How to achieve a Good Life with Zero Fossils in South Africa

First Draft Melissa Sikosana and Kjell Khne 14th February 2012
Sustainable food supply 100% organic agriculture GE-free Promote food sovereignty Urban agriculture (such as organic backyard farming, rooftop, balcony and other gardens) uses most organic waste and generates a significant portion of food Reduce imports Create jobs geared towards locally processing food Create middle, processing/manufacturing links Food fertilizers/compost should be all organic, perhaps use grey water for the plants Food should not travel long distances, therefore cutting down on transport costs and emissions Use aqua/hydroponic farming methods to use water efficiently Land reform - let people farm again and be self-sufficient in food Permaculture training centre for creating abundance in dry areas Encourage sustainable subsistence fishing Sustainable water supply Rain water, dew and fog entrapment Recycle water in your household Grey water for plants etc. Black water for biodigesters in household Practice aqua/hydroponics to use water efficiently when growing food Meeting housing needs Shipping containers made into (transportable) homes, offices and even office parks, as emergency housing (order/rent a house for a week or two) - have clever fold out tables, chairs, beds etc. Bottles, stone and wood as building materials Recycle materials from old manufacturing plants: make stylish tables, counters from crates, or stoves/biodigesters out of old cement kilns Organic paint Incorporate solar water heaters, biodigesters, wood-ovens into homes Smart LUX designs in homes (trap light from most angles) Use smart ways of integrating solar, biodigesters, wood etc. to meet all household electrical needs Is it possible? Use smart designs for natural ventilation, heating and cooling systems

Health Locally produced organic food can reduce the risk of high blood pressure, obesity, heart attacks and other diet related diseases Encouraging walking, cycling and public transport will improve peoples health Energy Biogas Wind Solar Wood Waves Tidal energy Adding up to 100% renewable energy supply Change sources of power in households and industry Smart grid to make best use of variable renewable energy harvest, linked up with other African countries Top runner mechanism for driving efficiency Transport Decentralizing Cutting out the middle man in trade Have processing done within the region to reduce imports Efficient electric public transport Promote public transport Manufacturing Replace Chinese imports of necessary products by sustainable local alternatives (strengthening the local economy) Reduce non-essential luxury consumption Change to zero waste industrial ecology Reduce, reuse, repair, remake, re-manufacture, recycle, re-engineer, redesign Other Actively integrate millions of climate refugees from other African countries and bring their cultural contributions to life High tree cover in cities - food, medicinal and ornamental species Surveys to find sustainable solutions of the elders Challenges, meetings between youth and elders or comparative documentaries (current methods vs. older methods of achieving the same goal, What we do now and what we did then) for youth Re-purpose big industrial complexes

Managing the transition Gandhi Centre for Sufficiency to change consumerist mentality Stop perverse subsidies of fossil carbon industries and aluminium smelters Fossil carbon tax on extraction and imports Cross subsidize renewable energy Redirect military budgets Investment needs Change infrastructure linked to the transport industry, waste/food (biggest one), building materials Investments into efficient transport systems Investments into decentralization Developing processing plants, with produce that goes back into the community Invest in renewable energy Invest in energy-efficiency Research needs Renewable energy harvest with different levels of investment What is the LCA and the carbon emissions payback time of a solar panels and other renewable energy harvesting tools? How much energy is needed for survival of the human population in South Africa, for meeting basic needs and for a good quality of life? Food links and processing that occurs locally and internationally especially: What is imported? Which source of energy (solar, biodiesel, biogas etc.) is the most efficient for which household need Are biogas stoves more efficient at heating water than solar water heaters and what is the pay back time for each?

Sources:

https://www.sites.google.com/site/ohpre2030/
Own brainstorming