Restaurant scraps are the ingredients creating hope, thanks to Streetscapes’ clever composting project that’s helping the homeless put food on the table!

Cape Town, South Africa (16 October 2024) – Restaurant scraps have an important place in the bigger ecosystem of social upliftment if used correctly. While the unfortunate reality is that a lot of scraps simply remain scraps and become waste, there’s another side to the coin that sees scraps as an opportunity for growth. And, Cape Town-based non-profit Streetscapes is showing us how it’s done!

Cape Town is a foodie city. In fact, it was even crowned the Best Culinary Destination City at the World Culinary Awards 2024. But what if all those restaurants focused a little more on what happens after the food is plated and ready to be enjoyed?

Streetscapes’ composting project is a shining example of what’s possible when waste is viewed as a tool—an ingredient to do better for the people of the city who most need it.

Addressing two key issues, the composting project lessens environmental impact while giving their clients (the homeless) a new purpose.

Here’s how it works:

Restaurants that have teamed up with Streetscapes share their organic waste after it has been separated from other kinds of waste. It’s collected and thereafter used to create a high-quality compost where fresh vegetables can be grown and sold!

Alfonso Peterson oversees the composting work and explains that their mix is potent.

“Different waste types like coffee grounds of citrus peels break down differently, but the mix we’ve developed is incredibly potent. We’re creating a valuable product that helps grow more food,” says Alfonso.

In fact, Alfonso proposed the innovative idea to develop the compost. A beacon of hope, Alfonso was once homeless himself. But, through his own determination and the Streetscapes Programme, he now proudly rents his home and is a cornerstone of support both for the composting project and various other Streetscapes’ social development programmes.

In only a few months, the project has already shown impressive results. Nearly five tons of organic waste have been diverted from landfills, while clients have been able to reconnect with a sense of purpose—a key point in their journeys away from homelessness.

The composting project was visited by university professor Harold Tessendorf of Mercer University.  Harold noted that it was a great example of the circular economy in action, and concluded that the quality of the compost was excellent.

“There’s a real opportunity here to expand the project’s impact and sustainability,” Harold added.

Its expansion could look like another avenue for income—selling the compost itself at Streetscapes’ market for local gardeners and community members! Ultimately, the project provides a long-term opportunity for clients who have fantastic potential beyond skills-building.

Sources: Streetscapes Newsletter 

Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google. 

Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

The post Restaurant Scraps Turn into Hope for Streetscapes Thanks to Clever Composting Project appeared first on Good Things Guy.

When litter cast a not-so-lekker shadow on Riebeek Valley, Nico Rens decided to do something pretty creative. What began as an experiment to turn plastic bottles and tops into chandeliers and lights has become a whole movement!

Riebeek-Kasteel, South Africa (15 October 2024) — When artist Nico Rens moved to the Riebeek Valley several years ago, he couldn’t ignore the duality of the area. On the one hand, there were charming villages against great backdrops of natural beauty. On the other, plastic and waste seemingly grew from the ground; ruining precious parts of the Valley with litter galore.

With a background in architecture and interior design, Nico was no stranger to coming up with clever solutions creatively. Seeing the litter problem as something bigger, he decided to begin experimenting; tinkering with the idea that if the waste was simply remodelled, it might become something fantastic.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Africa Illumination (@africaillumination_za)

Nico began making chandeliers by reworking plastic bottles, containers and lids as part of the design. But, he was just one person and the waste problem needed a lot more hands on deck. So, he decided to launch a plastic waste collection program amongst the local youth.

Many of the young people were interested in how he transformed the plastic. Nico realised that he could tackle the environmental problems and problems related to social upliftment, and soon, a new project was born!

In collaboration with FOR Life Centre, a Non-Profit Organisation that fosters social upliftment, development and reconciliation through community arts programs in the Valley, the new project offered a way to equip people with a means not just to tackle waste but to transform it.

It provided workshops around waste management and collection, recycling, design, construction, and ultimately upcycling!

When Megan Wilson, an acclaimed theatre director, producer and actor among many other titles, learned of the project, she saw its potential for even more good.

What if it could become something that spreads awareness about environmental issues and the means to empower oneself by tackling them? What if it could offer sustainable employment and training to uplift the local community and extend further into the Western Cape? The lightbulb moment had hit, and it wasn’t long until Africa Illumination was born!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Africa Illumination (@africaillumination_za)

Just like Nico’s original work, Africa Illumination creates lighting from upcycled materials. With four community members employed, the idea has already helped people not only give back to their environment and put food on the table, but connect to a greater sense of purpose.

