“Although we are young we are incredibly ambitious and believe that our cause is loaded with potential,” says Alex Lenferna, chair of the South East African Climate Consortium Student Community (SEACCSC).
“Although we are young we are incredibly ambitious and believe that our cause is loaded with potential,” says Alex Lenferna, chair of the South East African Climate Consortium Student Community (SEACCSC).
The South East African Climate Consortium (SEACC) was launched in Grahamstown last week and the SEACCSC is a sub-organisation with a number of student communities associating themselves with the
SEACC aim of focusing on climate change.
SEACCSC is working towards a common goal with SEACC, “just on different levels,” says Lenferna. Apart from Rhodes, NMMU and Fort Hare have also joined in.
The hope is for this organisation to extend to universities across South East Africa to create a student network and community working together on climate change.
The involvement of students in SEACC comes as a direct response to the failure of the governmental talks in Copenhagen last year.
Last week SEACCSC met with concerned students, professors, Vice-Chancellor Saleem Badat, and a number of interested societies.
Presentations were made by Roar, the SRC environmental councillor, Galela Amanzi, SIFE and Haiko Energy.
SRC Environmental Councillor, David Knowles said that it is the responsibility of individuals who know about the impacts of climate change to raise awareness and inspire others to get involved.
Jai Clifford-Holmes of Galela Amanzi felt the difference between Grahamstown West’s supply of water, around the University, and the Grahamstown East supply around iRhini is the ability to deal with these water shortages.
Alizwa Mbete, President of SIFE, said it was vital for economics students to take a course on climate change to realise the severity of the issue and to become more environmentally- friendly.
Kathryn McConnachie, Vice-Chairperson of Roar, presented the impact meat production has on climate change.
It takes 13 million litres of water to produce the meat of one cow. South Africa eats 2.2 million cows annually which uses 28 trillion litres of water.
She pushed for the university to be more discerning in their meat suppliers, to decrease the number of meat options available, and perhaps have one vegetarian day a week.
Nicole Viljoen of Haiko Energy presented the latest technology in motor wind turbines. Ninety-seven percent of the earth has 20 hours of wind a day, whereas solar power only lasts for three to five hours a day if conditions are perfect.
Wind power presents a very viable new way forward and she urged Badat to consider it as a power supply for the university.
Lenferna said inaction among students was no longer an option. Two thirds of the planet’s resources have already been used up and are beyond repair, she said. SEACCSC feels that with their resources and knowledge students must take responsibility for humankind, animals and future generations.
Lenferna visited NMMU last week and spoke with two students, Lillah and Vandross Bukhala, who are interested in starting SEACCSC on their campus.
It will be the first environmental student society NMMU has ever had. The Rhodes’ SEACCSC has also met with a few Rhodes deans who are keen on setting up a pilot micro-wind turbine at Rhodes to try and make the university more green.
SEACCSC is a fairly new initiative, starting just over a month ago. Lenferna says they are “still trying to gain momentum by expanding the committee and getting projects off the ground”.
