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Save the planet & learn from our youth
It is both a sad and happy day for the planet when the youth reverse roles with adults. A primary responsibility as a parent or adult is to nurture and protect our children and keep them safe from all harm. With global warming a scientific reality and no longer a debate it seems that we have failed. We are leaving a legacy of which we can be less than proud even though all of us are not directly to blame. The good news is that that concerned youth of the Bosasa Youth Development Centre have taken conservation seriously and they are working hard to save the planet. We can learn from them.
The Youth get there first
To most members of a community, youth awaiting trial are considered social write offs. But Thandi Makoko and Jackie Leyds have again pulled a hat trick with their team, proving the substance and potential of youth from the most questionable backgrounds. With the underlying philosophy of ‘everyone deserves a second chance’ the Bosasa Youth Development Centre team introduced pressing global concerns as a discussion point. Karen Bekker of Bosasa Youth Development Centres has made environmental awareness her own driving passion and she is determined to engage the minds of youth in the same way she conducts her own conservation life style . Under the tutelage of experienced arts and craft trainers, little nimble fingers were redefining their personas, pulping selected waste and converting this into reusable paper in several structured projects per year. Plastic Coke bottles become designer plant holders that would charm any foreign visitor. These and other recycling projects demonstrate care and commitment. An entry point of building character, according to Mahatma Gandhi, is changing behaviour positively towards the vulnerable: the elderly, children, animals and the environment.
He adds “the measurement of these behaviours is a determinant of character. If we exhibit cruelty or lack of concern to any of these, we may need to question our own integrity”. “I would also like to make a difference to the world” says little Thabo, who sees an opportunity to make amends for past deeds.
The Bosasa Way
It has always been The Bosasa Way to support the environment. Rynu Roode also featured strongly in creating this Youth Development Centre opportunity. He conceived an office waste paper recycling scheme with three units in a pilot scheme. But the Bosasa Youth Development Centres took the ball and ran with it, driven by Karen Bekker’s personal conservation value system.
The Conservation formula
There are four simple rules if you too want to save the planet: rescue, recycle, re-use and repair.
A. Rescue:
Plant trees, grow your own vegetables and collect reusable waste (paper, glass, plastic and vegetable peelings). Trees eliminate carbon dioxide and increase our oxygen supply. The Amazon Forest, which serves as the lungs of the earth, is being destroyed by greedy merchants in country tradeoffs. Save energy. Switch off unnecessary lights. Use slow cookers instead of hot plates. There is only so much energy to go around on the Eskom grid. We will not only be helping the disadvantaged but will prevent power outages too. Are heaters really necessary when an extra jersey will do? Use water sparingly. Don’t keep the tap running when you brush your teeth. Don’t throw toxic chemicals in the water supply. Cancer is on the increase partly because of our use of plastics and contaminated water. Take your own bag to the supermarket. Did you know that a single plastic bag takes 600 years to degrade? Do you want that on your conscience? If you don’t, buy biodegradable bags. Donate empty plastic Coke bottles to the Youth Development Centres. Don’t print out every email if it is not necessary. If you do have to print consider using the reverse side as well. Lynn Loots from H.R. is exemplary in her efforts to save paper in her department and every centimeter of unused paper is reworked by her before disposal in the recycling bin.
B. Re-use
Deliver your glass, paper and plastic to collection centres in your own community. Every town and major supermarkets have collection points. All can be re-used once recycled. The Salvation Army is actively involved in recycling and collection. Bosasa has its own waste paper collection under the aegis of Rynu Roode.
C. Recycle
Keep all your food and vegetable peelings for making your own rich compost. Grow your own vegetables and trees from seeds and slips. Correctional centre libraries would welcome your old magazines and books and you would be helping to rehabilitate many. Old furniture items will benefit the poor more than the dumpster. Remember, your local Salvation Army will collect, saving you time and effort.
D. Repair
Many an object is thoughtlessly trashed because we live in a conspicuous consumption society. The toaster breaks and we throw it away, wasting more than hard earned money. Why, when spares are so readily available and inexpensive? There are so many small BEE industries that will be grateful for the opportunity to repair your kitchen essentials.
