Khusela Ikamva – “Secure the Future”

UCT launched the Khusela Ikamva "secure the future" sustainable campus project in 2020, as part of its vision 2030 Agenda. Sustainability is a core concern of UCT's Vision 2030.
The aim of the project is to catalyse the transformation of UCT into a sustainable campus by establishing a community of practice informed by:
- leading research that incorporates UCT stakeholders from all spheres (students, academic and PASS staff)
- extensive and inclusive engagement with the university community
- exemplar Living Lab interventions on campus, that serve as a proof-of-concept
The project considers environmental, financial and social impacts associated with five core themes in the UCT campus context, namely energy/carbon, water, waste, wildlife and social responsiveness. The project aims to support and build on UCT's environmental sustainability strategy and includes research to determine the feasibility of particular elements. Certain solutions will be developed into a proof-of-concept to be tested on campus, in targeted areas on campus, through a Living Lab approach. The project will thereby become a key enabler to transform the institutional fabric of UCT to become a more sustainable campus, through not only the physical fabric of the campus but also through the social fabric which is the campus community.
The project focuses on these key themes, each with a dedicated research leader and team located in a UCT research institution, collaborating together:
- energy/carbon footprint – Harro von Blottnitz (ESRG)
- sustainable water – Kirsty Carden (Future Water)
- waste/energy/food nexus – Thanos Kotsiopoulos (CeBER)
- wildlife/waste/art nexus – Nicoli Nattrass (iCWild)
- establishing a community of practice/social responsiveness – Britta Rennkamp (ACDI)
The work is coordinated by the Director for Environmental Sustainability in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, with support services from the Research Office, including a governance committee that is tracking project progress over the course of this five-year project (2021 to
2026). For more information please go to the UCT website for this project at https://uct.ac.za/transformation-sustainability-sustainability-projects/khusela-ikamva-sustainable-campus-project
This sustainable campus map website emerges from the Khusela Ikamva project (a planned virtual map/lab of water sustainability and a larger sustainable campus tour initiative combined). The intention is to create an online map of various UCT sustainable campus features, initiatives and Living Lab interventions, as well as future opportunities to turn unsustainable aspects into more sustainable responses. It is not exhaustive in that it will not cover every possible initiative and will not always be 100% up to date, but nevertheless aims to extend the knowledge and create awareness of examples of what environmentally sustainable interventions exists on UCT campuses. If you have any suggestions for campus features/items that could be added to the website map, please contact the project coordinator on email manfred.braune@uct.ac.za.