This year marks the launch of the fifth edition of the City’s Smart Living Handbook which comes with additional themes including water, waste, energy, environment and transport and heritage. The Smart Living Handbook was first launched on 1 November 2007, later updated in 2011.
The handbook was developed to make sustainable and resilient living a reality in residents’ homes. It provides practical steps that households can take to make their homes safer and save them money, while also reducing their environmental impact.
‘Many of us know that we should be doing this, but are often unsure about what to do and how to do it. This handbook aims to provide you with information and practical actions to implement – to protect the environment, save money and make your home a safer place to live in. Together, we can make a difference and become more resilient.’
‘Each chapter of the handbook provides key challenges, what the City is doing to manage the resource or issue, what you can do in your home and practical resources and steps for implementation,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt.
Building our resilience supports the City’s sustainability goals and the realisation of our commitment to global goals such as carbon neutrality by 2050 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is dependent on informed and empowered citizens. This, in turn, requires resources and tools that educate, raise awareness and communicate ways and pathways for citizens and residents to adopt more resource efficient practices and make more sustainable choices.
‘Capetonians have developed great agility to adaptation as we collectively strive towards building resilience. The water crisis between 2016-2018 saw us working together and managing to avert what would have been Day Zero by reducing water consumption to levels not seen anywhere else in the world, among other things. Every time we switch on a light, use our washing machine, run a bath or put out our rubbish, we’re making a decision that affects the environment and future sustainability of our city. Households have a significant cumulative impact on the resource efficiency of a city and shifting value chains,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste, Alderman Xanthea Limberg.
The City manages a comprehensive Smart Living and Working programme. Several Smart Living resources were and are being developed complementary to the Smart Living Handbook. For example, the Smart Office, Smart Cooking, Smart Driving and Smart Living Audit guide as well as several capacity building, training, education and outreach programmes to different target groups.
‘We need to manage our resources well, using what we have, efficiently and fairly; while also using our collective power of individual choice for a better future city. We are now facing the COVID-19 pandemic together as well as the fight to limit global warming and prevent a climate catastrophe as one city, standing together.
‘Cape Town households are also encouraged to take part in a range of ongoing virtual events aimed at helping them save money and creating more sustainable lifestyles. The events are part of the Cape Town Future Energy Festival, a virtual community festival which started on 27 May 2020,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy Councillor Phindile Maxiti
For more information, see these resources:
- Smart Living Handbook: https://bit.ly/Smartliving2020
- Future Energy Festival: www.capetownfutureenergyfestival.co.za