Members of the Pietermaritzburg Keeping our Planet in Business Network (KOPIB) visited the Sweetwaters Indigenous Trees for Life and Recycling for Life projectlast week to get up-close and personal with one of the projects they support.
Local representatives from Hulamin, Rogue Steel, Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Intrepid Printers were taken to the homes of some of the project participants who grow indigenous trees and collect waste in exchange for goods. The KOPIB network aims to increase the involvement of small to medium size businesses in local conservation initiatives run by the Wildlands Conservation Trust, while providing networking opportunities such as golf days and cocktail functions for its members.
KOPIB member Trevor Cape from Intrepid Printers, said “It was wonderful to meet characters such as “Granny”, who, despite facing daily hardship, was happy, bouncy, and full of smiles and vigour. Also Mr. Dlamini, with his astounding, self-made, terraced growing area for his hundreds of plants. Many top people in industry could take a page out of his book, for tenacity and ingenuity. I think the concept of helping the community to uplift themselves, and at the same time, conserving and replenishing the environment, is brilliant,” he said.
In the Sweetwaters and SWAPO communities of Pietermaritzburg, needy individuals are identified in the community and facilitators then teach the “tree-preneurs” how to grow indigenous trees from seed and nurture them to a certain height, which can take three to six months, at which point they are traded for goods such as groceries, agricultural tools and building materials. The recycling programme has “waste-preneurs” collecting glass, paper, cardboard and plastic and receiving groceries and other goods in exchange for the recyclable material, based on its weight.
KOPIB member Bob Martin of Rogue Steel said “I can see why the waste-preneur programme took off so quickly, with them seeing the immediate effect of their labours while the tree-preneurs have a long wait for rewards. We look forward to a continued partnership with Wildlands Conservation Trust as we can see the benefit to the poor communities and the good it is doing for our environment with the replanting of indigenous trees into deforested areas.”
Andrew Venter, CEO of the Wildlands Conservation Trust, said: “Local businesses supporting our programmes in the Pietermaritzburg area reflects their commitment to the communities they operate in. They are making a difference through community development, but the projects are also greening and cleaning up the environment, which is a solid strategy for building sustainable communities into the future. The involvement of business networks like KOPIB is significant to the ongoing success of our many programmes.”
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)