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
43 Episodes
1 – 20

Our Living Community - 26 November 2025

We end our series on the brave firefighters of the Volunteer Wildfire Services this week with a look at how you can get involved, or help in any way. Lee Kleinhans told Otto van der Walt of some great ideas!
26 Nov 4 min

Our Living Community - 19 November 2025

This episode is all about technology and how the Volunteer Wildfire Services’ firefighters use simple devices to fight fires and communicate important information to help manage and direct not only a current fire but also future fires. Lee Kleinhans and Otto van der Walt are still sitting by a stream…
19 Nov 10 min

Our Living Community - 12 November 2025

Capetonians are very familiar with the wildfire season which is normally during the hot and dry summer months. They've certainly seen their share of fires on Table Mountain and saw how devastating they can be. In this episode Lee Kleinhans from Volunteer Wildfire Services tells Otto van der Walt what…
12 Nov 7 min

Our Living Community - 5 November 2025

We start a hot new series this week on the brave volunteers who have to keep a cool head in hot conditions. They are the volunteers who make up the Volunteer Wildfire Services. Otto van der Walt spoke to Lee Kleynhans from the organisation about their origins and special training…
5 Nov 3 min

Our Living Community - 29 October 2025

We're ending off our focus on the Freshwater Research Centre with a look at two of their projects that the public can get involved with. The first is a national database system of research data that is updated by the public, and that has been so successful that it is…
29 Oct 3 min

Our Living Community - 22 October 2025

Our rivers and wetlands serve various important functions in the environment. But what would it cost us, in monetary terms, in rands and cents, to replace those functions with made-made solutions? In other words, if we didn't look after our rivers and wetlands, what would it cost us to install…
22 Oct 3 min

Our Living Community - 15 October 2025

The Freshwater Research Centre has partnered with an international organisation called the Nature Conservancy in Africa, to monitor what effect the removal of invasive alien vegetation has on the rivers in the catchment areas that feed the Theewaterskloof dam. In this episode Kate Snaddon tells Otto van der Walt what…
15 Oct 3 min

Our Living Community - 8 October 2025

Our Living Community is currently shining the environment spotlight on the Freshwater Research Centre. Co-founder Kate Snaddon spoke to Otto van der Walt about some of the projects they're currently working on.
8 Oct 3 min

Our Living Community - 1 October 2025

We start a new series this week looking at an organisation working with our freshwater bodies and everything in and around it. The Freshwater Research Centre was co-founded by Kate Snaddon and she spoke to Otto van der Walt about how and why the organisation started.
1 Oct 2 min

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
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