Green Sky Thinking: Investing in green growth •

by Colwyn Elder (@colwynelder) 110% Green is a Western Cape Government initiative that calls up organisations to commit to the Green Economy. Launched in 2012 as a priority platform, it has two rather grand ambitions: a) for the Western Cape to become the lowest carbon province in South Africa, and b) to be the leading green economic hub on the African continent.

Sounds like political rhetoric? Perhaps, but having spent half a day with the 110% Green team last year discussing flagship projects, the future brand direction for the platform and simply feeling the passion in the room, Cape Town may well become a sub-saharan San Francisco.

Unique hybrid

Sitting at the intersection where government meets private business, the 110% Green team is a unique hybrid, offering government support to make investing in green growth easier for organisations.

“It is a call for 110% commitment,” said Western Cape Premier, Helen Zille, “since that is what is needed to make the paradigm shift to connect environmental preservation with economic growth.”

When the platform first launched, 30 organisations made this commitment to establish themselves as the innovators and entrepreneurs of the Green Economy. Since then, more than 100 further companies, from start-ups to corporates, have signed up their commitment through the Commit, Act, Impact Campaign.

Highly innovative initiatives

In addition, 110% Green spearheads a number of highly innovative initiatives that not only promote Green Economic Activity in the province but also show how the Green Economy can work for lower socioeconomic groups.

The Better Living Challenge was a design competition calling for green and affordable products, systems and services, to improve the homes of people living in low-income communities. Groundbreaking products and innovations that were affordable, well-designed and green were brought to life through this competition, culminating in an exhibition of lifesize interactive displays, talks and debates at the V&A Waterfront in October/November 2014.
Genius of Place is a project based on the biomimicry principle of looking to nature to find innovative solutions to societal challenges, in this case, water scarcity. This project is in the process of developing new, more efficient and affordable technologies that address the challenge of grey water and solid waste in informal settlements.
The Food Forward project targets the issue of food security. It is designed to raise awareness around food wastage and reduce inefficiencies throughout the value chain, from production all the way through to consumption.
WISP (Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme) is a free facilitation service that helps companies gain value from underused resources. WISP links businesses with unused or residual resources (eg materials, energy, water, assets, logistics) with other companies that may be able to use them, and the resulting synergies have mutual economic, social and environmental benefits for all. A successful pilot year indicates that industrial symbiosis has great potential for businesses in the Western Cape.

“Communicating by doing” is a 110% Green mantra, but it cannot do it alone. By making a commitment, your organisation can join the effort for Africa’s Green Economic Hub and collectively create change for the better.