To celebrate National Water Week last month, several Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) employees volunteered to assist with gardening in the informal settlement of Khayelitsha to build their sandy soils for better water retention.
National Water Week is the week preceding World Water Day on 22 March. This is a global campaign run by the United Nations to raise awareness around the conservation of water and promoting access to clean water.
“The CTICC encourages knowledge exchange and jumped at the opportunity to engage with our community partner, Abalimi Bezekhaya. This initiative will make a significant impact on ensuring that this micro-farming project becomes more water efficient helping to boost job creation, poverty alleviation and environmental renewal in the community,” says Julie-May Ellingson, CTICC chief executive officer.
Bezekhaya supplies the CTICC with a combination of fresh ingredients for events hosted at the centre, and is used in one of CTICC’s Coffee on the Square signature dishes - Harvest of Hope salad. Supporting these micro-farmers on the Cape Flats by sourcing produce from Bezekhaya reinforces their commitment to uplifting and empowering the communities in which the CTICC operates.
One of the CTICC volunteers, Simphiwe Dantyi, who assisted with the initiative says; "I reside in a community just like this one (Khayelitsha), therefore it was a rewarding experience to be able to interact with the farmers and see how investing a few hours of my time can positively contribute to helping this community".
The CTICC strives to collaborate with stakeholders within the industry to collectively address issues and is fully committed to supporting the City’s Water Conservation Strategy through its own responsible stewardship of water.
Various initiatives have been implemented to drive the successful ongoing reduction of water consumption at the centre. In the last three years, there has been a reduction of 13% in water consumption. “CTICC will continue to prioritise and advance social and environmental upliftment in order to contribute to a sustainable economy,” concludes Ellingson.
To learn more about CTICC’s sustainability initiatives, read the CTICC 2013/2014 Integrated Annual Report.
For more information, visit www.ctiicc.co.za. Alternatively connect with them on Facebook and on Twitter.