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Greenpop launches exciting initiative – Trees for Travel
Greenpop launched its new Trees for Travel initiative with a green event at the Vineyard Hotel on Thursday evening, October 17th. The event was attended by close to one hundred representatives from companies in the travel industry in Cape Town.
Lauren O’Donnell, Greenpop’s co-founder and Managing Director, presented Trees for Travel during a fun and visual presentation. She also introduced three speakers; Chris van Zeyl, Group Environmental Manager and Horticulturist at the Vineyard Hotel, Eddie Redelinghuys, Director at Reliance Compost, and Heidi van der Watt, Director and Global Sustainable Tourism Council, Managing Director at EDGE Tourism Solutions, and Director and the International Centre for Responsible Tourism. Chris van Zeyl explained the Vineyard Hotel’s pioneering green initiatives; Eddie Redelinghuys spoke about carbon neutrality and how Reliance uses a percentage of their carbon credit income to support other greening projects like Greenpop.
The evening’s main speaker, Heidi van der Watt, presented trends in eco-tourism and spoke about the market’s growing demand for sustainable travel options. “Research amongst some of South Africa’s overseas tourism markets show that most tourists are willing to change their behavior on holiday to help the environment, but they also want hotels and holiday companies to be more environmentally responsible,” explains Heidi. “With Trees for Travel guests can give the beautiful planet they love to explore a bit of breathing space – one tree at a time.”
The event was hosted by green events company My Green Love Affair and co-sponsored by Reliance Compost. Other sponsors of the event were Stellar Organic Winery, who sponsored organic wine, Recreate, who allowed Greenpop to use some of its up-cycled furniture as décor, and Growing Paper, who printed the event’s invitations on hand-made paper with embedded herb seeds. Music was provided by DJ duo Jews for Techno.
Greenpop and Reliance Compost also introduced ‘Green Up,’ a new green App that assesses your carbon footprint level and gives advice on how to live more sustainably.
Trees for Travel allows companies in the travel industry to offer their clients the option of adding a tree to what they’re booking. Greenpop will plant the trees as part of its urban greening and reforestation projects, and the company’s clients will get a certificate with the GPS coordinates of their tree, so that they know exactly where their tree is growing. It’s a simple way for people to help compensate for the carbon they’ll be using on their flight and/or trip – and it’s an easy way for airlines, bus companies, bookings websites, hotels, lodges, and tour companies to add some green to their business.
Trees for Travel can also apply to companies outside of the travel industry, who would like to help offset their business travel. A company could, for instance, sponsor a tree for each flight one of its employees takes for business purposes.
In return for a company’s support, Greenpop offers positive marketing and PR value through exposure on its website and social media channels, and invitations to its events.
A tree costs ZAR100 (we can provide prices in different currencies), which includes:
– The tree, compost, organic fertiliser, mulch
– The logistics around planting the tree
– The monitoring of the tree as part of our sustainability program
– An environmental education program at the beneficiary location (in the case of Greenpop’s urban greening projects)
If company’s prefer to give clients a tangible take away, Greenpop also has Tree Rings (tree-shaped key ring with a unique code that represents a tree, which cost ZAR120 each)
“Trees for Travel is a fun way for the travel industry to go a little bit greener,” says Lauren O’Donnell, Greenpop’s Managing Director. “It doesn’t cost companies anything because it’s their clients who can choose to buy a tree, and it’s a simple and tangible greening option to offer travellers. Greenpop believes that going green starts with the small things – every tree counts and so each tree added to a trip will contribute towards making a big difference. Trees for Travel has been very well received so far, and we look forward to getting many more tour companies and lodges to join our Treevolution.”
Dongola Guesthouse was one of the first to join Trees for Travel. Owner Mike Oughtibridge says: “As part of our efforts to be recognised as a Responsible Tourism business, we needed a passionate partner and a credible cause. We chose Greenpop and the Trees for Travel program as they not only met those requirements, but inspired us to do more. This is a social enterprise project that is about so much more than planting trees, and we hope to continue our happy and fruitful partnership with them for years to come.
POD, a boutique hotel in Cape Town’s Camps Bay, recently joined Trees for Travel. “We were excited to sponsor 57 trees in our first few months,” says POD’s Brendan Boyle. “ During the room orientation, our guests are informed of this sustainability initiative and the response has been incredible. The wow factor created by automatically offsetting a portion of their carbon footprint has greatly helped us drive home our conservation ethos. We look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with Greenpop and hope to fill the map with as many POD stamped tree geo-tags as possible!”
Some of our other Trees for Travel partners are African Impact, Acacia Africa, and FindALift.co.za.