In fact, team leader Johannes Dirks shares that it is work that is “food for his soul”.

With help from Nico’s brother, Gerhard Rens, a retired engineer, the designs have only gotten more functional.

The team is small, but the spotlight on them is enlarging. They have already participated in Solo Studios—Intimate Art Encounters 2024 in Riebeek Kasteel, as well as the Stanford in Bloom festival. Not to mention some features on TV and customers who have purchased the creations from as far as Canada!

These Riebeek Valley locals are showing us that a little extra care and a lot of creative juices can go a long way, and in more directions than just sustainable living. You can check out their goods at the square in Riebeek-Kasteel or right here.

Sources: Email Submission 

Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google. 

Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

The post Riebeek Valley Locals Light Up Community with Upcycled Goods! appeared first on Good Things Guy.

Informal waste pickers in Bellville are to be kitted out with new and improved trolleys to do their jobs safely and more efficiently!

Bellville, South Africa (01 October 2024) — Ever seen a waste picker struggling through busy roads with a massive bag of goods hanging on for its life atop a makeshift cart? Most of us have. For many informal waste pickers, managing the load carefully in this way is just another day at work. But, what if there was a better way to set their work in motion? The good news is, there is, and it’s happening in Bellville!

The better.bellville.together initiative has, since last year, been working equal parts creatively and tirelessly to improve the lives of the Bellville community.

We’ve highlighted many of the initiative’s success stories (often featuring fabulous community art) before on Good Things Guy. Beyond the art that inspires public pride, the better.bellville.together initiative is a big pioneering effort dedicated to revitalising Bellville in three main ways: community engagement, business investment and sustainable practices.

Thanks to the initiative, taxi ranks have been revamped, more jobs have been created, more gardens have been grown and more bins (including protea-inspired ones) for recycling have set up shop.

Now, it’s the waste pickers’ turn to benefit from community upliftment.

Recently, better.bellville.together teamed up with eco-empowering community Waste-Ed and worked with other businesses as well as government departments to bring fresh trolley designs to Bellville! This, in an effort to help informal waste pickers do their important work for their own livelihood and the environment in a better way.

With a bicycle built to pick up speed, a safer area for collections and an extended top area for more capacity, the cleverly designed ‘Wheels of Change’ trolly helps tackle a lot of problems with a single pair of wheels.

As the Greater Tygerberg Partnership shares:

“The trolleys are tailored specifically to meet the needs of waste pickers, offering a user-centred design that enhances both work efficiency and safety.”

Moreover, they are designed to help reduce the number of trips waste pickers traditionally have to make, thanks to fantastic engineering.

Meanwhile, in news where waste made headlines, an incredible series of Mona Lisa masterpieces are showing us all the power of upcycling. You can read all about it here. 

Sources: Greater Tygerberg Partnership 

Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google. 

Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

The post Bellville Welcomes New and Improved Trolleys for Waste Pickers! appeared first on Good Things Guy.

The taxi is being piloted by AfriPaw and is aimed at providing access to its free monthly animal clinics for pets living in poor communities like Vrygrond.

Cape Town, South Africa (25 July 2024) — A handful of four-legged companions from Vrygrond in Cape Town got to test out a new bicycle taxi for pets run by the organisation, AfriPaw. The aim of the initiative is to provide access to the animal clinics for pets living in under-resourced communities like Vrygrond.

“We noticed that people were unable to come to the clinic because their pets didn’t want to walk the distance,” says Anél Wesson, Director and Co-Founder of AfriPaw. Once a month, the organisation brings a mobile clinic to the parking lot at Capricorn Primary School, where they offer vaccinations, sterilisations, and a number of other health checks.

Wesson says they found that some pet owners in the area were too old to walk to the mobile clinic. She says that after they saw a number of people bring their pets to the clinic in trolleys, they began to toy with the idea of starting a pet taxi.

Wesson says they needed the “taxi” to be simple and cheap so it could easily be operated by people from their community. While this is still the testing phase of the project, she says they are looking into which bicycle works best to pull the weight of the animals. The cart was built and designed by 4Evr Plastic Products pro bono.

Wesson says that AfriPaw is now looking for a company to sponsor the project. The setup costs for one unit is R25,000 for the first year, thereafter it would cost about R7,000 a year. This includes the bicycle, cart, cage and the wages of the rider. “We are looking to have between five and ten taxis in the first year,” she says.

