‘Earth Night’ is a concept pioneered by the Wildlands Conservation Trust as a way of fundraising for, celebrating and making people aware of, the conservation efforts of approximately 3000 community members in 60 communities around the country. The Johannesburg ‘Earth Night’ event was held at ‘The Ballroom’ at Montecasino last night, the 21st of September.
When asked what inspired the ‘Earth Night’ concept, Dr Andrew Venter, the CEO of Wildlands said, “It was inspired by this incredible group of 3000 individuals, demonstrating that it is possible to clean and green even the most seemingly ‘hopeless’ communities, which has ultimately thrown a challenge to us, Wildlands Conservation Trust and our network of partners to support them in their endeavours to the best of our ability.”
Activities throughout the evening included an Auction of 17 Lot’s, consisting of Travel Packages, Luxury Holidays and Art pieces, as well as a 3 course meal and an inspirational presentation by guest speaker, Lee Swan – a Sustainability & Climate Change Strategist, and the first African-born woman to have raced to the Magnetic North Pole.
Popular auction items included 3 unique rhino sculptures, 2 donated by artists – Isabel le Roux and Cecile Walters, and 1 entitled “Ubucwebe be-Afrika” (Jewel of Africa) covered by more than 55 000 Swarovski crystals, donated through ‘The Bling Factory’ and ‘Gadget Candy.’ Another exciting auction item, provided by the eLan Group, was for the Praia do Cossa Hotel & Resort in Mozambique, and gave bidders ownership of a sectional title unit at this resort for 1 week for 15 years. The auction is an integral part of any ‘Earth Night’ event, as this is what ultimately raises much needed funds to continue the work of Wildlands Conservation Trust.
The event raised R300 000 through pledges and the auction, with PSG also handing over a cheque for R200 000, bringing the funds raised and donated to R500 000.
Wildlands is a leading environmental non-profit organisation that is driven by their vision of a “Sustainable Future for All.” The Wildland’s “Trees for Life” project educates and nurtures Tree-preneurs. These Tree-preneurs, based in rural areas, grow indigenous trees to barter for food, bicycles, Jojo tanks, education support and building material. The young trees bartered with Wildlands are then planted in areas in desperate need of reforestation or greening.
The Vosloorus community is a large diverse township community on the edge of Johannesburg. Moses Dlamini is a 34 year old Tree-preneur that lives in this community and registered with the Wildlands “Trees for Life” project in 2011. Since then Moses has traded 2000 trees for 20 bicycles, which he sells and repairs. “Bicycles don’t produce unclean air so they don’t pollute our area,” said Dlamini. “I also hope to grow enough trees to get building material and one day build my own house.” Moses is one of 400 Tree-preneurs in this area, who grew over 200 000 indigenous trees this past year.
“Our intention is to transform this community into a benchmark sustainable community within the next 10 years,” said Dr Venter. “This is a mammoth task given the poverty population pressures and environmental degradation, but it is possible– with your support and that of donors like PSG Konsult.
“Our rich heritage of offering medical cover to all South Africans for over 31 years and our unmatched experience in providing affordable, quality healthcare ensures that Bonitas Medical Fund remains relevant to people from all walks of life,” commented Dr Bobby Ramasia, Principal Officer at Bonitas Medical Fund.
Bonitas Medical Fund and PSG Konsult both played significant roles in making the ‘Earth Night’ event a success and are both equally passionate about the work that Wildlands do.
“At PSG we are committed to acting as a socially responsible company in our global community. This means that we will not only fully comply with the laws, rules and regulations of the countries in which we operate, but will go further by continually evaluating our business practices using the principles of sustainability,” said Willem Theron, Chairman of PSG Konsult Limited. “At the heart of sustainability lies the desire to maintain a balance between the economic, environmental and social needs of our world today, without compromising on the opportunities of future generations.”
The next ‘Earth Night’ experience will be held at the Spier Wine Farm in Stellenbosch on the 19th of october.