Visitors to the sixth annual Sustainable Living Exhibition will have an opportunity to experience the world’s first Foot Fuelling Station.
This is being presented by GO!Durban, the EThekwini Municipality’s new integrated rapid public transport network, which is currently under construction.
The fuelling station is a place where the avid walkers and riders of Durban’s streets can go to fuel their feet.
Here, they will be treated to foot rubs, reflexology, shoe shining and cleaning as well as an opportunity to refresh themselves while imbibing in the exciting information about the City’s vision for public transport.
The Sustainable Living Exhibition is hosted by the EThekwini Municipality and the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
The Exhibition, the City’s premier greening event, will run from Friday, 14/08/2015 until Sunday, 16/08/2015 at the Durban Exhibition Centre from 9h00 to 17h00.
A range of sustainable living measures will be available at the Exhibition with a number of discussions, exhibitions and presentations lined up. These will cover a range of issues including living off the grid, ways to conserve water and minimising waste in your home.
Core to the Exhibition is the non-motorised transport networks, which is the GO!Durban project.
These networks include bicycle lanes, walkways and bridges for pedestrians and commuter and recreational purposes.
This will provide a safer, more efficient, reliable and cost-effective public transport network and will reduce the need for people to rely on vehicles.
Thami Manyathi, Head of the EThekwini Transport Authority said they are currently constructing a dedicated bus lane from Bridge City to Pinetown as part of the first route to be developed in the public transport network which covers the entire municipality.
“This new route will cut down travel time from Bridge City to Pinetown by half, reducing the number of people using their own cars and opting to use public transport instead. With more people riding and cycling and fewer cars on the road, our carbon footprint will decrease in the long run,” he said.
The EThekwini Municipality will be implementing bicycle workshops in 2016 and 2017 as well as building new parks to give the public more space to learn to cycle. More information about these initiatives will be available at the GO!Durban stand at the Exhibition.
EThekwini Mayor Cllr James Nxumalo said 2015 was the year to move towards a more sustainable future.
“In the words of our President Jacob Zuma during the State of the Nation Address he said, ‘This is the year of going the extra mile in building a prosperous South Africa.’ It is the year that represents an opportunity for transformation. It is the year we make history in moving towards a more sustainable and equitable future. Sustainability is not a quick fix, it is a process of reaching decisions with due diligence in the interest of all stakeholders,” he said.
The Mayor said with this mind every one could build the kind of future they wanted for themselves, their neighbours and future generations.
Sustainable Living Exhibition