Green Matters

Green Matters

Why Living in South Africa is a Privilege

Why Living in South Africa is a Privilege

Craig Foster, creator of ''My Octopus Teacher'' discusses his vision for living in harmony with nature, and how being in nature will reveal the wildness within us ... Read More
Return with a Bloom

Return with a Bloom

At this year's Chelsea Flower Show, South Africa returned with a bang, or rather a bloom, winning a gold medal and awards for the Best Exhibit in the Pavilion and the Best New Design – a first for the country ... Read More
Global Pioneers

Global Pioneers

The Rolex Awards for Enterprise showcase its commitment to support individuals and organisations leveraging science to tackle today’s environmental and social challenges ... Read More
Story of Survival & Hope

Story of Survival & Hope

Malawi has emerged as a leader in African elephant conservation. What’s been achieved at Nkhotakota in just 7 years is incredible. Re-homing 500 elephants and knowing they will thrive is a story of hope and survival ... Read More
Saving Africa's Living Treasures

Saving Africa’s Living Treasures

In the last 50 years, Africa has lost 90-95% of its large predators, now extinct in 26 of Africa’s 54 countries. Dereck & Beverly Joubert are inspiring ambasssadors working to protect them ... Read More
Rescued, Relocated & Rewilded

Rescued, Relocated & Rewilded

The cost of illicit rhino horn matches that of gold.  Even though it's only made of keratin – the substance in human fingernails, demand comes mostly from East Asian countries — primarily China and Vietnam where it's used for medicinal purposes or carved into figurines. Some medicine! ... Read More
And the greatest country on Earth is...

And the greatest country on Earth is…

South Africa celebrates a remarkable double triumph at the 2023 Telegraph Travel Awards. The country has been honoured with the prestigious title of “Best Country'' while its iconic city, Cape Town has claimed the coveted title of “Best City in the World” ... Read More
A Game Changing Ethic

A Game Changing Ethic

Gardens matter, and the way in which we create them, grow them, and rethink them matters on a level far more important than whether they simply function aesthetically. And who we garden for, matters more than ever ... Read More
Africa's First of its Kind

Africa’s First of its Kind

The Grootbos Florilegium is the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. It tells the story of the unparrallelled biodiversity of Fynbos and the Cape Floristic Region in its collection of botanical artworks ... Read More
A Journey of Purpose

A Journey of Purpose

'Hot Cape to Cold Cape' - a transcontinental expedition to travel the entire length of Africa and Europe. It's the 40th geographic and humanitarian odyssey for renowned explorer Kingsley Holgate & team. “One of the best things about expanding horizons through travel: it gives one hope for the future.” ... Read More
Table Mountain 101

Table Mountain 101

Table Mountain is globally recognized as one of the “New 7 Wonders of Nature.” It's the most photographed landmark in the country. For everything you need to know about visiting Cape Town’s iconic landmark ... Read More
The Merry Month Of May

The Merry Month Of May

We want to celebrate a pioneering South African couple making waves in both hemispheres. Their English estate, The Newt, is the official sponsor of the RHS’s Chelsea Flower Show & their South African estate, Babylonstoren, is acknowledged as the only (RHS) Partner Garden in Africa ... Read More
Table Mountain and protea cynaroides, courtesy Andrew Baxter

Why This Protea Is Our National Flower

There are many reasons why this protea is South Africa's national flower. I like these survive & thrive analogies ... Proteas are hardy plants that can survive harsh conditions; drought, heavy rains and even massive bush fires because they are re-sprouters, a very effective survival strategy, but won’t be happy in temperatures below -4C ... Read More
Flowers & the Meaning of Life

Flowers & the Meaning of Life

Flowers are a lens on human nature and our search for meaning. A metaphor for a mortal world suddenly fathoming its fragility and resilience. More than a pretty object to be admired, they are a ravishing system of aliveness — a kind of silent symphony of interconnected resilience. ... Read More
Reconnecting & Rediscovering

Reconnecting & Rediscovering

''If I could fill your stocking with books, it would be brimming with these to ensure that the connection with Nature is never lost. Lockdown books to inspire and feed creativity'' ... Read More
Flying - The Eli in the Room

Flying – The Eli in the Room

Can travel be sustainable is a vexed question. Tourism has a hefty carbon footprint – and is playing a significant role in the ongoing climate crisis. As climate changes, so do the environments in which wildlife & wilderness thrive ... Read More
Delville Wood Memorial,Cape Town

SA’s Gift to the Act of Rememberance

How the tradition of 2-minutes of silence during Remembrance occasions was born, a unique South African gift to world, a simple peaceful gesture that in deep solitude remembers the end of all war – not the beginning ... Read More
Hiding in Plain Sight

