Fine Music Radio Our Living Community

Our Living Community

Our Living Community on Fine Music Radio, is broadcast every Wednesday morning at 07:15 on the Classic Breakfast with Mike Mills. It's presented by Otto van der Walt and is brought to you by RE/MAX Living Cape Town. The focus is on the environmental issues within our community, and we explore ways of ensuring the sustainability of the environment while giving back to the community.
Weekly English South Africa Science · Nature
34 Episodes
1 – 20

Our Living Community - 24 September 2025

In this final episode focusing on the Newlands Forest Conservation Group, Willem Boshoff tells Otto van der Walt about the human impact in Newlands Forest, and how listeners can help the organisation. Our Living Community is broadcast every Wednesday Morning on the Classic Breakfast with Mike Mills at 07:15.
24 Sep 4 min

Our Living Community - 17 September 2025

Have you ever considered that taking your dog for a walk in Newlands Forest, or going for a picnic there, might have more benefits than just giving your dog its exercise or socialising with friends? In this episode of Our Living Community, Willem Boshoff of the Newlands Forest Conservation Group…
17 Sep 4 min

Our Living Community - 10 September 2025

Bark stripping combined with other environmental factors can potentially create the perfect conditions for a catastrophic wild fire. In this episode of Our Living Community, Willem Boshoff from the Newlands Forest Conservation Group tells Otto van der Walt about this and other far reaching impacts of bark stripping in Newlands…
10 Sep 4 min

Our Living Community - 3 September 2025

Various plants have been proven to have medicinal properties, and many cultural and religious groups use them as remedies or in rituals. In this episode of Our Living Community, the co-founder of the Newlands Forest Conservation Group, Willem Boshoff, explains to Otto van der Walt the core activity they were…
3 Sep 3 min

Our Living Community - 27 August 2025

Finding a sustainable solution to bark stripping, that doesn't cost the earth ánd is practically implementable, is not an easy task. Willem Boshoff, who is the co-founder of the Newlands Forest Conservation Group, told Otto van der Walt about how they researched, tested and eventually, found a solution to the…
27 Aug 3 min

Our Living Community - 20 August 2025

Newlands Forest is one of Cape Town’s green gems. Hundreds of people hike, run and picnic in the forest on a daily basis. But up until recently, a practice called bark stripping threatened the ecology and make-up of the forest. In this first episode of a new series focusing on…
20 Aug 3 min

Our Living Community - 13 August 2025

If you find yourself in a difficult situation somewhere and need to get out urgently, then the best person to help you is usually someone who knows the place like the back of their hand. In the case of the Cape mountains, the person you want with you, is a…
13 Aug 4 min

Our Living Community - 6 August 2025

The fight against invasive aliens growing in our wilderness areas is ongoing, and one that is not going to end any time soon. In previous episodes we've heard about community “hack” groups that are tackling invasives on the slopes of Table Mountain. But what about the ones perched on top…
6 Aug 3 min

Our Living Community - 30 July 2025

We all know that teaching children about the beauty and fun of nature, breeds responsible, confident and skilled adults. The Mountain Club of South Africa runs a special project taking young children into the mountains and teaching them about the fauna and flora, and valuable skills, while having fun. In…
30 Jul 3 min

Our Living Community - 23 July 2025

The Mountain Club of South Africa is run by passionate volunteers who love the mountains. In this week's episode Anthea van Wieringen tells Otto van der Walt about the club's meetings and the volunteers who make everything happen.
23 Jul 4 min

Our Living Community - 16 July 2025

In this episode of Our Living Community we turn the spotlight to a recreational club having fun but also helping the environment. The Mountain Club of South Africa's Anthea van Wieringen talks to Otto van der Walt about how the club started and what their goals are.
16 Jul 3 min

Our Living Community - 9 July 2025

Various organisations working in the Table Mountain National Park have joined forces this week to launch a petition called Save Our Mountain. Otto van der Walt caught up with the founder of a previously featured organisation here on Our Living Community, Andy Davies from Friends of Table Mountain to find…
9 Jul 4 min

Our Living Community - 2 July 2025

The Sugarbird Project runs on passion, grit and determination. But it also needs a range of skills and money. In the last episode focusing on this driven organization, Sandy van Hoogstraten tells Otto van der Walt about all the ways in which people have offered to help, like donating paint,…
2 Jul 4 min

Our Living Community - 25 June 2025

To remove invasive alien vegetation takes more than just chopping down some trees. In this episode of Our Living Community, Sandy van Hoogstraten tells Otto van der Walt what a proper hack entails, and what makes a hack challenging.
25 Jun 4 min

Our Living Community - 18 June 2025

The Sugarbird Project teams work hand in hand with local community hack groups. In this episode of Our Living Community, co-founder of the organization, Sandy van Hoogstraten, tells Otto van der Walt about how they work together to restore Table Mountain's Floral Kingdom to a pristine state.
18 Jun 3 min

Our Living Community - 11 June 2025

Tackling the removal of alien vegetation, or hacking, is a team effort. The co-founder of the Sugarbird Project, Sandy van Hoogstraten tells Otto van der Walt about their collaborative relationship with Sanparks, and stripped away any illusions of the severity of the invasives problem.
11 Jun 3 min

Our Living Community - 4 June 2025

What would happen if we left invasive alien vegetation to spread in the Table Mountain National Park? The co-founder of the Sugarbird Project, Sandy van Hoogstraten lays out all the details to Otto van der Walt in this week's episode of Our Living Community.
4 Jun 3 min

Our Living Community - 28 May 2025

In this episode we start a new series on our next organization: the Sugarbird Project. Otto van der Walt joined co-founder Sandy van Hoogstraten on her daily walk, joined by Sandy's two pups, Bella and Benjamin. She told him all about how she and co-founder Maya Naumann started the project,…
28 May 4 min

Our Living Community - 14 May 2025

In this episode Andy Davies from Friends of Table Mountain tells Otto van der Walt about their trail clearing efforts, how they're directly dependent on donations, and how long a clearing lasts.
14 May 3 min
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