Goodleaf Wellness has upped the ante once again with the launch of their anti-stress skincare range, a fully certified, locally formulated collection dedicated to treating stressed out skin. Goodleaf is in the business of calm and as such has a deep understanding of the impact of stress and anxiety – not only on our minds, but also on our bodies. Being the largest organ, skin is one part of the body that is quick to show the negative effects of stress. It’s not a new theory but, according to research, the link between stress and compromised skin is stronger than we may have thought. Harvard Health Publishing recently wrote about how environmental and psychological stress can exert negative effects on overall skin wellness, while the topic is gaining a lot of interest with high profile consumer publications including the likes of The New York Times and Vogue. High levels of stress cause the body to release cortisol, often called the “stress hormone”, to help regulate the body’s processes. We are all familiar with those dreaded breakouts when under strain or feeling low, but there’s actually more to it. Sustained high levels of stress lead to an overproduction of cortisol which disrupts the hormone balance and can cause inflammation, compromising the skin’s natural barrier, resulting in common reactions like dry, itchy, or sensitive skin to more serious conditions like eczema, dermatitis, or psoriasis. “We’ve been conditioned to understand the impact of stress on many parts of our life except on our skin. Previously, we also haven’t had formulas available that address this challenge. This range is our solution which we feel fills a much-needed gap in the skincare market,” says Cathy Wynn, Marketing Head at Goodleaf. “We studied the connection between cortisol levels and what it does to our skin and designed Goodleaf Anti-stress Skincare to specifically target this problem.” With a keen focus on clean beauty – Goodleaf only includes stuff that’s good for …
A Message from our Children: Return the favour. Recycle Your Plastics
We all know that recycling is the right thing to do, but many of us still brush this responsibility aside, and when we are told again and again to recycle, the message loses its impact. Perhaps public recycling awareness campaigns need different leaders nowadays? Ones that will persistently and passionately drive a message into the public domain, that will land with people and spark a change in behaviour towards plastic recycling. Who are these leaders? “Our children, the bossy little humans in our lives, are the ones we should be listening to. By recycling at home, we are collectively taking action to protect the environment for their future generations,” says Patricia Pillay, Chief Executive Officer at Polyco. “We learn so much from our children. From changing our social media passwords to connecting our phones to a Bluetooth device, they seem to have a solution for everything. It’s time for us to return the favour and recycle our plastic!” Through their Million Plus campaign, Polyco work with many schools across South Africa with the goal of getting one million South Africans committed to recycling their plastic waste. Among school children, the message around recycling is very quickly integrated into their daily routines. Often children become recycling ambassadors who will actively take a message and aim to instil this habit at home with the rest of the family. It is now up to us to listen to them. “We are so used to receiving the same old recycling messages; keep plastic out of the environment, separate your waste types, clean recyclables and ensure that bins are placed outside in time for collection. While this may be just enough for some of us to change our recycling habits at home, others still seem to brush it off,” says Pillay. Following National Recycling Day on Friday, 16 September, Polyco wanted to share this message on behalf of the younger generation - who want to show us that recycling is actually a very simple thing to do. “Just rinse …
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Sustainable, attainable energy is just a subscription away
South Africa is not alone when it comes to energy supply woes. In Europe and the UK, energy prices are soaring while in the United States as many as one in six households cannot afford their electricity bills. Globally, we are on the cusp of a profound energy revolution in which renewables are taking the lead. In the world of clean and sustainable energy, solar power is often touted as the future. This is particularly true in Africa where infrastructure and reliability are a challenge and sun exposure is plentiful. But there has always been a hitch: cost. Versofy Solar co-founder Ross Mains-Sheard believes this barrier to entry is now being turned on its head. Technological advances, coupled with the sort of innovative thinking that sets Versofy Solar apart from the market, are merging to make solar more affordable and accessible to both households and businesses. “We find ourselves in a perfect storm, with the cost of electricity from the national grid rising significantly each year while, on the other hand, the cost of solar is on a downward trend,” says Mains-Sheard. “We are very close to a scenario where renewables will not only be the best environmental option, but the more economical one as well.” How do you join the energy revolution? Gauteng and Cape Town-based Versofy Solar, a trailblazer in the South African solar industry, burst into the sector in 2021 with the aim of solving the pain points for potential solar customers to help drive a widespread uptake of clean solar energy. Mains-Sheard, a civil engineer with an entrepreneurial streak and a fascination with problem solving, explains: “Traditionally solar has been reserved for the fortunate few who could afford to pay the R150 000-plus price tag upfront and in cash. By offering flexible payment options we have opened up the market from the few to the many. We are quickly reaching the point where if someone can afford to pay their monthly electricity bill they can afford to pay their …
