Initiative 2010 is now calling for entries from emerging designers in South Africa – all schools of design are welcome. You have until 30 April to submit your sustainable creation that is a durable product or service that minimises adverse impacts on the environment, whilst making every day life simpler and more pleasant.