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21 February 2018 Photo pixabay
Water-wise expert says Is there a solution to pollution
Next time you want to throw something away, think twice. Look for ways to reuse, recycle, or repurpose.

Dr Cindé Greyling completed her PhD in Disaster Management with DiMTEC (Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa) at the University of the Free State (UFS). Built on prior studies and years of communication experience, she opted to study ways in which to communicate drought mitigation information. Part of the mitigation process included saving water and reducing pollution.

A practical approach
“Look, we are all here now. And we need to eat, live, work, survive, and ultimately thrive using our planet’s resources,” she says. “But I think we’ve become so fixated on thriving, that we don’t consider survival anymore. Of course, some people do! There are wonderful projects around the world aiming at more responsible consuming, ranging from pre-loved baby clothes, to water harvesting for individual dwellings and larger compounds.” However, she understands that people may get so overwhelmed by the vast pollution problem that they consider any of their own efforts as insignificant. “That is not true. Every single bit of plastic (or cloth, glass, iron, etc.) that is recycled or repurposed, and does not end up in a landfill, makes a difference.” And here is why…

The tip of the iceberg
“Whatever you are holding in your hand and aiming for the bin is much larger than what you see. Take a piece of paper, for example. A tree was planted – the process involved fossil fuels, water, fertiliser, time, wages, administration, etc. And many years of that! Once it was felled, the resource usages continued, and expanded to processing plants, wholesalers, retailers, and then you – who also used resources to acquire that piece of paper. Do you see how large the wastage is? The same is true for food waste … that rotten tomato you forgot in the fridge is a grave loss.”

“Whatever you are holding in your hand,
aiming for the bin, is much larger what
you see.”


Little by little  
Fortunately, all is not lost. “Respect stuff,” Dr Greyling says, “it is as simple as that. To survive, we must take from the resources that the Earth provides. Because we became clever, we were able to alter these elements to make, from high-rise buildings to tiny technology. But we simply cannot keep on taking and taking without giving back Start with giving respect. Next time you want to throw something away, think twice. Look for ways to reuse, recycle, or repurpose. Consider that the denim you are wearing possibly used up to 10 000 litres of water to produce.”  

LISTEN: Dr Greyling elaborates on solutions for pollution

 

News Archive

Splendid Summer Graduation concludes 2014 ceremonies
2014-12-11

  • Photo Gallery Afternoon session;  Morning session
  • YouTube

On Thursday 11 December 2014, the university awarded a total of 392 qualifications during our Summer Graduation Ceremony in the Callie Human Centre on the Bloemfontein Campus. Of these, 225 were awarded to graduates from the Faculty of Health Sciences, while 134 master’s degrees and 33 PhDs were awarded in the other six faculties. Another 74 diplomas and 56 certificates were also awarded in the School for Open Learning.

Well-known radio personality, Redi Thlabi, and acclaimed cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Susan Vosloo, encouraged and inspired the graduates during the two ceremonies on the day.

During the morning session, Thlabi imparted some of the valuable lessons she learned in her personal life as well as in her career. She encouraged graduates to change the script of our country for future generations, to be mindful of others and to find meaning in whatever you do.

“Those who have a platform, a voice and an education have the power to help others further on their journey,” Thlabi said. “I believe we are living in an exciting time – a time to leave a legacy behind, a time to make a mark in this world.”

Graduates from the Faculty of Health Sciences and the School for Open Learning were addressed by Dr Vosloo during the second ceremony.

Dr Vosloo often referred to the success of transformation at our university and added that few successes are achieved without adversity. She encouraged the afternoon’s graduates to become professionals with a high sense of dignity, accountability and transparency in their workplace.

“Remember that you and you alone are able to decide what your approach will be in anything in life from here on forward,” she said.

Dr Vosloo, a Kovsie alumnus, graduated in 1980. Shortly after this, she became the first female heart surgeon in South Africa. She is currently in independent private practice at Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital, having also worked from 1998 untill 2012 at the Vincent Pallotti Hospital in Cape Town.

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