Green pitches & green future

So we know that in June 2010 we will see the Brazilians and the English and Bafana Bafana and all the other qualified national football/soccer teams showing off their kicking talents across South Africa’s pitches. That’s guaranteed and we are all looking forward to that. Big time! Yebo yes.

But now it seems that there might be something else happening too, and I’m not so sure it is that promising. I discovered that a British tabloid has quoted Mel B saying that the Spice Girls (yes, them) want to reunite for a concert during the World Cup here in SA.

Ai, it hurts. It feels like the hi-jacking of a topclass world event by a by-gone act. They can’t be real. South Africa’s world cup cannot be linked in history for ever with a reunion by the Spice Girls. FIFA please step in with all your might and glory and connections.

Anyway.

We all on regular basis wonder if indeed our weather is different than years ago. If Cape Town has wetter winters, or if the nearly historically famous August winds in Johannesburg have calmed down to just little breezes.

To break through the perceptions and try to pin down these changes the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) has started several projects of so called citizen science. It’s a call to all people of the rainbow nation to check what they believe are changing weather patterns. From flowers’ blossoming times to rainfall in the birdbath. Or migrating birds leaving earlier. Or new species of plants appearing in the garden.

So if you really feel last winter wasn’t what it used to be. Or the flowers in your garden are blossoming way too early, maybe it’s time to become a citizen scientist. You can then drop an email to Dr Dave Thompson of SAEON on leaves@saeon.co.za