SA eco-warrior gets US praise for projects

A LANDMARK eco-development on the outskirts of Nelson Mandela Bay pioneered by Dr Chris Mulder, as well as its self-sustaining and Eskom-free showcase home House Rhino, has drawn interest and praise from academics at a leading university in the United States.

Mulder returns this weekend from a trip to his alma mater, Texas A&M University – the fourth-largest university in the US – after being invited to present a guest lecture to students and academics titled “De-urbanisation: creating sustainable rural new towns”.

Mulder, who is the credited with transforming Knysna’s Thesen Island from an industrial wasteland into an eco-friendly tourism destination and Blue Flag marina, is also behind the Bay’s Crossways Farm Village development near Van Stadens, a pioneering project involving building “rural new towns” which are partially or totally self-sustaining and energy independent. During his lecture last week, Mulder highlighted House Rhino – the offgrid showcase development at Crossways which has been built by Bay-based water, food and energy solutions company Rhino Group. “House Rhino was a hit,” said Mulder, adding there was big interest in the self-sustaining nature of the house.

House Rhino, Rhino Group’s showcase of off-grid solutions, generates its own energy from solar panels; creates gas for cooking from a biodigester processing waste from the house; and harvests rainwater which is then heated by means of a water heat-pump powered by the solar energy.