Vodacom South Africa celebrates 30 years of love for the planet

In celebration of Earth Day and their 30th anniversary, Vodacom South Africa held a showcase and cooking competition focused on sustainable food sourcing. The day was part of Vodacom’s RedLovesGreen campaign, challenging Vodacom customers, colleagues and community members to create healthy and sustainable dishes for a healthier body and planet.

“Our focus for Earth Day this year was on sustainably produced food. Sustainable agriculture, fisheries and consumption can only be achieved by meeting the needs of current and future generations, while safeguarding environmental health and social and economic progress. As a purpose-driven organisation, we strive to leverage technology to enable and accelerate progress towards a sustainable future,” said Takalani Netshitenzhe, director of external affairs for Vodacom South Africa.

The Vodacom RedLovesGreen Immersion Day, attended by members of the Vodacom Exco, staff, customers, community members and the Vodacom sponsored rugby and football team members, included various activities aimed at sharing tips on growing vegetables in the garden, cooking using sustainable ingredients, recycling, upcycling and protecting our planet.

“An important aspect of the day was finding a way to involve our customers, community members and colleagues. Through this showcase and our various partner initiatives, we want to inform our entire Vodacom community about sustainable living. As a brand, we have been committed to caring for the planet for the past 30 years. But to drive real change, we need everyone in the Vodacom ecosystem to get involved and make tangible changes to their habits,” Netshitenzhe said.

The event attracted a number of exciting partners, including Tweak who helped develop Vodacom’s Carbon Calculator, World Wide Fund for Nature who partnered with Vodacom to support the South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI), and the African Children’s Feeding Scheme ( ACFS) that Vodacom has supported. since 2000, allowing ACFS to provide food to vulnerable children. The home-grown vegetables sold on the day came directly from ACFS community gardens. Also present were members of Mezzanine, a subsidiary of Vodacom that provides innovative technology solutions for both small and commercial farmers across Africa. For the continent’s large population of smallholder farmers, who lack the resources to effectively manage climate change, productivity for food security is at great risk. Digital technology can play a powerful role in enabling resilience to climate change, boosting crop production and aiding socio-economic development opportunities to transform Africa’s agricultural sector.

Overall the day was a great success and enjoyed by all who attended. Participants not only went home with a full stomach and wonderful prizes, but also with new knowledge and tools with which they can contribute to a sustainable future.

“We are immensely proud of the work we have done over the last 30 years to improve education around sustainable agriculture and consumption, both through the Vodacom Foundation and in collaboration with our partners. This event is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture” (SDG2), which recognizes the interlinkages between supporting sustainable agriculture, strengthening small farmers, promoting gender equality, ending rural poverty, ensuring healthy lifestyles and tackling climate change. By working together and making small changes in the way we consume, we can make a big difference to the future of our planet.