AfriPaw was founded in 2017 and runs a host of programmes including the free monthly clinic, mass sterilisations and educational workshops in Vrygrond. The clinics are run with other animal welfare organisations such as TEARS Animal Rescue, Animal Lifeline and Aid4Animals in Distress. The monthly clinics serve about 650 pets including cats and dogs from the broader community. The programmes are run with the help of volunteers and ‘ambassadors’ who live in the community that get paid a stipend.

Vrygrond resident and volunteer Domaine Martin told GroundUp that pet owners in the community often struggled to get food for their companions. “Most people don’t have work, but they are trying to look after their dogs.”

“They provide a wonderful service for our animals”, says Capricorn resident Alessandro Jeftha, who brought his cat and three dogs to the clinic. He says that he is incredibly grateful for the free service.

Wesson added that the main purpose of the organisation is “to come alongside pet owners in informal settlements and under resourced areas to form relationships with them”.

She says that their ambassadors from the area educate and encourage pet owners to visit their monthly clinics. “It’s very much a community integrated effort,” she says. In the future she says that they would like to grow and replicate this model into other areas.

Sources: GroundUp

Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google. 

Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

The post Four-legged Companions Pilot Pet Taxi in Cape Town appeared first on Good Things Guy.

Two Joburg Librarians have won an important challenge that could help libraries across the city, thanks to their clever idea for an app!

Johannesburg, South Africa (03 April 2024) — In exciting news for Joburg Libraries, two Joburg librarians have won the 2023-2024 Smart City Innovation Challenge thanks to their clever idea for a library-helpful app that will help to make sharing resources across libraries easier!

The Smart City Innovation Challenge was won by Joburg librarians Lindani Sikhakhane and Lindo Dlamini. Their submission of an app not only won them the Innovation in Operations category, but has brought forth a community-positive idea that has the chance to be funded.

According to Joburg Libraries, the app is premised around being a helpful resource that can assist libraries and their staff members in tracking ICT (Information and Communication Technology) tools.

In the world of libraries, ICT tools include systems and platforms like laptops and tablets. These devices are often shared among libraries, but tracking them in the context of sharing and running different programmes can prove to be a tricky task without proper organisation!

The app then would assist in sharing these resources more seamlessly, especially in cases where there are not enough of these tools to go around.

Joburg Libraries congratulated Lindani and Lindo on all the hard work they put into their submission—from research to ideation.

“Joburg Libraries’ elearning office will work with the librarians, and the Smart City office supported by Wits Tshimologong Innovation Hub to develop the app depending on the availability of funding.”—Joburg Libraries.

We can’t wait to see how this idea develops and how it helps the heroes who keep our country’s libraries going strong!

Sources: Joburg Libraries 

Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google. 

Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

The post Joburg Librarians Win Smart City Innovation Challenge for Clever Idea! appeared first on Good Things Guy.

With food waste becoming more and more of a global problem, students from the University of Pretoria have done something innovative and impactful with an up-cycled food experiment:

Pretoria, South Africa (30 November 2023) — Final year students from the University of Pretoria‘s Department of Consumer and Food Sciences have done something equally innovative and impactful thanks to their up-cycled food experiment.

Part of a practical exam and exhibition that married research and a need to be part of the solution when it comes to food security, the up-cycled food experiment sought to answer a simple question: can food waste be rescued and recreated so that there’s more to go around for malnourished communities?

The big focus was on the quality of the food. Students meticulously turned research into practice by creating dishes that gave food waste a chance to become nutritious food products.

One hundred units of food products were created; many of them encompassing food for thought. One team of students created a product dubbed ‘Boost’, a dehydrated power that was made out of ‘imperfect’ fruit and veggies, containing all the nutrients that fresh produce would have.

But, the real lesson was on how the retail industry can use their waste for the better.

“We know that 20% of food is wasted in the retail industry in South Africa. Of this waste, 50% is lost in the primary production stage, and a further 25% in consumption and distribution. Retailers aim to provide consumers with the best quality product; consequently, lower grade products are not used effectively. However, we have the opportunity to influence the value chain and supply chain through upcycling, a process of rescuing food,” said Thando Dlamini, a Food Retail Management student.

NGO SA Harvest, which was approached with the idea of using or managing food waste products to serve these people, commended the innovation. CEO Alan Browde noted that while not all food that goes to waste can be rescued, what can be salvaged could make a positive difference if the government comes to the party.