Mount Grace Country Hotel has an entrenched policy of both supporting local communities and protecting the environment. They have expressed interest in selling limited edition, save-the-planet products from the Youth Development Centres. This they believe will support the personal growth of these budding conservation activists, prevent crime and acknowledge Bosasa as a valued client. The products chosen will be aesthetically pleasing, design perfected and signed by the artists. Others no doubt will follow. If you know any artistically gifted person that can and will donate a meaningful but short and structured craft programme to Bosasa Youth Development Centres, contact Karen Bekker. Instructors will be trained in the programme of choice. Our future lies in your hands. DBJ
The Youth get there first
To most members of a community, youth awaiting trial are considered social write offs. But Thandi Makoko and Jackie Leyds have again pulled a hat trick with their team, proving the substance and potential of youth from the most questionable backgrounds. With the underlying philosophy of ‘everyone deserves a second chance’ the Bosasa Youth Development Centre team introduced pressing global concerns as a discussion point. Karen Bekker of Bosasa Youth Development Centres has made environmental awareness her own driving passion and she is determined to engage the minds of youth in the same way she conducts her own conservation life style . Under the tutelage of experienced arts and craft trainers, little nimble fingers were redefining their personas, pulping selected waste and converting this into reusable paper in several structured projects per year. Plastic Coke bottles become designer plant holders that would charm any foreign visitor. These and other recycling projects demonstrate care and commitment. An entry point of building character, according to Mahatma Gandhi, is changing behaviour positively towards the vulnerable: the elderly, children, animals and the environment.
He adds “the measurement of these behaviours is a determinant of character. If we exhibit cruelty or lack of concern to any of these, we may need to question our own integrity”. “I would also like to make a difference to the world” says little Thabo, who sees an opportunity to make amends for past deeds.
The Bosasa Way
It has always been The Bosasa Way to support the environment. Rynu Roode also featured strongly in creating this Youth Development Centre opportunity. He conceived an office waste paper recycling scheme with three units in a pilot scheme. But the Bosasa Youth Development Centres took the ball and ran with it, driven by Karen Bekker’s personal conservation value system.
The Conservation formula
There are four simple rules if you too want to save the planet: rescue, recycle, re-use and repair.
A. Rescue:
Plant trees, grow your own vegetables and collect reusable waste (paper, glass, plastic and vegetable peelings). Trees eliminate carbon dioxide and increase our oxygen supply. The Amazon Forest, which serves as the lungs of the earth, is being destroyed by greedy merchants in country tradeoffs. Save energy. Switch off unnecessary lights. Use slow cookers instead of hot plates. There is only so much energy to go around on the Eskom grid. We will not only be helping the disadvantaged but will prevent power outages too. Are heaters really necessary when an extra jersey will do? Use water sparingly. Don’t keep the tap running when you brush your teeth. Don’t throw toxic chemicals in the water supply. Cancer is on the increase partly because of our use of plastics and contaminated water. Take your own bag to the supermarket. Did you know that a single plastic bag takes 600 years to degrade? Do you want that on your conscience? If you don’t, buy biodegradable bags. Donate empty plastic Coke bottles to the Youth Development Centres. Don’t print out every email if it is not necessary. If you do have to print consider using the reverse side as well. Lynn Loots from H.R. is exemplary in her efforts to save paper in her department and every centimeter of unused paper is reworked by her before disposal in the recycling bin.
B. Re-use
Deliver your glass, paper and plastic to collection centres in your own community. Every town and major supermarkets have collection points. All can be re-used once recycled. The Salvation Army is actively involved in recycling and collection. Bosasa has its own waste paper collection under the aegis of Rynu Roode.
C. Recycle
Keep all your food and vegetable peelings for making your own rich compost. Grow your own vegetables and trees from seeds and slips. Correctional centre libraries would welcome your old magazines and books and you would be helping to rehabilitate many. Old furniture items will benefit the poor more than the dumpster. Remember, your local Salvation Army will collect, saving you time and effort.
D. Repair
Many an object is thoughtlessly trashed because we live in a conspicuous consumption society. The toaster breaks and we throw it away, wasting more than hard earned money. Why, when spares are so readily available and inexpensive? There are so many small BEE industries that will be grateful for the opportunity to repair your kitchen essentials.
Mount Grace Country Hotel has an entrenched policy of both supporting local communities and protecting the environment. They have expressed interest in selling limited edition, save-the-planet products from the Youth Development Centres. This they believe will support the personal growth of these budding conservation activists, prevent crime and acknowledge Bosasa as a valued client. The products chosen will be aesthetically pleasing, design perfected and signed by the artists. Others no doubt will follow. If you know any artistically gifted person that can and will donate a meaningful but short and structured craft programme to Bosasa Youth Development Centres, contact Karen Bekker. Instructors will be trained in the programme of choice. Our future lies in your hands. DBJ
Waste paper recycling
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Handmade recycled paper
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