The Department of Public Works on Tuesday said that it has completed the energy-efficiency retrofit of some 4 000 public buildings in South Africa, and was also taking seriously the challenge of water efficiency and recycling.

Addressing delegates at a green building convention in Sandton, Deputy Minister of Public Works, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, noted that the department needed assistance from green building professionals so that it could do more in this regard.

Integrating green building into the rehabilitation projects of public buildings, and facilities management thereof, was said to be a priority.

“We are in an era of renewal,” she said, referring to the new government administration, and added that this included the built environment, as the government sought to provide green and sustainable cities, human settlements and amenities.

She further noted that participating in green building, and making use of innovative green technologies would hopefully have the added benefit of creating so-called ‘green jobs’.

Over half of South Africans, if given a choice, would pick their fantasy car above a green environmentally friendly car, global market research firm Synovate says.

Synovate says a study showed that this is in comparison with 6 out of 10 people globally who would rather go green.

Synovate surveyed more than 13,500 people across 18 markets about ‘green’ versus ‘dream’ cars, vehicle ownership, intent to buy in the next year and attitudes towards cars, traffic, public transport and their need-for-speed.

South Africa-based Richard Rice, director of Global Motoresearch Sales & Marketing for Synovate, says that, in South Africa, the car is probably the closest product that comes to a visible expression of who a person is.

“Here a car is emotional. People love their cars… for the freedom, for the image they create, for what it says about their status. Consequently, that image is far more important than how environmentally friendly a car is.

Oudtshoorn — A new era of medicines tailored to suit the genetic profiles of specific populations could leave Africa behind, some of the continent's most respected geneticists are warning.

Developments in genetics will lead drug companies to design medicines that work best in populations with particular genetic profiles, says Charles Rotimi, a Nigerian and director of the US-based Center for Research on Genomics and Global Health.

But if Africa does not keep up with these developments its people will not receive drugs tailored for them, he says.

"We don't want a situation where, again, resources are in the hands of the privileged few. However, I do believe the world appreciates this must not be allowed to happen," Rotimi says.

Rotimi was speaking following the publication of a 10-year-long research study, to which he contributed, on the genetic diversity of African populations. The study, published in Science, compared genetic markers (sections of DNA that reveal the bearer's genetic heritage) between 121 African populations, four African-American populations and 60 non-African populations.

The result was the first large-scale genetic map of Africa, which revealed that it is the most genetically diverse continent - with 14 ancestral groups.

The researchers hope the work will kick-start research into genomics and biomedical research in Africa, says Sarah Tishkoff, of the US-based University of Pennsylvania. The data provide a base from which to discover the links between genes and susceptibility to disease in Africa as well as the genetic reasons for variability in responses to drugs.

Eskom halted its nuclear bidding programme for Nuclear -1 in December last year.  Now, due to amendments to the environmental legislation, which are in progress, Eskom has applied to Water and Environmental Affairs to “sequentially construct” three nuclear power plants.

They are asking to be allowed to combine authorisations to develop Nuclear-1, Nuclear-2 and Nuclear-3 power stations at all three coastal sites earmarked for the nuclear development programme.

The three sites are, the Koeberg site of Dynefontein 30 km north of Cape Town, Bantamsklip near Pearly Beach in the Overstrand, and Thyspunt near Oyster Bay, in the Eastern Cape.

Cape Town City and the Western Cape provincial government are leading the way with energy aware initiatives. The Cape Town CBD Energy Initiative aims to help business move away from current 'inefficiency' and help them reduce their energy bills and their vulnerability.

With a new wave of environmental projects underway the V&A Waterfront Property Company looks to use the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean to cool its buildings.