110% Green
110% Green is an initiative of the Western Cape Government and is a call to action to all organisations, both public and private, to (1) commit to enabling a Green Economy in the Western Cape (and beyond), (2) collaborate on taking decisive action to drive the growth of a green economy and (3) ensure positive impact on society and the environment.
The aim of the 110% Green Website is to provide a platform that enables people and organisations to build an innovative and dynamic Green Economy in the province.
The Website fulfills a number of key functions:
- It provides a high level overview of the key Green Economy thematic areas under which the Western Cape Government is undertaking work, namely Water, Energy, Waste, Agriculture and Biodiversity.
- It provides a single platform that links through to multiple Green Economy Resources from government, the private sector, academia and civil society.
- It provides a place to find Events and Training opportunities in the Green Economy.
- It provides a place to find News on important developments taking place in the Green Economy.
The Western Cape Government's goal is to become the green economic hub of Africa and is currently the fastest growing green economy worldwide. Within the Western Cape, we have extraordinary natural assets, expertise, design capabilities and diverse economic activity that support a pioneering role for the province as South Africa steers towards a greener growth path. The goal comes from the need to respond to climate change, with increasing drought conditions in a region that is already water-stressed. The region is also expected to be impacted by an increase in severity and frequency of storm events, higher wind speeds and increased temperatures. The impact on the economy is predicted to be extensive across all sectors but by focussing on the green economy we can achieve the double dividend of optimising economic opportunities and enhancing our environmental performance.
The 110% Green website aims to address the above by contributing to the promotion and stimulation of a green economy within the Western Cape. The overall goal is to increase investment in green industries and improve the resource efficiency of businesses, in turn leading to increased competitiveness and sustainable employment creation and growth within the Western Cape.
Visit the 110% Green website for more information about the Green Economy and how to be part of it.
Driving the green economy in the Western Cape
The aim of the Western Cape Government is to position the Western Cape as the lowest carbon province in South Africa and the leading green economic hub of the African continent.
The Western Cape Government is committed to growing the Green Economy in the Western Cape.
The transversal nature of the green economy requires a lot of work to be done in many different parts of our economy and society, As a result green economy related work is being undertaken by a variety of government departments and institutions, with the work of a few Western Cape Government Departments outlined below:
1) Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) (through the Green Economy Chief Directorate) is the custodian of the 110% Green platform and responsible for the coordination of the Western Cape green economy strategy (including implementation thereof). DEDAT also has a specific focus on energy and on economic water resilience. The Green Economy Chief Directorate engages in initiatives that improve the resource resilience of the economy (i.e. by helping businesses to reduce and use energy and water resources more efficiently and to use alternative forms of energy and water sources).
As part of this work, DEDAT works to support and grow the energy and water sectors (those businesses that provide energy and water related services, technologies, products etc.), part of which involves driving resource resilience in municipalities and civil society. Through all this, DEDAT looks to reduce negative environmental and social impacts, reduce greenhouse gases that drive climate change and build resilience to climate change. Core to the work is improving business competitiveness and confidence so as to drive job creation and export opportunities. The Green Economy Chief Directorate works with WESGRO, GreenCape, the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) and numerous other organisations in undertaking its work .
2) The Western Cape Department of Agriculture is responsible for undertaking green economy initiatives in the agricultural sector. The agricultural sector is an important focus due to the significant greenhouse gas emissions created by the sector as well as the polluting impacts of pesticides, chemical and fertilisers, which have negative impacts on humans and natural ecosystems. The Department of Agriculture’s initiatives aimed at sustainable agriculture that minimizes impacts on natural resources and avoids or reduces pollution. The green economy initiatives are run primarily under the SmartAgri Plan and are showcased through its GreenAgri Platform.
3) The Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning is responsible for undertaking and coordinating the Western Cape’s Biodiversity, Climate Change, Waste, Sustainability and Coastal Management. The Department’s activities across these functional areas aim to reduce impacts of humans systems on the natural environment, including reducing climate change causing activities and adapting to the effects of climate change, managing and protecting biodiversity and coastal ecosystems, integrated waste management according to its regulatory mandate and framework and mainstreaming sustainability in the public sector, undertaking education and awareness activities on environmental and sustainability issues and more.