Hiding in Plain Sight

Cape Town’s social media is abuzz with sightings popping up all over the Peninsula.  Two cute-as-pie Caracal kittens were spotted recently frolicking in the fynbos of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. A project to protect these beguiling, nocturnal creatures places reflective artworks in caracal roadkill “hotspots”. It aims to raise awareness around issues such as roadkill of indigenous and endemic species & encourages people to SLOW DOWN! ... Read More
National Arbor Day

Bequeathing To Posterity

National Arbor Week is a time for us to plant indigenous trees as a practical and symbolic gesture of sustainable environmental management. ''Each generation of humanity takes the earth as trustees … We ought to bequeath to posterity as many forests and orchards as we have exhausted and consumed'' ... Read More
A Plant That ‘Cannot Die’

A Plant That ‘Cannot Die’

A director of Kew Gardens in London remarked, “it is out of the question the most wonderful plant ever brought to this country and one of the ugliest.” Some plants are over 3,000 years old, growing since the beginning of the Iron Age, when the Phoenician alphabet was invented and David was crowned King of Israel ... Read More
A Flower Fest

A Flower Fest

In spring each year the Cape's West Coast erupts in a riot of colours.  It's our yearly blessing following the winter rain - and part of our unique botanical bounty. The West Coast National Park is also a birding site so legendary that it's a Ramsar site (deemed to be of international importance for the conservation of wetland birds).   ... Read More
Hope For Us Humans

Hope For Us Humans

David Marchese's interview with Jane Goodall, in The New York Times inspires: 'Traveling the world I see so many projects of restoration, animal and plant species being rescued from the brink of extinction, people tackling what seemed impossible and not giving up. These are the stories that ... give people hope'' ... Read More
The Best Time For A Safari

The Best Time For A Safari

Africa is a vast continent straddling the equator, boasting six time zones. It's a vast area of profoundly differing vegetation, climates, topography and animal life that occupies the myriad niches provided by these variations. The good news is that there is always a good safari season in Africa. You just need to know what you want to see and where you’d like to see it – then the ‘when’ becomes pretty simple ... Read More
Wanderlust Explained by a Child of Africa

Wanderlust Explained by a Child of Africa

I sit here quietly thinking about what it means to me to be a visitor to South Africa or even African. It seems easier to explain the effect that this land has on me ... which creates a frisson of excitement, passion each and every day, a vivid, immediate sense of being alive found nowhere else ... ... Read More
We’re Part of the Solution

We’re Part of the Solution

Biodiversity is our most valuable but least appreciated resource – Edward O. Wilson. When biodiversity has a problem, humanity has a problem. Despite all our technological advances we are completely dependent on healthy and vibrant ecosystems for everything life-giving. Biodiversity is the foundation upon which we can build back better ... Read More
Great-Plains-Zarafa

Environmental Investment

Conservation is about protecting a shrinking asset. We need to think about environmental investing. Go from the defensive to the offensive. Look at the big role ecotourism plays in conservation in Africa. If Covid has taught us one thing, it’s that our choices matter. ... Read More
Much Good News

Much Good News

Lots of Causes to Celebrate! South Africa has just taken steps to end its multimillion-dollar lion-breeding industry. The voice of our planet - David Attenborough - is still fighting the good fight, another year on. And ''The Octopus Teacher'' gets Oscar gold for the Best Documentary. ... Read More
Reduce. Recover. Repair.

Reduce. Recover. Repair.

Shine a light on the serious environmental problems we’re facing, from the climate crisis to air pollution and deforestation. Focus on the need to reduce our impact on the planet as we recover from Covid-19, and how we can play a role in repairing the damage we’ve done. Join Earth Day. ... Read More
''One of World's Best''

”One of World’s Best”

Travel + Leisure is one of the world’s most influential travel publications. Each year they publish their must-visit places. Cape Town's Camps Bay has just been included among the greats in its ’25 Most Beautiful Beaches in the World’. It's my go-to place of solace in my universe that I feel immensely priveleged to share with you ... Read More
Zakouma, Michael Lorentz,

Regenerative Travel

The New York Times declared the next phase in tourism to be “regenerative travel” (or leaving a place better than you found it.) Eminent travel journalist Sophy Roberts asks what will be the right way to travel in future? Michael Lorentz shares the inspiring comeback story of Chad’s Zakouma National Park  ... Read More
Great Plains Conservation

Numbers Really Do Matter

World Wildlife Day is about celebrating, enjoying and respecting wildlife. It's also about making us think just how close wildlife is to the tipping point to extinction. And what's being done by wildlife warriors to bring it back from this destiny. Hear how they respect, understand and afford dignity to wildlife. And put their lives on the line ... Read More
Moments of Magic

