Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Lessons”
Toronto, Canada’s most populous metropolitan area, sits anchored on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. The city is incredibly diverse. The roughly 2.7 million people here speak over 160 languages. The city rests on a broad sloping plateau crossed with rivers and ravines, though the skyline is marked by skyscrapers and high-rise buildings. The city is famous for being one …
While reports of cities running out of water worldwide are streaming in, some cities are learning to cope. Somewhat perplexing, these places often also suffer from drought, have to cope with more people and manage with old and creaky pipes. Yet sometimes, without having to immediately find more water, the people that live there don’t suffer for it. These places …
Around 2016 to 2018 an extraordinary drought swept through Cape Town. The effect on the famous city was so severe, officials asked residents to stick to dramatic water restrictions. Capetonians had to limit their household water use to 50 litres of water per person per day. Across the world, people sat up and took notice; especially when the mayor announced …
Imagine standing at the edge of a lake. The water is dotted with a rich variety of birds. It’s weekend, and you are enjoying a lazy afternoon with your family, ambling along the paved walkway that runs like a neat pencil-line along the lake. Now imagine that the lake is actually a water treatment plant. Tough to believe? In Singapore, …
Hygge. It souns something like hoo-gha, and describes a feeling of cozy contentment by enjoying the simple things in life. It’s big here in Denmark, and I understand why. Simple things here are good; better than good even. Take the tap water as example. In Danish capital Copenhagen, the tap water is said to be the best in the world. …
Saving water starts at home. I should know – I wrote an entire article on how exactly to do that. But how can you save water on holiday? I travel often. Its a big perk of my job. I’ve had meetings on slowboats floating down the Mekong River and seen leatherback sea turtles hatch under the moonlight, on the shores …
The piercing sun showed promise of a long lunch. Perhaps it could have been shashlik, skewers of juicy mutton, relished with wheels of warm bread. Here in Kyrgyzstan, it could have been served enjoying the green landscape of Batkin, like yesterday, after a morning of hunting for the rare Aygul flower. Today the heat only served a trickle of sweat …
It was a warm and sunny day, perfect for visitors to soak-up the world-renowned wildlife sightings of the Kruger National Park. But not everybody enjoyed what the wilderness put on display. It was a hippopotamus. She was stuck in the mud left behind in the wake of the river’s retreat. Too hot, she lay panting under the brutal sun. Too …
“Water is my life. It’s what I do on a daily basis. Working with water is about the importance of protecting it, and how we take this generation forward to the next. I have been living in Cape Town since 1981, with a five year break. Once restrictions came we’d been living water-frugally already. We were not heavy users, but …
“I am from Zimbabwe, but I left because of the economic situation. I came to Cape Town for greener pastures. I’ve been here for eight years, and stay in an apartment in a block of flats in Goodwood with my wife and two children. Sometimes you have to go through a crisis to learn. The drought taught us a lot. …
Drought can be catastrophic. For good reason, people refer to times of extreme drought as water crises. Farmers, industries and cities have been brought to their knees by it. But, have you ever asked yourself why does drought happen? Very simply put, drought happens, because it is part of how the planet works. If you live in a city, it’s …
I say Day Zero, you say? Cape Town. But Cape Town is not alone. For South Africans (like me), Day Zero is that day that Cape Town runs out of water. Recently, Capetonians faced each day with 50 liters of water, a crisis ignited by a drought like almost never before. Day Zero would have been triggered when dam levels …
