Cape Town Virtual Energy Festival shows households how to use less, reduce costs and live sustainably .
Cape Town households are encouraged to take part in a range of virtual events over the coming weeks and months aimed at helping you save money and create more sustainable lifestyles. The events are part of the Cape Town Future Energy Festival, a virtual community festival that started 27 May 2020.
- Virtual puppet shows;
- Energy-wise cooking competition;
- Exhibitions by green makers of things and services that local communities can support and the sharing of ideas for a cleaner, greener home will be showcased on various online platforms.
For many households, energy is a significant expense. Now, as the COVID-19 crisis is impacting the household and the local and national economy, energy efficiency and cost cutting becomes even more important.
The impact of COVID-19 on many of Cape Town’s households on a health and socio-economic front has been material. Many inequalities and issues of household resilience have been highlighted anew. The virtual festival aims to keep the conversation going by looking at social and financial sustainability, climate change, energy efficiency, solar and wind power, water saving, waste reduction, smart transport, sustainable living and how to bring access to all.
‘We are entering the winter months when households traditionally use more electricity and household costs therefore increase. Importantly, many households continue to have more people in the house for more hours of the day as many people continue to work from home or are staying at home. It is likely that households are using more electricity than before the COVID-19 lockdown levels were put in place.
‘This virtual festival is thus an important intervention at this time to advocate for greater resource efficiency, renewable technology, innovation, social inclusivity and energy security. Importantly, it shows how households can make the switch to a more sustainable future. The month of May is a special time for the energy sector as we celebrate National Energy Month in South Africa. We are ready to tackle this challenge with our communities,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy and Climate Change, Councillor Phindile Maxiti.
2050 Climate Action Plan
The energy landscape is rapidly changing and as we continue to operate under the threat of load shedding, new technologies are being adopted and international pressure to reduce our carbon emissions is mounting. The City is committed to providing an energy service that is Clean, Accessible, Reliable, Equitable and Safe (CARES).
The City is developing its 2050 Climate Action Plan, which is part of its commitment to the global pact to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. This ambitious goal is only possible if every Capetonian understands the role they play and the positive choices they can make in their own homes.
‘For a city like Cape Town, being carbon neutral is synonymous with creating a cleaner, more equitable, resource efficient and resilient city. In the process, we learn to thrive on innovation to generate sustainable livelihoods while providing affordable and accessible services to our residents,’ said Councillor Maxiti.
The Cape Town Virtual Energy Festival will feature a range of sub-events
Green Maker Mania
Cape Town’s first ever Green Maker Mania celebrates and showcases our local maker culture.
It provides a perfect opportunity for makers to share their projects and also benefit from an initiative of the City of Cape Town to support makers. The Green Maker Mania is not a competition. Rather, it encourages all makers to share their interactive and innovative exhibitions related to sustainability and green technology.
The Festival organisers will select 20 projects which best compliment the Future Energy theme of the Festival and invite them to showcase their projects on the festival’s various platforms.
Watt’s in the Pot?
Those who are 18 years old and above are invited to share their energy efficient and delicious recipes. Celebrity judges will select the six best recipes and the finalists will be invited to cook their master pieces in a fully stocked industrial kitchen during a live online cook-off. Prizes are available for the finalists and the winners.
My Clean Green Home
Is an awareness drive and sharing platform featuring a range of energy saving tools and tips that can help residents make their homes more sustainable. Videos will be uploaded on various social media platforms for sharing and helping others to make their homes cleaner and greener.
‘I Live Smart’ puppet show
The “I Live Smart” event is a range of virtual educational puppet shows aimed at toddlers and young learners. It will consist of a series of short, pre-recorded lessons and puppet shows which will be uploaded on YouTube and accessible to all children. Each show is aligned to the school curriculum and focuses on resource efficiency education.