Moments of Magic

The documentary My Octopus Teacher ushered in a new approach to nature filmmaking, where interaction between humans and other creatures takes center stage. The book Sea Change is as equally visually and textually stunning. Yo-Yo Ma says it ''invites us to explore further and love more deeply'' ... Read More
Red disa, Pride of Table Mountain

The Pride of Table Mountain

The Cape Floral Kingdom is a biological treasure chest that entranced botanists in Europe after the arrival of European explorers in South Africa in 1652. The botanist, Carl Thunberg, devised the taxonomic system of naming all plants and animal species still in use today. The name of the Disa genus of orchids derives from a Swedish legend ... Read More
The Mystique Of Africa

The Mystique Of Africa

There is something about the mystique of Africa, called mal d'Afrika. The symptoms are extraordinary. There is no known remedy. Your life will never be the same again. When you are in the African bush, far away from familiar surroundings, you feel as though you have come home ... Read More
‘Beyond Walls’ in Cape Town

‘Beyond Walls’ in Cape Town

Saype, the world's most famous land artist, chose Cape Town as host to the ninth stage of his global project because his work symbolises the breaking down of political and social barriers between communities. Depicting the largest human chain in the world, it invites people to help each other, show kindness and live tolerantly together ... Read More
Table Mountain

A Manifesto to Travel By

Every journey comes at a financial cost, an environmental cost, and a social cost. Before booking a flight, ask yourself: Are these quality miles? Find the answer not on a spreadsheet but in your heart. Purpose-driven travel! ... Read More
Find out about 'Fynbos'

Find out about ‘Fynbos’

Coming up on October 08th in our new webinar series, is The Cape's spectacular botanical landscape. Three renowned ''green'' experts will show you what makes this the world's richest natural garden. Adam Harrower of Kirstenbosch, Ernst van Jaarsveld of Babylonstoren, & Sean Privett of Grootbos! It's spring time here - and we are bursting to share our botanical bounty ... Read More
JohDel, The Flowering Plants of South Africa,

Beguiling Botanical Whimsy

One of South Africa’s most sought after illustrators has created a classic botanical chart in a fresh style that is beautiful as a work of art as well as functional. The Flowering Plants of South Africa features a collection of 85 interesting and indigenous plants that includes the plants’ scientific names, bugs & critters used for pollination ... Read More
Kew garden - Encephalartos-altenstei - the oldest pot plant in the world

The World’s Oldest Pot Plant

This cycad is a reminder of my Eastern Cape roots and an opportunity to show you a dell full of cycads in Kirstenbsoch Botanic Garden. South Africa has such botanical riches and eye-opening green bounty ... Read More
Blank Page For New Beginnings

Blank Page For New Beginnings

Disasters are known as powerful ignition tools for radical ways of transforming business practices. To harvest emerging ideas trend forecaster Li Edelkoort is organizing a platform to counterbalance the World Economic Forum - The World Hope Forum ... Read More
Creative Trailblazer

Creative Trailblazer

Louis Schwartzberg is an inspiring visual artist who celebrates life and reveals the mysteries of nature, people and places ... by providing breathtaking imagery using time-lapse, high-speed and macro cinematography ... Read More
Random Acts of Wildness

Random Acts of Wildness

“A lot of little random acts of wildness can lead to something amazing” since we are actively turning to nature for comfort and solace in a very scary time. Join in. Become more conscious of the biodiversity crisis and more aware of other species ... Read More
Captivating Win

Captivating Win

The mission of the Blood Lions Campaign is to increase awareness around interactive captivity wildlife attractions & “canned” hunting. It is a “call to action” around how to treat wildlife ethically ... Read More
Garth Owen-Smith

An African Conservation Hero

Visionary pioneer Garth Owen-Smith said: 'Conserving our natural environment will not make you materially rich, but there is no greater satisfaction than having made our planet a better place to live on, even if it is just in a very small way’ ... Read More
Crises Create Opportinities

Crises Create Opportinities

Could this be a once-in-a-century opportunity to reset the economy and to escape the clutches of high-carbon industry that have caused the climate catastrophe? It's a lifetime chance to shape the future, not just respond to it, and requires a collaborative approach between all spheres of society ... Read More
Intrepid, Courageous Path-Blazer

Intrepid, Courageous Path-Blazer

A visionary who used trees as an instrument of civil disobedience, started a movement that reimaged the ecological and economic landscape and modeled a new form of civic agency for nature & humanity, is Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize    ... Read More
Art that Works

