All roads will today lead to the Rietvlei Nature Reserve where the topic A clean and green city will be discussed with various stakeholders including environmental experts and activists as part of the Tshwane Growth and Development Strategy (GDS) 2055 outreach process. The event is scheduled to start at 9h00. The City’s Agriculture and Waste Management Department which is hosting this week’s Sustainable Development and Natural Resources theme will showcase Tshwane as the city that recognises the intrinsic value of its biological diversity by conserving and protecting its open space from developmental threats and promoting carbon sequestration and associated actions to achieve a cleansed environment. Key stakeholders in the environmental field have been called since Monday to add their input and propose possible solutions to the problems the city faces. As it will be the fourth theme day of Week 3 of the Tshwane 2055 conversations, activities planned for the day include:
• talks on biodiversity management, open space management, greening of the city, parks management, environmental law enforcement, wetlands management, alien plants management • live snake show• discussion of theme and inputs
The City in partnership with the University of Pretoria (TUKS) is also going to hold a round table discussion later in the day on issues of sustainable development and natural resources, and members of the public are invited to be part of the conversation. The venue at the Senate Hall- Administration Building of the University of Pretoria’s Hatfield Campus at the corner 0f University Avenue and Lynnwood Road can only accommodate a limited number of people and the first come first served principle will apply. The discussion is scheduled to start at 18h30 and end at 21h00 and the dress code is business. Tshwane 2055 is all about drawing up a common vision for the city by the year 2055, with the intention of bringing the vision to fruition over the next four decades. It is also a conversation with residents, and is soliciting opinions from the public on how best to govern the area over the next 40 years. The City of Tshwane, like most cities in the world, is facing key environmental problems such as improper solid waste disposal, poor hygiene in overcrowded inner city areas, lack of open space and possible flooding. It is problems like these that the City seek to address, with input from its residents, experts in the field, and other stakeholders, during the GDS2055 Sustainable Development Week. To find out more about events and activities taking place during the week, as well as more about the GDS, you can go to www.tshwane2055.gov.za
