Water environments are our forte and we endeavour to drive the sustainable usage of water resources worldwide. We believe that the only way to make this happen is with creative thinking. What better way to garner original creative ideas than by motivating school children – our future – to think for themselves?
Keeping this in mind, we have initiated the Water-Food-Energy-Ecology (WFE
2) NEXUS pilot competition in South Africa – a competition with a difference.
The WFE
2 NEXUS is based on the concept that we are all impacted by the intricate linkages between food, water, energy and ecology. Sustainable growth is possible only when these linkages are acknowledged and understood in all their complexities.
Although the target group for the competition is school children in Grade 10-12, it is open to all who wish to participate. Through this competition, we inspire children and adults alike to think creatively and prompt them to come up with creative ideas about how to make a difference. They are motivated to find long- and short-term solutions to glaring NEXUS-related issues. In the process, they come up with ways and means to successfully meet the challenges posed by the increasing pressures on these resources.
The pilot competition is currently taking place at the school level in a few select regions of the country. Going forward, we hope to follow through with a comprehensive competition launch in early 2013.
Food, water, energy and ecology issues are global challenges. According to the South African Water, Energy & Food Forum 2012, ‘South Africa is transitioning into an extremely vulnerable state as water resources become a constraint to job creation and future economic growth.’
We are certain that the WFE
2 NEXUS (a part of our Corporate Social Responsibility activities), is a positive step in empowering the South African people to manage and utilise their resources more efficiently and sustainably for the benefit of future generations.