Art that Works

Stationery that stops aliens and thwarts a silent killer! By handcrafting beautiful art that works (as opposed to works of art), planting seeds of inspiration, and growing sustainable solutions ... Read More
A Song To Wash Your Hands To

A Song To Wash Your Hands To

Since we are being compelled to transform our social behaviour worldwide, we share this in the hope that it reminds you of South Africa's zest for life, and energy-bursting talent  ... Read More
An Epic Journey. The longest-ever recorded in history

An Epic Journey. The longest-ever recorded in history

How about a good news travel story? Apart from record-breaking, isnt this journey so inspiring? Outdoing any bird, fish or mammal ever tracked. It's the longest-ever recorded of any animal in history! ... Read More
Ray of Hope / Revenge of the Pangolin?

Ray of Hope / Revenge of the Pangolin?

“Many of the pandemic scares we’ve seen in the 21st century are the result of viruses that exist in nature being able to suddenly ‘jump’ and infect humans.” Though trade in pangolin meat and scales has been banned internationally, domestic sales of medicines containing pangolin scales are still allowed in China  ... Read More
Wise Words From Global Gurus

Wise Words From Global Gurus

As a species, our best design stories still lie ahead of us. For over 25-years, Design Indaba Cape Town has presented a slew of visionary thinkers whose innovations have truly shaped our globe ... Read More
The Greatest Luxury Of All

The Greatest Luxury Of All

The most valuable thing on the planet isn’t money or the material things it can buy. It is time. So it’s not accidental that we talk about “spending” time, as if it were money ... Read More
Connecting Cultures

Connecting Cultures

Music is an extrordinary example of how culture connects us and can help us to imagine and build a better future. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma believes there are many more - and has set out to prove it. What better way to step into a new decade than this video with a powerful message? ... Read More
Cape Town voted best city in the world

Cape Town voted best city in the world

The votes have been counted, the results are in ... the greatest city in the world is a coastal gem, ... Read More
Time for The World's Greatest Places

Time for The World’s Greatest Places

The World's 100 Greatest Places of 2019 of TIME magazine revealed three Southern Africa inclusions. Lekkerwater and Omaanda to stay in, Wolfgat to dine at.   ... Read More
The Most Beautiful Places in Africa

The Most Beautiful Places in Africa

Out of a compilation of The 50 Most Beautiful Places in the World by Conde Nast Traveler, here are five of their greatest African hits: awe-inspiring wonders and out-of-this-world landscapes for the very top of your travel list  ... Read More
The Elephant In The Room

The Elephant In The Room

A behind-the-scenes look at the global wildlife tourism industry that shows how animals are treated once the selfie-taking crowds have gone  ... Read More
Cape Town - The World's Most Biologically Diverse City

Cape Town – The World’s Most Biologically Diverse City

The Cape is home to the smallest of the planet’s six floral kingdoms, & the Cape Floral Kingdom has a high number of unique species found nowhere else on Earth ... Read More
D is for Dropping Pounds

D is for Dropping Pounds

A-Z Guide of Not Killing the Planet when you Travel: Conde Nast compiled 26 do-able steps for eco-friendly travel. This is about the cosequences of overpacking ... Read More
Wanderlust Renegades : Part 4

Wanderlust Renegades : Part 4

We shine shine the spotlight on game-changers who make the way we see, taste, sail, and circle the world that much more incredible. Peter Fearnhead, the tenacious co-founder and CEO of African Parks, is helping to write a hopeful chapter in a conservation narrative typically dominated by heartbreak and loss ... Read More
Bringing Gold Home

Bringing Gold Home

The award-winning display at The Chelsea Flower Show was inspired by the diversity of South Africa's Floral Kingdom where designer Leon Kluge shows that South Africa is home to many worldwide flower exports ... Read More
African Responsible Tourism Winner

African Responsible Tourism Winner

Grootbos Private Nature Reserve outside Cape Town just announced as overall winner of the African Responsible Tourism Awards at the World Travel Market Africa, 2019 ... Read More
Some Wandering Renegades

Some Wandering Renegades

Inspiring People Changing The Way We Travel / David Attenborough - whose aim is to remind people of the interconnectedness of living things ... Read More
Why Jimmy Fallon Wanted a South African on The Tonight Show

Why Jimmy Fallon Wanted a South African on The Tonight Show

When Jimmy Fallon heard that one of SA's finest wildlife photographers was Martha Stewart's ranger on her "incredible" SA safari, he just had to interview him. ... Read More
The Case For Visiting Cape Town

The Case For Visiting Cape Town

You really can't overstate the case for visiting Cape Town. It's just come tops in the Telegraph award for The World's 50 Best Honeymoon Hotels & Destinations ... Read More