“About 10 million tons of food goes to waste every year in South Africa…Not all food that goes to waste can be rescued, yet if we had decent policies and government intervention, we could feed people just from the waste that can be rescued, let alone from the surplus food that we are exporting. These are things we have to do urgently.”—Alan Browde

Sources: University of Pretoria 

Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google. 

Have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

The post Pretoria Students Impress with Up-Cycled Food Experiment  appeared first on Good Things Guy.

Five South African tech start-ups have stood out with innovation and will be heading off to the prestigious Irish Tech Challenge South Africa next year!

Global (17 November 2023) — Five South African tech start-ups were recently announced as the prized, pick-of-the-tech-litter who will head off to the prestigious Irish Tech Challenge South Africa next year.

Only in its second year, the Tech Challenge is an opportunity for South African businesses to benefit from countries like Ireland which have stellar reputations in the world of tech.

Almost 300 entries from South African-owned, growth-stage tech start-ups that are fuelled by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) entered. But, only these five made the final cuts after an intense session of workshops, masterclasses and mentorship experiences.

Each start-up has its own focus that applies to specific social niches in South Africa and Africa—from platforms that make women’s healthcare more accessible to the ever-growing industry of agritech.

The Final Tech Start-Ups:

• Thato Schermer for Zoie Health: Zoie Health is described as a platform for women, by women and provides accessible female and family healthcare services.
• Neo Hutiri for Pelebox: The social impact organisation is focused on tech inclusion to improve last-mile delivery for chronic medication access in Africa. As such, Pelebox exists as a smart locker system to help patients collect their repeat chronic medication in under to minutes.
• Vuyo Pakade for Foonda Africa: Vuyo’s start-up is a Pan-African talent marketplace that connects companies with skilled, young candidates by focusing on graduate recruitment and youth empowerment/
• Benedicta Durcan for Afrobodies: AfroBodies is a biotech company that produces recombinant alpaca antibodies. Their advancements in scientific research aim to make novel discoveries that will lead to new diagnostic tests and disease treatments.
• Tumelo Chiloane for Desert Green: Tumelo’s start-up is an agritech business bent on transforming the informal agri-value chain in Africa through the supply of fresh produce from small-scale farmers to informal traders. With their B2B e-commerce platform, GreenKart, they hope to allow small-scale farmers more access to markets and the minimisation of post-harvest losses.

The businesses will head to Ireland in February 2024.

As spearheaded by a host of Wits University’s Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct, the Department of Science and Innovation, the Embassy of Ireland in South Africa and the Technology Innovation Agency amongst others, the challenge

Sources: Embassy of Ireland 

Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google. 

Have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

The post Five South African Tech Start-Ups to Head to Ireland for Tech Challenge appeared first on Good Things Guy.

Never mind flying cars in the future, algae fuel might just be the coolest thing. Here’s how the idea is fueling a more protected future for the West Coast:

Western Cape, South Africa (27 July, 2023)—As the pressure on more alternative energy and fuel sources and nature-based solutions cracks down, innovators are looking to the deep blue. The less waste emitted the better, and one idea has ‘algae fuel’ as the star of the show.

Recently, environmental conservation Protect the West Coast filled us in on the start-up using this unique biofuel, sharing how this could be a huge game changer for the West Coast’s future.

SeaH4 has already piqued interest in environmental and international realms for its algae-farmed biofuel sources and net zero CO2 alternative to fossil fuels, coming second in the African Ocean Startup Pitch Competition in 2021.

Co-founder Johannes Bochdalofsky shared with Protect the West Coast’s Steve Pike that beyond cleaner and more sustainable energy sources, SeaH4 hope to create up to 1000 new jobs in Saldanha in the next 4 years.

“Once the test farm is running, we have significant interest from the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA), the World Bank, the ADB as well as private capital, both local and more significantly from out of the country,” said Bochdalofsky.

With ideas like this in circulation, the West Coast has greater chances of protection for marine life and its ecosystems, and we think that’s a lot cooler than flying cars!

Meanwhile, in other sustainable and economically promising news, circulatory fashion initiatives are helping women providers become their own bosses all over the country. Read about some success stories here.

Sources: Protect the West Cost; Supplied 

Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google. 

Have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

The post Algae Fuel Could be the Future for a More Protected West Coast! appeared first on Good Things Guy.

