Green Economy Working for the Poor

This will be done by supporting low carbon growth, encouraging resource efficiency and enhancing social inclusion.  

The Green Economy Strategy Framework has identified two strategic areas of focus that relate to social inclusion, namely:

• Smart Living and Working: better planned and located settlements which minimise waste in all forms, help biodiversity and ecosystems, increase productivity and reduce transport costs. They also have more efficient buildings, infrastructure and technologies, which reduces energy and water demand.
• Smart Ecosystems: supporting the capacity of biological and ecosystem resources to provide services.

An important aspect of the Strategy Framework is to consider pioneering and early adopter opportunities to elevate social inclusion strategically and in practice. This includes informal living, which will comprise a significant component of Western Cape human settlements in the future. Green solutions are a viable means to improve the built environment.

Through pioneering solutions for improved living conditions, the Western Cape can become an emerging market leader by creating sound research and partnership networks globally. Thus, establishing the Western Cape as a region with “smart settlement” solutions.

In light of these aspects of the Green Economy Strategy Framework, a focus of 110% Green for 2013 is ‘Green Economy Working for the Poor’. This theme will run through multiple initiatives including:

• The 110% Green: Smart Innovation on Tour which covers issues of poverty through innovation
• Genius of Place Project which looks at nature’s genius to resolve problems of settlements on the water’s edge
• Entrepreneurship Challenge where business come together to support a up and coming green entrepreneur