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.

Members of an African enviromental group sing and dance at Climate Conference in Copenhagen.

Whilst US President Barack Obama is speaking of a "the beginning of a new era of international action" and China says the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen yielded "positive" results, NGO's and scientists are largely shell-shocked.

After two weeks of failed negotiations a bare-minimum "accord" was announced by the US along with China, India, South Africa and Brazil on Saturday. It was drafted by 28 nations ranging from Opec oil producers to small island nations and includes many European nations.

For those of you in search of something new that is not only set to be equally as good as the Biscuit Mill's Neighbourgoods Market, but also emphasises the local, artisan and sustainability aspect of food, head off to the Earth Fair market in Tokai.

Earth Fair is also an indoor market. It lies in the South Palms (for those of you to whom this means nothing, it's actually in the same area as Builders Warehouse in Main Road, although behind Bathroom Bizarre). There is plenty of parking, for a start, and there are activities for kids, which for many living in Tokai is something of a godsend on a Saturday morning.

350 in Cape TownOn Saturday 24 October, people in 181 countries came together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet's history. At over 5 200 events around the world, people gathered to call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis.

We were part of the Cape Town group who joined with religious leaders to march from the steps of Parliament to Gardens. It was simply awesome!

The reality is that at the rate we are going with carbon emissions, particularly in this country, we are doomed to destruction unless some sort of action is taken.

In South Africa the average person is probably aware of 'global warming', but doesn’t really care to do anything about it (why bother until it affects him directly, adversely?).

This is why Rob Zipplies, well-known sustainability expert and editor of Bending the Curve, in partnership with Project 90 by 2030 will journey 3000 km on an electric bicycle to raise awareness ahead of the climate change conference in Copenhagen.

Rob’s Climate Challenge 2009 journey will start in Cape Town and end in Durban, via Johannesburg and Pretoria. Along the way, he'll give

Demo at UCT campus on Friday 9 OctIt was only a few hours after we posted this story yesterday that Woolworths sent out the following sms – I'm sure you received it too:

”Celebrate World Egg Day with eggstra-special savings on Woolworths large free range eggs. Buy 12, get 6 free until 25 Oct.”

This morning we received a further press release from Compassion in World Farming SA (read on to sign their petitions), to let us know they are staging a demonstration this Friday, World Egg Day, at Jameson Plaza, UCT Main Campus between 12.30 -1.30pm.

“Women dressed in egg-yolk yellow swimsuits will spend their lunch hour inside cages, holding egg shaped placards, calling for an end to battery eggs in SA.

50% of eggs in the UK are currently free range, and in 2012 EU legislation will ban battery cages for egg laying hens, meanwhile....only 3% of eggs in South Africa are free range.  Why is this? 

the exhibitionToday is the last opportunity you have to check out the superb Kevin Factor: Painting the Town Green exhibition at Studio Bela in Morningside. Factor is a self-taught artist and photographer with a passion for all things green, and his art showcases the beauty to be found not only in natural settings, but also in the sprawling cityscapes of South Africa. The exhibition boasts vast canvases flaunting the skylines of Johannesburg and Cape Town set against vibrant, ethereal skies; bizarrely beautiful organic close-ups; and rambling snapshots capturing exquisite natural scenes.

The opening night of the exhibition was hosted by local celeb Dali Tambo, who is on the board of directors of the eco-friendly social enterprise, Food and Trees for Africa. A silent auction of one of Factor’s lovely framed canvases was held on the evening, with proceeds going to this fantastic organisation. The event was centred on embracing a more sustainable lifestyle, with Factor himself sharing a little about his everyday life in an off-the-grid community just outside of Knysna. I found it truly inspiring to learn that his expansive canvases are printed using solar power!

The exhibition itself spills informally...

South Africa is joining a worldwide German-led initiative to drink as many mugs of fair trade coffee as possible this Friday 25 September betw 10am and 11am.

The German event, entitled "Kaffee.Pause.Fair.”, coincides with the national "Coffee Day" of the German Association of Coffee and aims to "seize" the day for the Fair Trade movement. If you look at the number of events planned around Germany you will see that it is indeed being seized! The aim is for 100 000 cups of fair trade coffee to be drunk around the world in one hour.

Here in Cape Town local fair trade organisation, Fair Trade SA, is organising an event at Quensh organic eatery in Observatory for coffee aficionados and fair trade fans to gather, network, get more info on the fair trade movement, and of course drink coffee. They have around 30 people confirmed so far, and Quensh probably doesn't have space for many more, but you could always phone ahead to check or pop in anyway and enjoy your cuppa on the pavement. (from 10 to 11, Quensh Organic Deli, 42 Lower Main Road, Observatory - 021 447 0714)

African fair trade coffee is supplied by Bean There Fair Trade Coffee who have a roastery...

Change your Facebook profile pic to Pete Postlethwaite for the Age of Stupid global premiere in New York on 21/22 September. Why, because we're NOT stupid. Here's a list of 'not stupid' actions you can do on Facebook too.

If you've seen the movie (it screened at the Encounters documentary festival), or read our review on the Age of Stupid , or even if you haven't, join the cause to change your face to Pete's for a fortnight. The idea is that if we all change our faces in solidarity, and in large numbers, that there will be a ripple of Pete's faces across Facebook, which will force people to pick up on the climate buzz ahead of Copenhagen.

Humanity has only a couple of years left to act if we are to going to stop catastrophic climate change causing the deaths of hundereds of millions of people. And for those who are not yet self-confessed 'climate change bores', well, everyone in the world needs to reduce their carbon footprint.