Tedcor introduces its own Teddy Bears
Waste management company Tedcor has introduced its own set of Teddy Bears to inspire the youth to pay more attention to global environmental concerns.
“We really liked the idea of playing the company name ‘Tedcor’ off of the ‘Teddy Bear’ because of the natural fit in terms of the similarity of name and the global popularity and association of the bear,” says Verona Ismail, CEO of Tedcor. “Our research led us to the US President after whom the bear was originally named, Theodore Roosevelt. To our delight and surprise, we found out that he was a champion of environmental causes in a time when there was no official environmental movement. The synergies between the Teddy and what Tedcor does in terms of waste management convinced us it was a winner.”
After engaging with staff to help choose names for the new bear duo, the two most popular names were S’Camtho for the Papa Bear and Thandanani for his daughter. The names mean “togetherness” for the dad and “empowering people” for the daughter, which speak to the character strengths of each bear – dads tend to bring families together, while kids are the future and need to be nurtured and empowered.
“We like to think of them as ‘mascots for the movement,’” Ismail shares. “In previously disadvantaged communities, environmental care is not regarded as a high priority. South Africa has a large population of young people, so it is our belief that our bears will resonate with this youth and get our message of waste management across, so that kids can learn how to look after their immediate environment. They are our future, so the message starts with them.”
It’s time to go on a plastic diet…
Did you know there are three massive islands of plastic floating in the world’s three largest oceans – the Indian, the Atlantic and the Pacific? Sadly, this plastic often ends up in the mouths of sea creatures looking for food. And because Earth is made up of 70% water, the mounting plastic epidemic is actually a catastrophe.
While global initiatives are under way to retrieve this plastic and recycle it, here’s what you can do, right at home or work, to reduce your plastic usage:
- Take plastic packets from your last trip to the shop with you next time, instead of buying new ones. You’ll save lots of money if you add up all your shopping trips.
- Use environmentally friendly shopping bags that you buy and then re-use instead of buying new bags.
- Collect your plastic bags and give them away to a charity shop, to use when they sell second-hand goods. Bounty Hunters in 4th St, Melville, Johannesburg, is always looking for extra bags. Contact Gail at the store.
- When you go for take-away or buy coffee to go, tell the staff that you don’t need plastic cutlery. When you get home or to the office, use the normal cutlery instead.
- When you order drinks at a restaurant, the waiter usually brings a new straw every time you get a new drink. Give the new straws back and use the one from your previous drink again and again.
- Take your own dishes to the take-away joint where you buy your food, and tell them you don’t need the polystyrene. They will think you are weird, but you will make all the difference.
- Recycle all your cling wrap and re-use wherever possible.
- Try not to take plastic bottles and bags with you to the beach.
- When you’re at the beach, be a good citizen and pick up 3 pieces of rubbish whenever you are there, even if it’s not yours. Be sure to throw it away so it won’t blow back into the sea. People will see your example and may follow suit.
For more tips and tricks on reducing your plastic usage, and also what to do with glass, paper and metal, please connect with the relevant page on Tedcor’s website here:
Flush less? Are you nuts? Eeeeew!
As of April 2018, the Vaal Dam is 100% full. The recent rains over the northern part of the country belie the fact that, essentially, South Africa is a dry country. This was echoed by government authorities, who warned consumers to use water sparingly in light of the impending winter and the water crisis in Cape Town. This may seem ridiculous, given the dam levels, but the 2015/16 drought was the worst ever recorded in the history of South Africa, since rainfall measurements began in the mid- to late-1800s.
When Durban was hit by massive floods in 1987, the four water pipes that served large parts of the city were severed by a deluge of water, ironically, cutting off fresh supplies to the country’s third-largest metro area. Residents came up with a little rhyme to remind them to use less water: “If it’s yellow let it mellow; if it’s brown flush it down.” The very notion sounds rather gross, but the average toilet cistern uses 25 litres of water every time you flush. If you consider that Cape Town residents have been restricted to just 50 litres a day per person, that’s only 2 flushes!
Part of Tedcor’s mandate is to not just recycle waste, but also conserve water. In a future blog we will be sharing how you can make better use of your grey water.
Elon Musk can keep Mars. We love Earth.
Ex-South African billionaire Elon Musk’s Space X programme is busy designing craft that will ferry the first humans to Mars. Reports suggest Musk believes colonising other planets is the only way we can ensure the survival of the human race. He’s not alone in his thinking. A prominent human behavioural specialist has been quoted as saying, “We need to destroy the Earth, in order to give us the momentum and the drive to find new worlds to ensure our survival.”
Well, we at Tedcor do not agree with this philosophy at all! Why can’t the intrepid space travellers go forth and find new worlds, while the homebodies and tree huggers stay on terra firma and preserve the mother planet? We do not believe that the two paradigms need to be mutually exclusive – there is, after all, a place in the sun for everyone.
As such, Tedcor will continue to preach its message of reduce, re-use, recycle, to ensure we preserve our beautiful planet until the Sun decides it’s time to explode.