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Converting 8000kg of recycled plastic packaging into recycling bins for a countrywide schools recycling campaign
Million Plus, a consumer recycling campaign led by Polyco PRO NPC, is aiming to mobilise more than one million South Africans to commit to recycling their plastic packaging to keep it out of the environment and out of landfill, and instead put it back into the recycling value chain. Forging ahead towards this target, Polyco has rolled out a nation-wide school recycling initiative, delivering a total of 320 recycling bins to 80 schools across the country. For this Million Plus schools’ campaign, each school will receive two double recycling bins (four in total). One bin is for plastic recycling and the other bin is for other recyclables. To support the use of these bins at schools, Polyco are collaborating with the Pick n Pay School Club to distribute important educational material that will help teachers and learners understand how to recycle plastic packaging and the importance of keeping recyclables out of the environment and landfill. “To reinforce the message that used plastic packaging has value, all recycling bins distributed as part of this school’s campaign were made from recycled plastic,” says Patricia Pillay, Chief Executive Officer at Polyco. “A total of 8000kg of recycled plastic was used by MyWaste to make the 320 bins. All production offcuts were recycled back into planks and poles, having no waste come from the manufacturing process for these bins.” Bins are clearly labelled with signs indicating what recyclable material needs to go in each. The signs on the recycling bins were made using toothpaste tubes, 213 333 tubes in total. Toothpaste tubes are known to be difficult to recycle. “One of our project partners, Infinite Industries, has found innovative solutions to recycle and repurpose materials such as toothpaste tubes. With this initiative, we managed to divert all these tubes that might have otherwise landed up at landfill and put them towards a better purpose,” says Pillay. Using the 213 333 toothpaste tubes, a total of 640 …
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A first for Africa | Converting unrecyclable plastic into eco-concrete
The plastic recycling sector has come a long way in South Africa with improved technology, better implementation of waste regulations, greater consumer awareness and growth in the market for recycled material. Despite these developments, there have always been plastic material streams that are difficult to recycle and therefore end up in landfill or, unfortunately, in the environment. Seeking out a solution to repurpose unrecyclable and/or difficult to recycle plastic packaging, Polyco PRO NPC, a Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) in South Africa that represents and promotes the recycling of all plastic packaging, has provided a seven-million-rand, interest free loan to the Centre for Regenerative Design & Collaboration (CRDC) who will be using the funding to purchase machinery for their plant in Cape Town that converts unrecyclable and/or difficult to recycle plastic into eco-aggregate, that is then used in the building and construction sector. CRDC has designed an innovative solution that uses commonly mismanaged plastic waste and converts it to an eco-aggregate called RESIN8. Through various initiatives and collection schemes, CRDC accepts all plastics. The production of RESIN8 therefore contributes to increased recycling rates in South Africa and creates an output product that meets the acceptable building standards and is welcomed by the construction sector. “One of the greatest challenges of the plastics and recycling sector has been finding a solution to repurpose and to reintegrate difficult to recycle plastics into the economy,” says Patricia Pillay, Chief Executive Officer at Polyco. “Our focus is to make waste a valuable resource, keeping all plastics out of the environment through investing in recycling infrastructure. The CRDC’s RESIN8 solution will divert thousands of tonnes of plastic that would have gone to landfill, or have landed up in the environment, but will now instead supply the construction sector with a high-quality …
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Breathing life into his work