Greenpop is a social enterprise dedicated to urban greening, reforestation, and eco-education. Greenpop believes sustainable living can be fun, popular, and accessible to all, and aims to inspire a ‘Treevolution;’ an inclusive green movement. The Greenpop team does this through tree planting projects, green action events, educational workshops, and by activating people to start DOING.
Since its establishment in 2010, and its expansion to Zambia in 2012, Greenpop has planted over 27,000 trees in over 250 beneficiary schools, crèches, and community centres, as well as in deforested areas around South Africa and Zambia. Greenpop’s aim is to spread its projects all over Sub-Saharan Africa and inspire a ‘Treevolution’ throughout the continent.
Photographs:
Please credit: Sarah Isaacs
Caption 1: The décor at the Trees for Travel event was created by event company My Green Love Affair
Caption 2: Greenpop’s Managing Director Lauren O’Donnell presenting the Trees for Travel initiative
Caption 3: Heidi van der Watt, the event’s main speaker, presenting current market trends related to sustainable travel
Caption 4: Guests enjoying organic wine and vegetarian canapés
Caption 5: Anna Guardascione and Lauren Ann McCarthy from My Green Love Affair, the green events company that organised the event, sitting on up-cycled suitcases from Recreate
Caption 6: Lauren O’Donnell from Greenpop, Mieke van Blommestein from Reliance Compost, Mia Groenewald from Reliance Compost, Nathan John Arendse from the Vineyard Hotel, and Misha Teasdale, co-founder and Director of Greenpop
Caption 7: Green Up, the new green App created by Reliance and Greenpop
Contact Greenpop:
Website: www.greenpop.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/greenpoptreevolution
Twitter: www.twitter.com/greenpopsa
YouTube: www.youtube.com/greenpoptreevolution
Email: marleen@greenpop.org
Sponsors:
My Green Love Affair: www.mygreenloveaffair.com
Reliance Compost: www.reliance.co.za
Growing Paper: www.growingpaper.co.za
Stellar Organic Winery: www.stellarorganics.com
Recreate: www.recreate.za.net
Bos: www.bosicetea.com
Author: Tee
Get ready for the ultimate family outing! South Africa’s legendary musical icons, Mango Groove will, light up the stage at Chris Saunders Park, on Friday 2 May, kicking off at 4pm.
This isn’t just a concert; it’s a fantastic opportunity to create lasting family memories filled with incredible music, delicious food, and exciting activities for everyone.
Join Mango Groove as they bring you the iconic hits that have been the soundtrack to South African life since the 80s. From the moment the first note drops, you’ll be swept away by their smash hits “Special Star,” “Dance Some More,” and all the timeless classics that have defined generations. This is your chance to experience the magic of Mango Groove in a relaxed, family-friendly environment.
What’s in store for the kids?
We’ve got so much lined up:
- Blaster Wars Arena – Ready, aim, and battle it out in a safe and exciting space.
- Jumping Castles – Let them bounce the day away.
- Lego Area – Creativity unleashed with endless building fun.
- Target Shooting – Perfect for little sharpshooters.
- Treasure Hunts & Fun Games – Adventure awaits.
- Dedicated Toddler Zone – Safe and fun play for the tiniest festival-goers.
Tickets to this unmissable family event are a steal, priced between R100 and R250. With convenient, fully stocked bars for the adults and a delicious array of food stalls offering something for everyone, your taste buds will be as happy as your ears!
Date: Friday 2 May
Time: 4-10pm
Venue: Chris Saunders Park
Book your tickets now and get ready for an unforgettable day of music and fun!
Tickets are available for purchase online at WebTickets.
Follow In The Park here for more upcoming music events. You do not want to miss out on the rest of the events they have planned for you!
Author: Shelley
It’s fresh, bright and chockfull of surprises! It’s the 2025 East Coast Radio House & Garden Show, and we’re talking fresh spaces. bright living! A giant breath of fresh air will sweep through the Durban Exhibition Centre when the Show rolls out from Friday 28 June to Sunday 6 July.
fresh spaces. bright living is all about how to tweak or transform your home into one which brings you joy, and allows you to be you! Whether it’s little touches of stylish decor or large sweeps of bold colour and pattern, you’ll leave the Show bursting with new skills from the experts, bright ideas from different brands… and loads of goodies and parcels. Jump on board, the 2025 East Coast Radio House + Garden Show promises to fill your head with creativity to create your own fresh spaces. bright living.
Calling all cooks and homemakers!
This year’s Test Kitchen is the kitchen of the future! Hirsch is at the helm and The Kitchen Studio is creating a space that’ll knock your socks off. Top celebrity chefs (surprises up our sleeve), fabulous personalities (guess who?), crazy cooks (laughter is the best medicine)… the line-up is as long as it is sensational! If cooking’s your happy place, the Hirsch kitchen is the only place to be.
