South Africa’s domestic market is not providing local companies with enough growth opportunities, prompting many of them to look at the rest of the continent. So said Michael Lalor, leader of Ernst & Young’s Africa Business Centre, during a recent online press conference. “While South Africa is still growing well compared to the advanced economies, it’s [...]

Cape Town — South African scientists have developed an environmentally friendly method to clean highly toxic water and convert it into drinkable water. Once available commercially, the method could drastically reduce the negative impact industry has on water pollution worldwide. Called eutectic freeze crystallisation, the technique freezes acidic water – or brine – to produce [...]

Over the last few years, the penny has finally dropped that consumers are not going to change their behaviour when it comes to a more sustainable pattern of consumption. Only about 20% are enthusiastic enough about green issues to put their money where their values are and demand greener products. So what is a green-minded [...]

2011 is shaping up to be the year of the electric car. Clean tech appears to be thriving. Innovative thinking brings us everything from greener cleaning products to new business models such as Zipcar. But while these announcements promise more sustainable ways of doing things, turning to the science pages can quickly undo your positive [...]

Many of us have heard the story about the creation of 3 Green Moms and their game-changing reusable sandwich bags, Lunchskins, that come in a variety of creative and colorful designs.  In 2010, 3 Green Moms saved 120 million plastic baggies from landfills and broke $1 million in sales.  Patch had the chance to meet [...]

Nike is taking a leadership position and opening its Environmental Design Tool to everyone on the web. The tool, which Nike has used internally for years, has been released in the hopes that it will spur collaboration between apparel designers and reduce consumption of natural resources like water and oil. The online tool allows textile [...]

When a rural Saskatchewan town needed a population boost, they decided to offer prospective residents half-acre building lots for $1. But there was a catch: the newcomers would need to build a sustainable community from scratch and live off the grid. CBC’s The Passionate Eye followed the residents’ first year in the eco-village in Craik, [...]

For those of you who have toiled with the idea of “off the grid” living or are in search for a simpler life or there is a special tree house community functioning in the rainforest of Costa Rica which might be right up your alley. Finca Bellavista: A Sustainable Rainforest Community is what it’s called [...]