My Backyard: South Africa

Having traveled extensively, over the last decade, for work and for pleasure, I have come to appreciate my home country however, as the world faces many existential challenges, especially climate change, I don’t see much in the way of meaningful change at home, especially in consumer behavior, to support various local initiatives and projects that can help keep South Africa relevant on the continent and in the world.

That is not to say that there aren’t incredible things happening here. I argue, in some cases that we are leaps and bounds ahead of certain countries in various developments. But, unlike in the US (insert link, here, to first US post) where I observed a blatant disregard for the consequences of mass consumption and how that overshadows their own climate initiatives, I think, here, there is a lack of education and awareness around the subject of climate change, in general. Even if we are trying to live more consciously, we don’t know what exactly “good” looks like let alone what “bad” does and so the spectrum to make things worse is that much greater.

We will cover it all in an ongoing series, from simple bad habits we have picked up from Western consumers, to shifting energy consumption patterns in Sub-Saharan Africa. Follow us for little fun facts and consumer tips to drive a little more change in your local area.

Welcome to “My Backyard”