The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
In this radio interview conducted by the Pinky Show, Jeffrey Smith of the Institute for Responsible Technology, contends that scientists give the false notion that genetic modification is just an extension of natural breathing and that it is safe. Genetic engineering causes unpredicted mutations in DNA causing collateral damage. it is a primitive science that is not precise and we are feeding the products of an infant and unpredictable science to millions of people. Do we really need to...
Glenn Ashton -
The Case to Include GM Labelling in the Consumer Protection Bill.
The Consumer Protection Bill, an act of Parliament devised to protect the rights of consumers, as its name suggests, has come before the National Council of Provinces, usually the final step before ratification. Interestingly the NCOP has asked for comment on the bill before it is ratified. One issue that has elicited much debate is the matter of foods derived from crops that have been genetically modified (GM).
Some of the...
While celebrity causes invite circumspection, this clip by Leonardo DiCaprio is worth noting for its warning about the struggle for water. Unregulated corporate privatisation threatens access to water for the poor. Access to clean water is a basic human right.
Glenn Ashton -
How to restore the soil - crop - animal - waste nutrient cycle (and save the world.)
The rather unsavoury issue of how we deal with the end products of our sewage has again reared its ugly head in Cape Town. The agricultural smallholding areas of Philadelphia, to the north of the city, are affected by a serious fly outbreak caused by the spreading of raw sewage sludge on nearby agricultural fields.
Sewage sludge is the semi-solid remnant that remains after the rest of the sewage has been...
In 1996 electric cars started appearing on roads in California (USA). These cars that were produced by General Motors (GM), required no petrol, were quiet, fast and produced no exhaust fumes. All too suddenly, the cars disappeared from the roads. Why did this happen? The documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?" provides an expose' of the collusion between oil companies and the motor manufacturing industry. It is alleged that these companies killed the electric car because they...
Glenn Ashton -
Although South Africa has adequate environmental legislation governing how we deal with our waste, cities and towns across the nation face a crisis. I recently visited the picturesque town of Swellendam and was brought face to face with the consequences of this mismanagement.
At mid morning on a glorious autumn day the entire town was smothered by a toxic swathe of smoke emanating from the town dump. The smell of burned plastic and all sorts of noxious by-products were not only visible but...
