Whale of a time going green
The fourth annual Big Green Expo took place at Pine Creek at the weekend to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and reducing ocean plastic pollution.
This year, organisers arranged a special treat for participants: a big 2.2m-high 3D whale structure which also consisted of thousands of eco-bricks.
Big Green Expo founder Richard Patten said the giant sculpture was built by Dean Knox of Jonginenge and his team.
The GO! reported (“Call-up for whale of time”, September 6) that the skeleton of the sculpture was constructed from reused plywood and PVC pipes which was then fleshed out with eco-bricks.
Black and white plastic collected at Eastern Beach, Nomphumelele, Nahoon Coastal Reserve and other beaches was then used to hold the bricks in place.
There were about 40 stalls selling environmentally friendly products – from water saving devices to compost makers, as well as plants and vegetables.
The initiative coincided with International Coastal Cleanup Day which aims to promote the reduced use of single-use plastics.
Patten turned 60 this year and to celebrate this milestone, he committed to raising R60,000 to place recycling containers around the city.
There were seven schools – Merrifield, Lilyfontein, Clarendon Primary, Stirling Primary, Selborne Primary, Beaconhurst Primary and Hudson Park Primary – involved in the expo this year with their environmentally friendly presentations.
The schools were tasked with making a water feature, with Clarendon Primary crowned the winners.
For their prize, they received recycling bins for their school.
“The event was a great success. Pine Creek played a big role by contributing the venue and I hope we will be able to use them again in the near future,” said Patten.