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Cape Town Centre of Green Learning (CGL)

Presented by David Lipschitz

Free Life On Earth (FLOE)

8th September 2009

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How did we get to the (CGL) idea?

• There is extensive information about “green” or renewable or sustainable technologies & ideas:– Magazines, Newspapers, Brochures– Internet; Radio, TV– Presentations– Wholistic Markets, Festivals and Farms

• But– No central place in the City to see how one can become

“green”– No where to easily turn this information into knowledge– No where to show how to turn from “light green”

(greenwashing) to “dark green” (actually doing something)

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There is no demand

• This represents a key challenge• Whoever creates the demand will be seen as

the champion of going green, ie using renewable technologies and creating energy

• By no demand, we mean, little or no mainstream public demand for renewable products, and little or no commitment/support by government and big business to create this demand

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Why is there “no demand”

• The man in the street wants:– Government to lead– Big business to lead– The rich to lead– To see that it is something that one aspires to,

rather than expensive cars or fancy yachts– To see conspicuous consumption go down– A paradigm shift in thinking; something that a big

corporate can help the man in the street achieve

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If

• Wealthy people had:– Water heaters on their roofs– Electric cars– Made their own electricity– Has food gardens in their properties

• Then– The rest of society would aspire to

have these things

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Paradigm Shift

• Successful people in cities live off grids– Energy: Electricity, Heating, Cooling– Energy: Cooking– Water, Food, Transport– Waste, Recycling

• Rather than:– Successful people drive expensive cars

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Why is the CGL needed?

• To show the man in the street– what's available– that it's possible to reduce complexity and

costs

• To create demand for sustainability and green products

• Visual Learning (services)

• A place to get started with a kit for as little as R50 (products)

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What is the man in the street scared of?

• Increasing costs

• Increasing complexity

• Lack of resources and knowledge

• Making mistakes

• Thinking that it’s “in the realm of engineers”

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So what do we need to show?• House or community scale:

– Food production (using permaculture principles): Including: vegetables, sprouts, fruit, chickens, greenhouses, tunnels (complete life cycle; no waste)

– Reusing, reducing, recycling and regeneration tips– Solar cooking– Solar heating and cooling– Solar water heating– Renewable & sustainable electricity generation– Efficiency savings & conservation tips– Biodigestors, Worm Farms, Composters– Sustainable and eco-friendly building methods– Sustainable fish farming

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What does this do?• Creates jobs & reduces unemployment!• Gives people something to live for and

reduces crime• Gives our retailers a source of organic,

cheaper and locally grown produce• Makes people and the planet healthy• Creates energy. At the moment mankind

simply uses energy and hopes that he will never run out of scarce resources

• Reduces our collective carbon footprint

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Who will come to the party?• Suppliers (tenants)

– Restauranteur - “green” (organic and local) food production

– NGO’s, eg Institute for Zero Waste in Africa– Business: Electricity, Solar Geysers, Infrastructure,

Car Manufacturers– Government: Eskom, Education, Social

Development; Infrastructure

• Customers– People who wish to buy organic produce & other

“green” products– Anyone who wants to reduce their costs– Anyone who wants to “go green”– Schools; Universities; Adult Education (green

academies)

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Suppliers: why will they be involved?

• To showcase their products

• The place to be!

• A green community and showcase

• Putting their money where their mouth is

• They will need to find low cost ways of getting customers started

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So where is it?• Milnerton

– In the Centre of Cape Town!– Next to three centres of learning

• A high school• A playhouse• A library

– On a new Rapid Transport Route– Views of the mountain and close to the City centre– Site cannot be used for anything else as under the

50 year flood line– Municipal building next door might become a

training centre one day

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Milnerton'sLocation in

Cape Town

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The Milnerton Site - Detail

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View towards mountain

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View towards library

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View towards Playhouse

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Show the Diagrams

• Concept• Detail• Phase 1

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Concept Diagram

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Berm Design

• Keeps water out

• Keeps energy in; creates energy

• Is an energy magnet

• Is a unique draw-card, attracting people

• Can be used in low lying areas

• Will show a model for sustainable development

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Site Flooded

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Full CGL Ground Floor

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Full CGL First Floor

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Phase 1: Permaculture Centre

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Keyhole Gardening

Biodigester Opportunity

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More than one?• We have identified other sites for more

Centres of Green Learning in Cape Town• Why might we need more than one?

– Sustainability calls for local food & other production, lowering transport costs and getting each community involved

– Growing the knowledge calls for people to be involved regularly and to visit regularly

– These “permaculture” centres could grow food on behalf of local people

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Next steps• Find a sponsor who can help us make this

happen in months (using funding and altruism) rather than years (using altruism only); e.g.: Greenhouse Project in Joburg

• Conception; 1993; opened 2003

• Feasibility Study• Kobus Coetzer & Tygerberg Municipality

– KC submission to all depts for comments

• Select operating & legal structure• Milnerton Playhouse• Neighbours• Council / Government

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The Sponsor• We would like the sponsor to become an

anchor tenant or possibly for the site to be named after the sponsor or for the sponsor to provide administrative support

• We would like the sponsor to help get the project off the ground; to be able to tell people that the sponsor is involved

• We would like the sponsor to be an institution committed to the protection of the planet and our collective future

• The sponsor will give credibility to the project

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Funding ideas

• The CGL is built using donations• The CGL runs sustainably from:

– Ticket sales– Presentations / Conferences / Training– Rentals (monthly and percentages)– Sales of kits– Being a centre of learning that attracts large scale

project incentives, e.g. for building solar ovens or solar water heaters

– Tenants buy into the project before it is built

David’s Roof

David’s Turbine

David’s Garage

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Participants/Contributers so far

• Architects: Francois Fehrsen, Graeme Sher

• Architectual Draftsperson: Marc Turok• Civil Engineer: Stephen Wigley• Other people who have contributed time

and advice

• Total time: approximately 8 person months

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Other ideas

• Is the time right?– There is demand for locally grown organic

produce

• FIFA and The World Cup– Sustainability– Local Organising Committee (LOC)– Leaving something behind– Reducing their carbon footprint

Thank you

David: david@mypowerstation.biz021 551 9935074 119 3246

This presentation was created

using renewable energy