EnviroTeach Editions

South Africa is a signatory to the United Nations “Decade of Education for Sustainable Development – 2005 to 2014”. The lead agent in South Africa is the National Department of Education, supported by several other Departments. This edition of EnviroTeach is an attempt to highlight and emphasise good examples of teaching and learning that is being done in schools as they strive to demonstrate their commitment to building a more sustainable community.

Ecotourism is a growing sector of the Tourism industry and we are grateful to the National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) for funding the development, printing and distribution of 50 000 copies of this EnviroTeach to schools, nationwide. The NLDTF's commitment to, and support of, environmental education in South Africa, through the provision of a curriculum-linked resource for educators, is much appreciated.

Over millions of years, the weather, ocean currents and other processes have shaped the South African coast to look like it does now. South Africa is privileged to have two oceans: the Atlantic Ocean on the western coast and the Indian Ocean on the eastern coast. The Indian Ocean is the smallest of the earth’s oceans and is generally much warmer than the Atlantic Ocean because of the warm Agulhas current. This current flows southward from Mozambique and Madagascar. The Atlantic Ocean is much colder because of the cold Benguela current which flows north along the west coast.

This edition of EnviroTeach is, once again, specifically based on the theme of water. People and cultures can differ greatly. However, one of the things we all have in common is water. Water is not only important to us because we cannot live without it, but because it also gives us pleasure and is an important part of our spiritual practices.

South Africa has a number of natural resources, including coal, gold, platinum, iron and many more. However, South Africa does not have a great amount of water. Water is a very important, but scarce resource in our country. The weather is also hot and dry, thus water evaporates very quickly. It is also not evenly distributed over the country.

Consumer Education is an important obligation of all role players in the financial services sector – one that is taken seriously by the South African Insurance Association (SAIA) which has a unique approach to consumer education, specifically the consumer education spend obligated by the Financial Sector Charter, and the fight against financial illiteracy.