Mayor of Stellenbosch gets his hands dirty at Tree planting Marathon

On the 9th of April almost 100 volunteers, including Stellenbosch Executive Mayor Conrad Sidego and Councilor Pietman Retief, gathered along the banks of the Plankenbrug River to take part in a Tree-a-thon which aims to contribute significantly to the rehabilitation and restoration of this seriously degraded water source.

“Wildlands Conservation Trust and the Stellenbosch Million Trees Project signed a Memorandum of Agreement in September 2013 and have a successful partnership aimed at greening and restoring the ecosystems that underwrite the health and livelihood of communities that fall within the Stellenbosch Municipal boundaries,” said Director of Partnerships, Marketing & Sustainability at Wildlands, Louise Duys. “Klapmuts received more than 1000 indigenous trees during last year’s tree planting marathon and another 1000 trees, grown by Wildland’s Tree-preneurs, were planted today – at the foot of the Papegaaiberg along the Plankenbrug River.”

Both the Papegaaiberg Nature Reserve and the Plankenbrug River and its tributaries perform an important function as part of an integrated group of ecosystems that determine the health of the entire catchment and is a core conservation area of the biosphere reserve. It is for this reason that this area has been chosen by Wildlands to focus the efforts of its Greening Your Future team where twenty individuals from the local Kayamandi community, employed through the DEA NRM Land User Incentive Scheme II programme, have been tasked with restoring the area back to its original state.

The Tree-a-thon will make a major contribution towards the reforestation of the riparian zone of the Plankenbrug River and Papegaaiberg Nature Reserve, right in the heart of Stellenbosch’s industrial area. The removal of invasive species will contribute to higher water flow and indigenous trees will suppress invasive alien plant growth, all vital components of river restoration.

The volunteers that gave up their day to contribute to this worthy cause included – staff from Remgro, Spier, PSG, Distell and Reliance (who also donated compost). Volunteers also arrived from the UNASA Stellenbosch Chapter, Greenpop and Eco-maties, while Chill Beverages and Engel and Volkers staff generously sponsored water and cold drinks to maintain the energy levels of the planters during the scorching hot day!

Heidi Newton-King (Sustainability Director at Spier) said: “Sometimes issues and concerns seem daunting but when everyone pulls together through partnerships and collaboration, many things are possible.”

“PSG is pleased to have supported the Wildlands Tree-preneurs initiative. Not only is the initiative in itself commendable, but we also believe that we share the same objective of growing and preserving wealth,” commented Lerato Motang (Marketing Project Manager for PSG).

Distells’ Sonja Morkel (Social Investment Controller) said: “It has been great to participate in a day where so many stakeholders; companies, government representatives, students and NGO’s have come together for the greater good in the area in which we do business.”

“It was great for our staff to be involved in the Tree-a-thon yet again this year. We believe that it is a good initiative and it is amazing to be able to give back to our communities,” said Cheryl Farao (Community Project Manager) of Remgro.

“The compost we are using today was in fact recycled from green waste, from the city of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, and we are all using it to plant a greener future!” said Jana Cilliers (Marketing Coordinator at Reliance)

Greenpop, Ecomaties and UNASA (Stellenbosch) refer to themselves as “young people having fun planting trees!”

Matthew Koehorst of Greenpop said: “Greenpop is about reconnecting people with people and people with their Earth. We plant trees and have fun while we do it!”

Alida Visser (UNASA) “The United Nations Association of South Africa (UNASA) – Stellenbosch Chapter is a student society that focuses on the practical application of the UN’s objectives and the sustainable development goals in our local community,” commented Alida Visser of UNASA. “UNASA Stellenbosch participated in the 2014 Tree-a-thon and we are excited to be supporting this initiative again in 2015!”

“It is important to remember that this all started with the million trees vision of the Executive Mayor Conrad Sidego,” said Duys. “He has also been a consistent contributor to the cause, not afraid to get his hands dirty and enthusiastic about helping Wildlands build a sustainable model for these areas.”

“This is a repeat performance of last year’s 1000 tree planting exercise in Klapmuts, Let us set a 50,000 goal for the next tree-a-thon,” said the passionate Executive Mayor Conrad Sidego. “This can be the next, achievable, step in reaching our one million tree goal. We can gain momentum by tackling this task in increments like this. With an army like we have to here today, 50,000 trees is possible! This movement must move from GREAT to REMARKABLE as a result of its cumulative impact. This Million Tree movement must impact the community members in Stellenbosch. Our people do not deserve to live in an undignified manner. Thank you to Wildlands and all the corporates who have gathered here today to play their part as a corporate citizen. Let us plant 1000 green statues of hope today.”

“None of this would have been possible without the support of local corporates, the Stellenbosch Municipality and our hard working staff. Thank you for your time, passion and tree planting skills,” concluded Louise Duys of Wildlands.

Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon benefits Wildlands

Dubbed the world’s most beautiful marathon, the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon (OMTOM) attracts local and international athletes, offering a tough challenge against a backdrop of spectacular scenery. Everyone taking part in the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon relishes the opportunity to challenge themselves and each other, but the race is more than a great test of mental and physical endurance. It also gives participants and their supporters a chance to make a difference.

Mokaedi Dilotsotlhe, Chief Marketing Officer at Old Mutual, says: “The Run For More Than Yourself campaign enables generous and community-spirited South Africans to join Old Mutual in raising funds for causes close to all our hearts. It starts with caring enough about other people’s struggles to do something and it involves us acting together for positive change.”

Wildlands, a leading environmental NPO, were the official beneficiary of OMTOM 2015 and partnered with Old Mutual in their activations at the exhibition and on race day.

The OMTOM exhibition was held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from 1 to 3 April. Old Mutual, together with Wildlands, created an impressive, attention-grabbing stand in the exhibition hall with a large, nearly life-size rhino sculpture. In exchange for a small donation, expo visitors could colour in a spot on the rhino. This was a huge hit with all the children and by the time the expo came to an end, the design on its hide (of Table Mountain and the Two Oceans route) was full of lively colour.

A 44-year-old fisherman and father of three from Lamberts Bay in the Western Cape, Marius Brown, offered to run for Wildlands in the very heavy head of a rhino suit. Dubbed “Rhino Kop” on social media, he ran the gruelling 56km with a heavily laden head – creating a buzz and raising awareness around the rhino poaching crisis.

This was not the first Marius has run for more than himself. Last year he ran from Cape Town to Durban to raise awareness around the destructive impact of absent fathers on families and communities.

For the first time in 14 years, the women’s race was won by an ecstatic 32-year-old South African woman, Caroline Wöstmann, in a time of 03:41. The men’s race was won by a Lesotho national, Motlokoa Nkhabutlane, in a time of 03:10.

“It was an amazing experience to be part of such a prestigious and well organised event,” said Wildlands Strategic Marketing Manager Lauren van Nijkerk. “We would like to thank Old Mutual for their sponsorship and commitment to our organisation. Together we can make a huge difference and contribute to a greater future for all!”

Visit www.morethanyourself.co.za for more information. Run For More Than Yourself supporters can continue to raise funds through Old Mutual’s other upcoming endurance sponsorships: the Comrades Marathon, the Soweto Marathon, the joBerg2c mountain bike challenge and the Wild Series.

Wildlands launch Clothes for Life initiative at local school

The Wildlands Conservation Trust have built a solid reputation through their “Trees for Life” and “Waste for Life” projects, which see community members (referred to as Tree-preneurs and Waste-preneurs) across the country collect recyclable waste and grow indigenous trees which they then barter with Wildlands for livelihood goods. Some of the popular barter items include Jojo tanks, grocery hampers, bicycles and education support.

Wildlands are excited to add another project to their list of life changing initiatives – “Clothes for Life.” This project is proudly supported by Makro and Timefreight and involves Clothes-preneurs. Tree-preneurs and Waste-preneurs, often based in poverty stricken communities, will now be able barter their trees and waste for bundles of good quality, second hand clothing, collected by schools all over Durban and Pietermaritzburg.

Westville Senior Primary School (WSPS) started collecting clothes at the beginning of March. “It is Westville Senior Primary School’s policy to support communities less fortunate than us and to help deserving charities,” said Sharon Dickens WSPS PRO. “We believe it is important to teach our learners to help and serve at all times.” WSPS handed over an impressive 100 bags of clothing to Wildlands on 27 March2015 to distribute to Clothes-preneurs.

The entrepreneurial reference used to describe a Clothes-preneur is due to the fact that they can use the clothing to create an informal store, and essentially use profit generated from the sale of this clothing to buy more stock, as well as generate an income for themselves.

“We are appealing to schools, companies and the general public to run their own clothing collections,” said Bronwen Bainbridge, Wildlands Partnerships Manager. “Much like Wildlands’ existing glass and paper recycling efforts with schools, any organization collecting clothes for us will benefit from this project as well! Makro are sponsoring vouchers in return for your donation. There are also loads of prizes to be won – and these are all rewards you will receive for helping local communities and contributing to environmental sustainability!”

Timefreight is contributing to the logistical costs of the project which will help Wildlands transport clothing to the individuals who need it most.

“Wildlands Green-preneurs Pty Ltd would like to thank its sponsors, Makro and Timefreight, as without them initiatives such as these would never be possible,” concluded Bainbridge.

For more information visit www.localhost/import-data-post or email BronwenB@localhost/import-data-post