Reducing your carbon footprint

Control your weeds:

Following these suggestions will help you control weeds in your garden. You will have fewer and fewer weeds each year that you follow these tips:

1. Get rid of weeds BEFORE they go to seed
2. Hand pull grassy weeds while they are still small, before the root system is too well established.
3. Pour boiling water, or straight white vinegar, will kill many weeds
4. To kill weeds in your driveway or pavement, boil half a gallon of water and add a quarter cup of salt and half a cup plus 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Pour onto the weeds while the water is still hot (remember that boiling so much water uses a lot of energy).
5. Once weeds have been removed, they can be composted. Most can be put straight onto your pile.

Electric lawnmower:

Many petrol / diesel / gas mowers are full of greenhouse gases.

A number of older or poorly running mowers create more pollution that many cars. Rather use rechargeable electric mowers which give you almost an hour of mowing time per charge. There are a large number of ‘greener’ options available now.

Starting a Compost Pile:

You can reduce the amount of wate you are responsible for, help wildlife, add fertility to soil, increase plant health and crop yield. Composting is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint.

Home composting is simple. Throw your kitchen and garden waste in a pile and allow it to rot down with no management, but to keep it tidy, use a wooden or plastic bin, or put up two sides to the heap. A successful compost has moisture but isn’t waterlogged. It has air but it isn’t drying out.

Mix or turn your compost pile to help break up compacted layers and adding air.

Noordhoek Taxi service

I call Noordhoek "Cape Town's backwater" and "the lentil curtain" for a number of reasons. There's lots to do here, like watch the waves/horses/birds, look at beautiful scenery, find a time and place that suits you, but getting there can sometimes be a long schlep if you don't have transport.

Recently I found a Noordhoek taxi service that delivers!

24hrs, 7 days a week.

I use taxis in the city centre all the time, but now I have the service in my neighbourhood too, and they've made my day, month and year! Thank you.

Call Noordhoek Taxis on 071 234 7021 for a reliable service.

Or email them: info@noordhoektaxis.co.za

Buy vodacom airtime or data online

I don't know how long this site has been around but if you're a Vodacom subscriber like me, and you're regularly  making trips to a vodacom store to get data or airtime - try them (you'll need internet banking too):

www.vtime.co.za

I've used them twice now with no glitches.

International Nelson Mandela Day – 18 July 2011

Nelson Mandela, humanitarian hero, beloved grandfather of the Rainbow Nation and its children, is turning 93 on 18 July 2011.

In the spirit of Nelson Mandela, everyone in South Africa and the world is asked to set aside 67 minutes on 18 July – Nelson Mandela’s birthday – to making their community a better place. For the first time, in 2011, an entire week is being set aside to create ‘Mandela Moments’. What will you be doing?

South Africa’s Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile has announced that from 11 to 18 July, everyone in South Africa, from parliamentarian to private citizen, is being called upon to uphold Madiba’s principles and volunteer 67 minutes to projects that will help uplift the lives of others.

Even before the week has started, the first reports of people’s projects started to appear in the news. In Soweto, a young boy chose to share his birthday with local children from a nearby orphanage.

The 67 minutes represent the number of years Nelson Mandela selflessly gave in service to his country.

Any group planning a Nelson Mandela Day activity is welcome to post it on the website www.forgood.co.za

People are being encouraged to donate time, money or resources to deserving causes.

Don’t know what to do? Here are a few things to choose from that will make your 67 minutes count:

• Go shopping for children’s toys, games, books, clothing, or go through your cupboards at home. Put one or two bags together and drop it off at a Children’s Home.
• Volunteer to serve food to homeless children. Alternatively, assist with starting a school vegetable garden at a needy school.
• Donate books to libraries
• Mentor young people
• Clean and green public spaces
• Assist work-seekers with job interview skills
• Clean a wall of graffiti
• Take a meal to a security guard
• Take flowers to a nurse
• Take home-baked goodies to a police station
• Write an encouraging letter to someone who does a lot for a little recognition
• Play an instrument or sing at an old age home
• Donate blood
• Signup at www.cheesekids.org.za or donate R 5 to their cause by sms’ing cheesekids to 37585
• Made a donation to the Nelson Mandela Foundation (www.nelsonmandela.org.za)
• Volunteer at a children’s charity and paint a wall to brighten up their day.

Make every day a Mandela Day.

