SEACCing a healthier climate

The South East African Climate Consortium Student Forum is building an electric bicycle to display at Scifest this year. Photo by Gabi Falanga

A new society on campus will be lobbying for climate change and have residences competing to cut down on electricity usage.
SEACC SF (South East African Climate Consortium Student Forum) held its first function of the year on Monday night. The society, which was launched a year ago, aims to bring other universities and NGO’s together to tackle issues of climate change and sustainability.
Dr Tony Ribbink, CEO of Sustainable Seas Trust (SST) and founder of SEACC SF, welcomed the small group of people to the presentation at Eden Grove Red lecture theatre and said: “It is this generation who need to make a huge difference and make the difference quickly. The world is in your hands, so use your hands well.”
The SEACC SF committee has big plans for this year. They are planning to attend The United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC)’s 17th Conference of Parties (COP 17) in Durban at the end of the year. As part of this they will be encouraging as many people as possible to sign a sea pledge, in order to help save the sea, one of the world’s lungs.
The society also has various other projects. Wild Reach aims to empower communities in the Eastern Cape by promoting conservation through knowledge. Students will accompany underprivileged school children to game farms to help create interest in the environment and to demonstrate the benefits of conservation.
As part of SEACC SF’s campus initiatives, they will be running an Eskom energy challenge between residences. The residence with the lowest energy consumption will win a prize. Recycling, water saving and food awareness are also on their to-do list, to name only a few.

Alex Lenferna, Chairperson of The South East African Climate Consortium Student Forum welcomes students to the society on Monday night. He encourages sustainability through knowledge.
Photo by Gabi Falanga

Dr Tony Ribbink speaks at a South East African Climate Consortium Student Forum function on Monday night. Ribbink urged students to tackle climate change and issues of sustainability.
Photo by Gabi Falanga

Published in Grocott's Mail on 18 March 2011