The 2025 East Coast Radio House + Garden Show is going to be child’s play!
This is Durban’s true family show, and we’ve got you well covered for the first week of the school holidays! From littlelies to larger, this year’s kids zone has mushroomed into its own dedicated hall, and has way, way more of what they love! And parents, this one’s for you. Drop and shop – there’s now a super-safe, well supervised drop-off zone, so you can do your thing, while they do theirs. A dedicated Kids Zone in the Coast of Dreams, with a whacky wonderland of activities. Packed with fun, yet competitive, activities and challenges, teens can put their skills to the test! From the incredible Monster Manor to fairytale characters to face-painting, wrestling and bowling, the kids just won’t want to go home.
The East Coast Radio House + Garden Show is always full of winners…
And why shouldn’t it be you? With competitions big and small, you could carry home anything from the coolest kitchen appliance to the hottest sound system, a tantalising voucher to something or somewhere sensational or bags full of your favourite products.
This season, the Show is shining a full spotlight on fresh spaces, bright living, both outdoors and in! Plants, landscaping and new tricks and tools for garden lovers; boys’ toys and bits and bobs for outdoor lovers; and goodies and gadgets for those who live to braai! Renovating, restoring or dreaming of adventure, the Show will take you where you want to go.
We can’t wait to see you there!
www.housegardenshow.co.za
Author: Shelley
The Supertech Torque Motoring Festival is set to return to Dezzi Raceway on April 19th and 20th, 2025.
This annual event, organized by the Supertech Group, promises a weekend filled with high-speed action, family-friendly activities, and entertainment.
Event Highlights:
- Hot Laps & Drifting: Experience the thrill of high-speed laps and drifting exhibitions.
- Custom Dip Experience: Showcases of vehicle customization and styling.
- BMW M Driving Experience Show: A display of BMW’s performance vehicles in action.
- Spin Show Extravaganza: Professional drivers performing precision stunts.
- Official BMW Merchandise Pop-Up Store: Exclusive merchandise available for purchase.
- Circuit Racing Action: Competitive racing events featuring various classes.
- Stunt Shows & Historic Feats: Daring performances and record attempts.
- Helicopter Flips: Aerial tours offering a unique perspective of the event.
- Torque Fashion Show & Concours: A blend of automotive excellence and fashion.
- Miniature Radio-Control Car Track: Interactive activities for all ages.
- M Lounge: An exclusive area for Supertech M & M Performance customers.
- VIP Hospitality Lounge: Premium services and amenities for VIP guests.
- Family Fun Time: Activities and entertainment suitable for families.
Ticket Information:
- General Access: R200 (Available Online)
- Kids (Under 10 Years): Free (Available Online)
- VIP Access: R1500 (Includes private viewing deck, seating, complimentary snacks, and beverages)
- Hot Laps: R300 (Available exclusively on the MySupertechWorld App)
- Drift Rides: R350 (Available exclusively on the MySupertechWorld App)
- Helicopter Flips: R750 (Available exclusively on the MySupertechWorld App)
Daily Schedule:
Saturday, April 19th:
- 09:00 AM – 09:45 AM: Circuit Racing – Session 1
- 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM: Hot Laps
- 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM: Drifting Show
- 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM: Drift Rides
- 01:00 PM – 01:45 PM: Spinning Show
- 02:00 PM – 02:45 PM: Stunt Show – SA Record Attempt
- 03:00 PM – 03:45 PM: Circuit Racing – Session 2
- 03:00 PM – 04:00 PM: Auction
- 04:00 PM – 04:30 PM: Fashion Show
- 04:45 PM – 05:00 PM: M Car Convoy Parade Lap
Sunday, April 20th:
- 09:00 AM – 09:45 AM: Circuit Racing – Session 1
- 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM: Hot Laps
- 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM: Drifting Show
- 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM: Drift Rides
- 01:00 PM – 01:45 PM: Spinning Show
- 02:00 PM – 02:45 PM: Stunt Show – SA Record Attempt
- 03:00 PM – 03:45 PM: Circuit Racing – Session 2
- 03:00 PM – 04:00 PM: Fashion Show
Additional Information:
To enhance the festival experience, attendees are encouraged to download the MySupertechWorld App, which offers exclusive access to certain tickets and up-to-date event information. The festival is designed to cater to all ages, making it an ideal outing for families, car enthusiasts, and those seeking a weekend of excitement.
For more details and ticket purchases, visit the official Supertech Group website or follow their social media channels for the latest updates.
Don’t miss out on this premier motoring event that brings together speed, style, and entertainment in one exhilarating festival.
Author: Shelley
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