Tell us what you’re going to be doing in your 67 minutes by leaving a comment on the blog.

Eco-Boutique Hotel in Chic Suburb of Melrose, Johannesburg

The 16 rooms are spread over the hotel's one acre garden and blend chic design with the latest technology.

The hotel features a bistro, champagne bar and boardroom. Described as 'contemporary, edgy and Afrocentric' by Conde Nast Traveller and nominated as South Africa's leading boutique hotel for the last two consecutive years, this is the ideal hangout for trendy travellers in the hunt for something out of the ordinary.

The hotel has a sustainability policy that includes eco-friendly solutions like solar water heating and grey water recycling, attracting business and leisure guests alike.

The centres of Sandton, Rosebank and Melrose Arch are all within ten minutes of the hotel.

Accommodation:

Offering sixteen bedrooms and suites located in the main house and gardens.

Garden Rooms:

These rooms overlook the lush landscaped gardens. They are designed for living and working with separate business and relaxation areas and a private patio or balcony. Indigenous African furnishings, crisp white sheets and Nguni skins give the rooms a natural feel.

House rooms:

Originally bedrooms in the old residence of the property, these rooms retain their Oregon wooden flooring. Designed to be spacious and fully modernised, they have living and working spaces. They can be adjoined across a landing for families or private groups..

Garden Suites:

The largest rooms at over 60 m2. They feature over-sized bathrooms and an open-plan bedroom & living space. Designed to allow simultaneous sharing of a work and relaxation space, the rooms have an espresso machine, and a hanging pod chair with views over their private patio or garden. Solar geysers and grey water recycling ensures the rooms are a key part of the hotel's sustainable strategy.

Each room features:

32" LCD TV

Free Wi-Fi

iPod SoundDock

'Raindance' Showers

Molten Brown products

Individual AC

King or twin beds

Work area

Laptop safe

Bistro & Champagne Bar:

The bistro is headed up by Greg Jardim, the head chef, and Robert Chifunyise (wine buyer). Recently renovated to have sandstone floors, deep leather couches and a walk-in wine cellar, the bistro is now becoming known for its regular wine evenings.

The Bistro's aim is to use locally-sourced suppliers and ingredients that are as organic as possible. Herbs come from the kitchen garden, the coffee is fair trade & 100% organic; lamb & beef is from 100% pasture-fed meat.

The Bistro is open Monday to Sunday for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is open to the outside public.

On Sundays, the Bistro offers a breakfast and brunch with unlimited cap classique (South African sparkling wine), included for overnight guests. Outside guests are welcome to partake in this offer at R 150 per person.

Meetings and Events:

There are four rooms available which offer ideal venues for hosting meetings, events or private dinners.

The boardroom can seat up to 25 delegates and has a projector, screen, AV equipment and DVD. It can also be converted into a private dining room for lunches or dinners.

The library is ideal for small, discreet meetings seating up to five.

The wine cellar offers an intimate space for private dinners.

The bistro is also available (at certain times of the day) for private functions. It can seat up to 45.

Outdoors and Exploring:

The hotel has a swimming pool in the one acre garden and loungers and hanging chairs for relaxing. Tours can be arranged to Johannesburg's attractions: Township tours of Soweto and visits to the Apartheid Museum (http://www.apartheidmuseum.org/) & Constitution Hill (http://www.constitutionhill.org.za/)

Features:

16 Rooms and Suites

In-House bistro

Swimming pool and gardens

Boardroom and conferencing facilities

Library

Complimentary Wi-Fi

Gym (private access to adjacent Planet Fitness Gym)

Back-up generator and water system

Eco-friendly water, energy and design solutions


For enquiries and up-to-date rates, please contact info@theholidayzebra.co.za or call +27 722 88 3366.

Celebrate Father’s Day At Thanda Private Game Reserve: Exceptional Rate

Stay at the World’s Leading Luxury Lodge and enjoy some quality family time or a romantic break for two in the heart of the untamed African bush.

R 4450 per luxury villa per night until 30 June 2011.

Dad stays in a bush villa with Mom on a romantic weekend or with the whole family, up to two children under 15-years sharing.

The rate includes all meals and two game drives per day in the 14000-hectare reserve.

Children are invited to join the exciting Bucks and Bugs Club and Junior Ranger Programme while staying at Thanda.

The lodge is located in Hluhluwe, Kwa-Zulu Natal.

