A new Facebook Friend, the author of this report, wanted some help with her project. I’m happy to be of service with any environmental initiative, so here goes:

Greening the Bush at University of the Western Cape

By Chase Ruiters and Juanitill Pettus

Introduction

The Greening the Bush initiative aims to create greater awareness around the depleting resources of the earth through recycling. This is a very real problem that enjoys worldwide interest but there is still a lot to be done in actually getting people to realize the magnitude of the problem.

The University of the Western Cape has been one of the main forces in tackling some of the most pressing issues in our country and we feel that it is our responsibility to addresses this issue as well. People need to start paying attention and getting active in preserving the resources owed to us.

The need

UWC is situated on a nature reserve, yet waste disposal does not happen in an eco-friendly way. The project will be a means by which this situation can be rectified which will benefit both the university and the environment. This project also addresses the wasting of recyclable materials through thoughtless disposal by encouraging the reuse of the material where possible.

The additional awareness that will be created through this project will spread the message of creating an eco-friendly campus and has the potential of getting the wider community actively involved in creating an environmentally sustainable society.

The eventual aim of the project is to set it up in such a way that community centers in the surrounding areas can implement it as a means to create jobs for the unemployed in the community. The project will thus be addressing the high levels of unemployment in our communities.

Project concept

The University of the Western Cape is confronted with a huge challenge of keeping the environment clean. Wastepaper, glass and tins pose a threat to a nurtured Cape Flats Biodiversity reserve of plants and animals that is adjacent on campus. The urban legend says UWC was passionately called Bush during apartheid because its students and staff resisted the government of the time. Here in the middle of the Bush stood the University of the Western Cape and young males and females dreamt of coming to Bush to break the barrier of poverty through education at Bush. Therefore, Keeping the Bush Clean Project aims to promote awareness on how to keep our environment clean amongst students, lecturers and departments’ staff.

The waste will be collected using specially designed packaging for designated waste. This waste will solely be kept for recycling. This innovative environmental prototype project will be extended to other areas surrounding Bellville. The proceeds from the recycled material will be utilized to promote environment educational campaigns. Amongst key issues that will form part of this environmental educational campaign will be Global Warming and its Hazardous Effects in Africa. Our target groups for this campaign will be schools and the university community. Therefore, Keeping the Bush Clean campaign aims, with the recycling project is not only to “Clean the Bush”, but also to make environment an integral part of campus life and Bellville community at large.

Project Benefits

• The project will minimize the amount of waste on campus and surrounding communities
• It will also create greater awareness around environmental sustainability.
• The project is a means to reduce the level of unemployment in the surrounding communities.

Project Implementation

The following key tasks need to be accomplished:

1. Obtain permission from Finance Department to implement project.

o The university needs to grant the permission because the university’s name will be used in the process

2. Sell the idea to the different departments and vendors and departments

o We plan to have a container at each office in the different departments and we therefore need the permission of the deans of each faculty.
o We also plan on putting bins at all of the restaurants on campus.

3. Identify collection points

o This will give us an idea of the number of containers we will need.

4. Identify collection dates

o Collection by the recycling companies will take place every second week.

5. Obtain containers

o The aim is to get the City of Cape Town involved by sponsoring us with the containers, and also we would like to approach the recycling companies to sponsor it.
o Create labels to distinguish Greening the Bush bins from the other bins on campus and also to create awareness about the project.

6. Identify storage space

o The bins would have to be cleaned regularly during the two weeks up to the collection date and therefore we will need a space to keep the paper until they are collected.

7. Employ someone to facilitate the collection

o The person or persons would need to be present when the recycling company collects the waste and to facilitate the process.

8. Encourage cleaners to facilitate the collection

9. Contact the CPUT Cape Town IT Department for the use blueprinting program

o The aim is to get CPUT Cape Town to arrange blueprints of possible products that can be used to make art out of tin cans

10. Identify people to make the art out of the tin cans

11. Create workshops for the artist

o Train the artist on how to manage their income

In order to successfully implement the project, the following project management volunteer staff needs to be appointed:

o Project Manager

o Coordination

o Evaluation manager
o Liaison
o Basic administration
o Marketing and advertising
o Fundraiser
o Volunteers
o Journalist

The following resources are necessary for the successful implementation of the project.

o Transport
o Camera/ Video Camera
o Communication – telephone and email
o Stationery and materials
o Gloves
o Boxes
o Bins
o Storage space

Project Risk Factors

Risk Steps to be taken to mitigate
No behavioral change-people do not use our receptacles Create a compelling awareness and marketing initiative endorsed by campus celebrities and community celebrity
Irregular separation of waste Convince the importance of the projects to the cleaners and supervisors of the cleaning
Lack of partnership buy-in Partner relation management and identification of alternative sponsors

Project Stakeholders

Stakeholder Potential role
Explore partnership with Eco-watch, an environmental NGO with a proven track record. They will provide mentorship for this project and help to develop “green strategy”.

Establish partnership with environmental science department. UWC academic partner to the project. Richard Knight and Richard White, UWC

Establish a “Greening strategy/charter” for UWC

Explore partnership with City of Cape Town and expanded public works initiative

Establish a partnership with Metro Cleaning Service on campus where they will able to aid us in the separation process of the waste

Project Evaluation

We would measure the success of the project by the value and amount of waste collected, job creation, awareness of initiative thus a survey will be conducted as well as to check how other environmental measure impact by earth standards.

We believe our project is innovative because it is something that has never been tried on campus that our project has community impact which has the potential to create jobs and reserve the environment for future generations

We believe our project can be implemented because it is relatively cheap the reason why is because we will be using resources already available to use and can be done with minimum effort. We also believe our project is feasible because it addresses a problem that most people are concerned with.

We will adhere to governance by regular communication with stakeholders, evaluation of project on a timely basis; all funds go through UWC accounting system and its controls

We will monitor and evaluate our project by monthly reports on the progress being made.

If you can help or want to be part of this project, please leave a comment here and I’ll get Juanitill to be in touch with you