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Do you eat local foods? Walk or take the bus? Try to conserve energy and water at home? Re-use jars and plastic bags? Help out your neighbours? If you want to show off these and other innovative ways you live in harmony with the earth, why not enter the sustainable home competition initiated by Sustainability for Seychelles in collaboration with the Department of Environment. The competition seeks to reward homes who are doing their best to live a simple, eco-friendly lifestyle. It doesn’t matter what size your home is, whether you rent or own it, or even whether you have a garden. The judges are looking for homes that demonstrate a simple lifestyle in harmony with nature and with a minimal impact on the environment. There are different categories for flats, and for small, medium and large homes. The smaller home categories don’t need to have high-tech equipment to qualify - judges are looking for innovation and eco-friendliness! The prizes, sponsored by Barclays, feature equipment to help you go even greener, like rainwater tanks, rat-proof composters, energy and water saving devices, energy efficient appliances, etc. To enter, pick up an entry form at your local DA office, PUC in Victoria, SAA or Botanical Gardens. Deadline is November 11th, 2011. A team of judges will visit finalist homes in late November. May the homes with the lightest eco-footprint win! 
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A new glass crusher became operational yesterday to help deal with the growing mountains of glass waste being produced and often discarded.  The crusher was imported by non-governmental organisation Sustainability for Seychelles (S4S) as part of its project funded by the Regional Coastal Management Programme of the Indian Ocean (Recomap) and the European Union to help set up a system for the sustainable management of glass waste in Seychelles. S4S formally handed over ownership of the crusher and some 500 bins to the Landscape and Waste Management Agency, in the presence of environment principal secretary Didier Dogley, during a small ceremony at the STAR premises at Providence. Mr Dogley said the project underscores government policy to minimise waste for a “waste free Seychelles.” He said ventures that seek to transform or process waste, instead of just casting it aside, have a lot of merit. He said a similar project was launched three years ago targetting PET or plastic bottles, which are now collected at designated centres for a 50 cent refund each, before they are crushed and exported. Mr Dogley said though glass constitutes just 1% of our total waste, it can do a lot of damage if thrown around on our beaches or on the roads. The fact that more beverages are now being imported in glass bottles, makes the waste problem all the more pressing, he said. STAR, whose chief executive Bernard Coguennec was also present, is responsible for transporting the waste from various collection points to Providence. To date over 40 hotels, mainly in north Mahe, but also North Island Resort, have agreed to take part in the project and been issued with bins. S4S education coordinator Michelle Martin said two district administrations -- Anse Royale and Roche Caiman -- are also taking part, but it is hoped that more communities will join in. The guests and media were shown how the crusher works. They were told that it can crush a bin-full of glass waste in just three minutes. Crushed glass cullet is used as a clean fill for construction or by artisans for craftwork. One enterprise Apana, based at Baie Lazare, exhibited some artefacts made from crushed glass. These include ash-trays, tortoises and flowers such as hibiscus.  The main glass waste items presently being crushed are wine, spirit and non-returnable beer and soft drink bottles as well as jam and pickle jar without lids.
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