Greening the WSSD is the first attempt to reduce the environmental impacts of a major UN Summit on the host city .  In this case, the people of Johannesburg. By working with them, we aim to protect, conserve and improve the city's environment and natural resources........ leaving a legacy for the future.
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City of Joburg Green Tours



The City of Johannesburg has a range of environmental best practice projects that will be showcased during the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). These projects have been selected on the premise that they underpin the core principles of Agenda 21 having strong linkages to policy, demonstration of best practice, and raising the level of public awareness with respect to sustainable development. For ease of referencing these projects have been subdivided into Mayoral Projects, Partnerships, and the City's sister enterprises (Utilities, Agencies & Corporatised Entities - UAC's). The projects are geographically spread throughout the Southern, City Centre, and Northern regions of Johannesburg.

Soweto Greening Tours - Developmental Projects

This tour departs from the Newtown Precinct in the City Centre for a full day visit to environmental best practice projects located in Soweto. The first stop will be at the Johannesburg Water - Olifantsvlei Composting Facility (UAC) where the demonstration of a scale model illustrating the innovative technology being used to convert sewerage into patented compost product known as JOWGRO.

The next stop will be at the Kliptown Mayoral Project - the 100-year old urban settlement in Johannesburg where the Freedom Charter was adopted in 1955. A brief presentation on the Environmental Management Framework for the Klipspruit River will be given, a video will be screened, and visitors will be able to engage with an interactive Geographic Information System (GIS) computer based tool.

Thereafter a visit will be paid to the Soweto Mountain of Hope based in Chaiwelo. The Soweto Mountain of Hope is a community driven project that incorporates sustainable development. The project is internationally acclaimed and also receives donor funding from abroad.

Lunch will be served at the Soweto Civic Centre in Region 6 - Soweto, whereafter a presentation on the Rockville/Moroka Dam Mayoral Project will be presented. A brief video of the dam will be screened, and a Virtual Reality Computer Model will provide the look and feel of the project. Visitors will then also be afforded the opportunity of having a guided tour of the dam.

The final leg of the tour will then end off at the Pikitup - Dobsonville Buy Back Centre (UAC). This project is a recycling centre where the community can bring waste materials such as paper, glass and plastics for recycling. And in return they are paid a nominal fee. These buy back centers encourages communities to become more aware of recycling and is coupled to environmental awareness.

Visitors will then return to the Newtown Precinct travelling along Main Reef Road.

Departure: Daily at 10h00 from the Newtown Precinct

Return:
By 16h00 to Newtown

Period: 26 August to 06 September 2002

Duration: 5 ½

Tour Includes: Return bus journey, booking fees to the best practice projects and all amenities. There will be no fees required for most of the activities.

Tour Excludes: Any refreshments or lunch and personal items. Lunch will be served at a cost of R40-00 per head.

Gross Cost: ZAR30-00



Inner City Greening Development Projects


The Inner City best practice projects comprise the Green House Project and further North the Zoo Bioremediation Project. The Green House Tour will be linked to the City's Shopping Experience and visit to the Joubert Park Art Gallery. Visitors will be escorted across the road from the Art Gallery and given the opportunity to witness sustainable housing best practice within the inner city. An environmental resource centre is planned and will become operational soon. The presence of hothouses and sustainable utilisation of resources elevates the urban greening agenda.

Departure: Daily at 10h00, where a shuttle leaves every 15min leaving for the Johannesburg Arts Gallery where visitors would be escorted to the Green House Project.

Scheduled times: 11h00; 13h00 and 15h00

Period:
26 August to 06 September 2002

Duration: 1 hour

Tour Includes:
Return bus journey, booking fees to the best practice projects and all amenities. There will be no fees required for most of the activities.

Tour Excludes:
Any refreshments or lunch and personal items. However, light snacks and soft drinks can be purchased on site.

Gross Cost:
Shopping Experience Hop on Hop off Bus Shuttle

Northern Greening Development Projects


This day tour departs from the Newtown Precinct and visits the Delta Environmental Centre on a Tuesday and Thursday for the duration of the best practice tours. Delta Environmental Centre (DEC) offers environmental education programmes to school children, teachers and the general public on a daily basis. A Council-owned Sewage Works, built in 1934, has been transformed into a vibrant, future-focused environmental education centre. Areas in the surrounding Delta Park have been developed to enhance visitors' experiences e.g. the Water Wise Sensory Garden, SASOL Sensory Trail, the Recycling Area, the Florence Bloom Bird Sanctuary (under development) and the Orienteering Course. The Working for Water Project Team will be removing invasive plants, in phases, in Delta Park in the near future. Ten species of raptor have already been spotted in Delta Park since January 2002.

The Johannesburg Zoo has an innovative natural water treatment system, which purifies contaminated water before being released into the river. There are two channels that enter the Zoo grounds on its South side, next to the Zoo's nursery. The zoo discharges water from the hippo, seal & polar bear pools. The faecal coliform count for the south channel was 75000 per 100ml sample on 19 March 2002. To eliminate the pollution of Zoo Lake, the water passes through the Zoo's wetland purification system. The water is then pumped into a huge settlement tank with an overflow channel built in. The Johannesburg Zoo has requested City Council to test the quality of the water running through the Zoo in the channel at these three critical points on a monthly basis, so that effective water management of the entire water purification system occurs. The water is treated again on the Zoo Lake end once it is discharged from the Zoo grounds. This downstream water treatment project is driven by the Parktown community who is committed to improving the overall quality of the water in the upper reaches of the Jukskei River. The Zoo will provide a brief overview of how this water treatment system works.

The tour will then proceed to Kelland Bird Sanctuary where a brief guided tour of the wetland and bird sanctuary will be offered.

The next stop will be at the Alex Renewal Project, which is a presidential project funded by the Provincial Government through Blue IQ. On route visitors will be able to experience the vibe of Alex and be able to view conditions along the Jukskei River banks. Alex is the poorest area per square kilometer bordering the richest area (Sandton) per square kilometer. Here the Altrek Stadium will be visited where a large-scale model will be demonstrated showing detailed planning interventions to ameliorate the extensive environmental challenges being confronted by the impoverished area. Visitors will stop over for lunch at the local shebeen in Alex to enjoy a meal.

Thereafter, the tour will proceed to the Johannesburg Ecocity Initiative. The project is located in Ivory Park, a newly established area on the edge of Johannesburg.

Visitors will then return to the Newtown Precinct travelling along the M1 South.

Departure:
Daily at 10h00 from the Newtown Precinct

Return: By 17h30 at Newtown

Period: 26 August to 06 September 2002

Duration:
5 ½ hours

Tour Includes: Return bus journey, booking fees to the best practice projects and all amenities. There will be no fees required for most of the activities.

Tour Excludes: Any refreshments or lunch and personal items. Lunch will be served at a cost of no less than R40-00 per head. Daily visits to Delta Centre, these will be restricted to Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the duration of the period.

The visits to the Zoo will take place by way of boarding the scheduled Metro Bus, which will leave Newtown on a daily basis according to the normal bus roster.
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Gross Cost: ZAR30-00

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