In the creative pursuit to give waste materials chapters beyond the scrapyard, a Johannesburg creative made garments entirely from airbags.

Johannesburg, South Africa (25 June, 2023) — As upcycling continues to prove itself as one of the most effective ways for everyday global citizens to ease their impact on the planet, creatives continue to show us what’s possible. One artist from Johannesburg is doing exactly this, transforming an overlooked material into entire outfits in the most thought-provoking way. Meet Khumo Morojele, the artist on a mission to breathe new life into airbags.

Noticing that some of the most durable materials aren’t being repurposed, Morojele became inspired to breathe new life into airbags—one of the few life-saving materials around. Upcycling follows a similar thread; saving the Earth. Marrying the two concepts in his collection dubbed ‘Collision’, Morojele created garments that look like they could fly you into outer space, expanding the idea that there are endless possibilities for upcycling efforts.

Morojele shares that all the airbags were sourced from an automobile scrapyard in Booysens, Johannesburg under the idea ‘from wreck to rise’.

In his words:

“These garments serve as a testimony of new life and protection.”

Morojele is part of a young movement of sustainable fashion designers in South Africa. Inspired by his mother who introduced him to thrifting and ran her own boutique in Joburg CBD, he continues to pay homage to her lessons throughout his work.

“It always starts from the love of thrifting and that trickles down into me making an up-cycled piece or sharing different pieces with my friends—just that whole foundation and circulation of clothing—around friends, family and design, is what I love most about my relationship with fashion.”

What is Upcycling and Why is it Helpful to the Planet?

Upcycling differs from recycling because instead of using an item for its original purpose again—an important practice doable for many everyday items like plastic bags and cutlery—it inspires creativity to give materials that aren’t always reusable, a new chapter.

Morojele falls part of a long list of South African creatives turning waste into wonder through upcycling and repurposing discarded items; an umbrella idea that’s made sanitary pads from masks, bricks from used clothing and opportunities from up-skilling initiatives.

Sources: Khumo Morojele

Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google. 

Have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

The post Joburg Artist Breathes New Life into Airbags—Thought-Provoking Fashion appeared first on Good Things Guy.

Former UCT students created a nifty and lifesaving DIY foam fire extinguisher eight years ago. Today, it’s one of the internet’s favourite DIY hacks, making fire safety more affordable and accessible!

Global (14 June, 2023) — Two former University of Cape Town students and their life-saving creation, have won a popularity contest they didn’t even know they’d entered. Once the internet caught wind of their DIY foam fire extinguisher, it was only a matter of time before it snowballed into one of the most popular life hacks.

Eight years ago, the UCT alumni collaborated to work on an existing concept; creating a simple fire extinguisher as part of their final year of chemical engineering. The developed idea needed to be both cost-effective and accessible, created specifically with communities who live in informal settlements in mind. For these communities (both then and even more so now) fire is a constant threat due to popular paraffin usage. The wrong spark can easily leave an entire tightly woven community destitute, which made the project even more of the essence.

Desania Govender and Yandisa Sojola teamed up for the task.

The design expansion saw a product that was simple, easy to create and low maintenance. Their DIY extinguisher required only waste and household products to operate, like a two-litre cool drink bottle, water, vinegar, dishwashing liquid and bicarbonate of soda, as UCT explains.

“What drew us to the project is that it would impact the community,” Govendar shared.

The students would go on to graduate, spread their wings and enter the workforce, not knowing that their 2015 creation would earn more than good grades—reaching and helping more lives than they could’ve imagined.

From 2022, the project soared onto international radars, not least because of loadshedding’s rise and the fire hazards related to it. This year, it climbed the helpful tips ladder, becoming the most popular DIY hack on platform dooiy.

Because the engineering duo had created a pamphlet accessible through technology, the dooiy founders were able to source the info and share it with people around the world.

The site’s founder, Marlene Lerch is also the founder of a non-profit ‘Hack Your Shack’.

Beyond sharing the life-saving hack, Lerch also took the concept to leaders to help fire-impacted people in South Africa. 120 fire extinguishers were made in a single afternoon, and since then, Hack Your Shack has gone on to run fire extinguisher workshops all over the Western Cape, even launching DIY fire extinguisher workshops.
One day’s project is another day’s impact!

See the hack here.

Sources: UCT

Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google. 

Have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:

Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

The post Former UCT Students’ Creation Deemed Best DIY Hack appeared first on Good Things Guy.