BLUEBUCK:
BlueBuck Environmental Coalition is a newly formed organisation that evolved from the Intervarsity Forum that UCT, UWC, NMMU & Now Rhodes were a part of. During the period of 15th -18th July 2011, our intervarsity forum officially launched the Coalition and the name BLUE BUCK was adopted and formed.
BlueBuck aims to support Universities, NGO’s, Societies and Individuals involved in environmental work; by helping them link up with peers, organisations and individuals who have the knowledge, experience and resources for them to succeed and make their voices heard. We also aim to help them easily share their successes and challenges, and improve cooperation locally and internationally
The Bluebuck Network helps these organisations cooperate and share successes and resources. It does not act directly on a campus, but is a network for organisations involved on these different platforms.
During this period I took 3 of my leadership Team at NMMU with me to attend the Bluebuck Summit and I again shared our GCI-NMMU presentation there. At this conference the University of ZAMBIA as well as Swaziland were also present. After the presentation Zambia as well as Swaziland has now decided to start a GCI at Their respective campuses as well. I have then spent quite some time with these delegates from these two institutions to guide them through various processes of how they can go about starting GCI at their Universities. We are still in regular contact through Email, Cell phone, Facebook & SKYPE.
Once AGAIN NMMU have made a Great Impact on Universities not only in Southern Africa but also in the continent of AFRICA. After the conference, a SADC Representative from International Student Organization (ISO or in some areas ISA), have approached me and have asked me to become one of their SADC representatives and have asked me to attend the next conference in Lesotho, to be held in October. I told him, that I will think about it. My priority NOW is GCI NMMU. I am currently in discussion with University of Lesotho, Botswana as well as Malawi to encourage and assist them in also starting their GCI there. We are currently busy planning a Workshop at the University of ZAMBIA for the end of January 2012, where I will be taking a team of +- 10-15 students from all the different NMMU residences & Campuses of NMMU including Missionvale, George &Bird Street, to assist with setting up and launching GCI ZAMBIA.
Another Thing that as GCI NMMU are also very proud of is that our REP for Second Avenue Campus, Mr Siphenathi Mdiva, has been elected as the Vice-Chairperson for BlueBuck South Africa...Well done Siphenathi!!!
Through our engagement with Bluebuck and with various other Organizations and Government departments, we envisage to also attend and be part of COP17 & COY7, as well as theGeneration Earth International summit, later this year. We are also working with UNEP, TUNZA, Galela Amantzi, and Green Times & Project 90 by 2030.
Officially COP17 is the name for the 17th big annual meeting (called the Conference of the Parties) of countries and organisations involved in ongoing United Nations climate change negotiations (known as the UNFCCC). Unofficially COP17 is the major UN Climate Change Conference for 2011 and it is happening in Durban from the 28th of November until the 9th of December. It has been called the "World Cup" of environmentalism and almost every major environmental organisation along with politicians, scientists, activists, youth all participate. There are many other smaller events that happen simultaneously to COP17, such as COY
COP17 is so significant because it is the last COP before the Kyoto protocol, the existing climate treaty from the COP process, expires and there is lots of pressure to try and produce a new treaty.
What is the Congress of the Youth, or COY7? This is one of the side events that happen at COP17, on the weekend before the main conference begins and is for the youth attending the conference from all over the world. It helps prepare them for the event and gives them a chance to cooperate on what the youth voice at COP should be. It is overseen by YOUNGO, which is the official name for the youth attending the COP event. In Durban it is happening from the 25th-28th of November.