To make a booking please contact The Holiday Zebra reservations on 072 288 3366 or info@theholidayzebra.co.za

A minimum of two nights stay is applicable and is subject to availability.

This offer is valid until 30 June 2011.

Two children under 15 years can stay in the villa sharing with their parents.

The upside of travelling to Thanda in the low season:

Thanda has a tropical climate so the winter months are still warmer in KZN than many other parts of South Africa. Lower weather temperatures, conducive to more active game activity to sightings. Animals in the southern hemisphere do not hibernate during winter, but are more active owing to lower daytime temperatures. KZN has summer rainfall, so less likelihood of rain interventions during game activities. Less rainfall means less vegetation growth, so animals are easier to spot on drives. Romantic turndowns in front of the villa fireplace or toasting marshmallows on the boma fire.

A Safari Lodge That Pulses to the Rhythm of Africa's Heartbeat

Offering unparalleled luxury, situated in Sabi Sand, a recognised hotspot of biodiversity within the greater Kruger National Park, the Reserve is blessed with an astonishing variety of habitat and wildlife.

Guests have an excellent chance of close encounters with the Big 5 - lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino - as well as cheetah, wild dog and all species indigenous to the area.

Here one will experience Africa's ever-changing landscapes and rhythms; from the clear light of dawn and the pastel haze of late afternoon, to the fiery sunsets and sudden onset of night. Against this backdrop, the abundant animals and extraordinary variety of birds exist in their unfenced natural environment, as they have done for centuries.

Exciting morning and evening open Land Rover safaris, as well as environmental awareness walking safaris, are led by experienced rangers and trackers.

Deep in the bushveld overlooking a waterhole and an open plain. The lodge is vibrant and hospitable and steeped in tradition. With a history spanning over 30 years, the lodge has earned a reputation of warmth, service excellence and personalised attention.

A rebuild and revamp has seen its conventional safari style made new and exciting with a vibrant and eclectic mix of furnishings and decor garnered from all corners of the African continent.

To maintain privacy and intimacy, the lodge accommodates only 25 couples in total, with 13 individual suites on one side of the central relaxation areas and 12 on the other. Each stunningly remodelled air-conditioned suite features sumptuous linens an fabrics, beautiful leather and wood furnishings, and an en-suite glass fronted bathroom with indoor and al-fresco shower leading onto a private patio.

The Presidential Suite with its plunge pool and ultra-luxurious interior comes complete with a private safari vehicle.

The Lodge has been sensitively designed to allow ample space to relax, unwind and savour the tranquility of the bush. The two swimming pools and enormous covered viewing decks overhanging the Msuthlu River are an invitation to cool off in the filtered water or sit in comfort while spotting game at the well-utilised pan. An exquisitely furnished lounge, atrium and intimate bar area are perfect meeting places for friends old and new. As an extra indulgence, the new spa at the Lodge offers the ultimate African Spa experience.

A wonderful new addition to the Lodge experience is the recently completed EleFun Centre, a fully-fledged children's facility. Interesting environmentally themed activities, including hands-on 'edutainment' for several distinct age groups, are designed and supervised by qualified childcare professionals. The beautifully planned centre has been strategically placed within the lodge environs, minimizing any disturbance to the adult guests. Parents can relax and enjoy some private time, knowing that their children are safe and happy, revelling in their own, age-appropriate, fun-filled bushveld experience.

The lodge is situated within the Sabi Sands Reserve, a recognised 'hot spot' of biodiversity which makes for an astonishing variety of wildlife - including over 200 mammals and 300 bird species.

Morning and evening safaris are enjoyed in open Land Rovers with close encounters with the Big 5 being a regular occurrence. Environmental awareness walking safaris add an extra dimension to the bush experience, allowing a close-up look at the fascinating smaller creatures of the bushveld.

While maintaining a deep respect and bond with the wilderness, the award-winning Lodge has rightfully taken its place as one of the world's premier safari destinations.

Rates from R 4950 to R 8100 per person per night.

Rates include open Land Rover safaris by day and at night to see Africa's big game accompanied by qualified rangers and Shangaan trackers, environmental awareness walking safaris, breakfast, lunch and "boma" dinner, selected beverages and South African house wines. A fine selection of sundowner drinks during your evening safari as well as return transfers from the Reserve's airstrip are complimentary.

For further enquiries, contact info@theholidayzebra.co.za or call +27 722 88 3366