A new artist is producing bold, dynamic works of contrast and texture with his mouth AJ Burns painted prodigiously as a child but was “actively discouraged” by his teachers and family from taking art in high school. He swapped paint for a set square, ruler and pencil, focused on maths, and went on to study civil engineering at UCT. After years as a successful entrepreneur in the UK and SA, he founded a vodka distillery and then Covid prohibition hit. At a loose end, AJ attended an art class with an old friend and a good 35 years after he’d laid down his brushes, he found himself “playing with acrylics” in a neighbour’s garage. He was intrigued to see how the paint moved but there was no electricity in the garage. Without a hair dryer, heat gun or even a straw, he blew it with his mouth to see what would happen and loved the way one colour moved through another. A year on and AJ is still literally breathing his life into his large abstract works: he lays down one paint colour, drops a second on top of it and then blows the second colour through the first, creating vibrant movement. The effect is a burst of energy, colour and texture that evoke a range of emotions. “I love the unpredictability of it,” he enthuses. “The paint seems to come to life - it keeps moving even when I’ve finished. And the colours change during the drying process.” (This can take up to a week in winter as it’s often 3 or 4mm thick.) “It’s always exciting to go back the next day to see what’s happened to the painting.” The challenge lies in creating forms and keeping the paint and colours clean. “I also struggle not to overwork a piece and not to aim for perfection: the imperfections are the beauty. With my engineering mindset, that’s sometimes difficult for me,” he says. In mid-June 2021, AJ approached Red Gallery on Wale Street and asked if they’d represent him and sell some of his paintings. The gallery owner agreed on the proviso that if they didn’t sell within 30 days, …
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Building our future one school at a time
Creating real economic opportunity starts with science and maths at school “Science, technology and innovation are key drivers for the economic development of any continent,” noted Mohamed Belhocine, Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of the African Union in his opening address to Science and Innovation: Tackling the Unemployment Dilemma on Africa Day, 25 May 2022. He was discussing the importance of investing in human capital development to ensure that higher education and training institutions can produce the next cohort of African scientists and engineers. But in Africa, more specifically South Africa, the majority of our young learners are not encouraged, guided or set up to embrace these key subjects. Many schools lack the basic foundations to set up our future workforce with critical skills. These skills require a commitment in maths, science and computer literacy from our learners. “South Africans need to come together to build our future - and it starts with the schools,” says Co-Founder and Director of Turn Left Media John Bowles. “It can be done. It IS being done. We need to set up our kids with real knowledge that they can take into the future. There are many disadvantaged schools crammed with kids that need our help. It just takes a collaboration between business and the entities that know how to set them up, and of course the support from local government.” He points to the SAME Foundation, which focuses on improving maths, science and computer skills in disadvantaged communities by equipping high-tech classrooms as well as computer and science labs. Equipping the future at Fezeka High School One example of SAME’s high-impact approach is their programme at Fezeka High School in Gugulethu, Cape Town. It is a no-fee school, striving to offer quality teaching and learning to 1 363 pupils from grade 8 to 12. “SAME Foundation saw an opportunity to create a massive impact in the lives of these learners. With …
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10 Tips for Matrics from Maths Teachers
A message of support from The Answer Series teachers With matric “prelims” looming, and finals on the horizon, maths is one of the subjects causing matrics the most stress. During the revision cycle The Answer Series study guides offer phenomenal support, as educators and past matrics will attest. But how should learners be using the time remaining to prepare? The Answer Series has a very engaged WhatsApp network of approximately 250 maths educators. Members are from around the country and include teachers, lecturers, course developers and even maths-science students working as tutors. “They give each other such valuable support,” says CEO of The Answer Series, George Eadie. “I felt we should share some of their tips to assist, inspire and most importantly instil confidence in the nation’s matrics, at a time when they need it the most.” 10 tips to make your revision count 1. The final National Senior Certificate exam covers the work done through the whole FET phase; Grades 10, 11 and 12. Always go back to your textbooks from previous grades and master concepts such as Algebra, Exponents, Graphs, Equations and Inequalities, etc. 2. Find a study buddy and work together. 3. Buy a cheap A4 notebook you can use for maths revision notes. On the left-hand side of the first few pages, copy out the topics listed in the contents of your Grade 10-12 textbooks. Using 3 different highlighters, mark which topics you are “excellent”, “good” and “not good” at. a. To work out how important a section is, look at the number of marks allocated to the topic in past papers. Prioritise according to this. Algebra, for example, is a very important topic to be better at. b. Using a calendar, work back from the exam date and plan what sections you need to revise when, in order to cover all the work before trials. Allocate enough time to study and practise what you are not good at to improve and gain confidence in these areas but don’t neglect the sections that come …