Environmental heroes honoured

The Rhodes University Environmental Committee hosts an annual award to appreciate, celebrate and honour excellence and innovation in environmental sustainability. This year’s recipients maintain a proud tradition of passionate environmentalists who actively live the changes so necessary for the continued existence of the human race, and the ecosystem as we know it.

The award was handed over by Rhodes Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Dr Sizwe Mabizela who warmly thanked the deserving awardees for their forward-thinking contributions. The committee considers nominees who initiate and promote energy-efficient, environmentally conscious practices on campus and advance and proactively engage with Rhodes’ environmental policy.

Sustained long-term projects and endeavours which unite the university, the municipality as well as the people of Grahamstown are regarded with particular favour.

Mr Mike Powell, who holds a Master of Science degree from Rhodes is 2010’s winner in the individual category. His tireless efforts towards sustainability have been both passionate and prodigious.

Mr Powell is a learned authority on spekboom and an active figure in ecological restoration in both The Eastern and Western Cape. His unrivalled commitment to land restoration certifies his aptitude for his position at the helm of the Rhodes Restoration Research Group. In this capacity, Mr Powell and his team have authored peer-reviewed articles and developed Best Management Guidelines with regard to invasive species.

He also serves as Regional Ecologist for the Eastern Cape Restoration Programme and Ecological Advisor to the Living Lands Group. Remarkably, he uses these associations to fund not only his own research but also that of his student colleagues.

As a mentor to Honours and Masters Environmental students at Rhodes he focuses on restoration and implementation skills. In conjunction with the Nollen group and various international investors, he guided the establishment of South Africa’s first Carbon offset farm.

The South East African Climate Consortium Student Forum was elected victors in the group category. The group materialised in response to the crucial issues of climate change and sustainability, and is supported by the Wilderness Foundation, the Sustainable Seas Trust, as well as numerous Eastern Cape academics.

The movement has gained impetus and has used its high exposure on campus to mobilise a student campaign which seeks to ensure the current and future well-being of humanity and the earth. In partnership with the Environmental Learning and Research Centre they have also aided a rural community to adapt to climate change. 

Alex Lenferna who accepted the award on behalf of the SEACC SF, said that the Forum has, in the year since its inception, hosted eye-opening climate-change seminars, organised awareness-boosting public demonstrations and created an online platform devoted to the sharing of knowledge and ideas relevant to sustainability and ecological integrity.

The SEACC SF interacts and collaborates widely, exchanging theories and innovations with other like-minded bodies. This kind of networking is essential if we wish to marshal a widespread shift towards sustainable practices. Incredibly the SEACC SF relies entirely on student funding, but has managed to establish a significant presence in the arena of environmental innovation at Rhodes.

For further information on the Environmental Awards, please visit: http://www.ru.ac.za/environment/committee/environmentalawards

Pic: l-r: Rhodes University Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Dr Sizwe Mabizela and Mr Mike Powell.