Earthlife Africa (ELA) is a membership driven organization of environmental and social justice activists, founded to mobilize civil society around environmental issues in relation to people. ELA Johannesburg (Jhb) branch was established in August 1988 as the first branch of the organization. Since then, ELA has expanded to include branches in Cape Town, eThekwini (formerly Durban) and Tshwane (formerly Pretoria), as well as one in Windhoek, Namibia. Branches are largely autonomous, but linked through the ELA Statement of Belief and common campaign activities. ELA is a largely volunteer-driven organisation. In recent years, funding has been acquired by some branches to staff and facilitate specific campaigns.
What does Earthlife Africa do?
Earthlife Africa's main activities are campaign related. This includes lobbying and advocacy with a range of stakeholders including government, building campaigns at community level through sharing information and skills, engaging with environmental impact assessments, engaging the media, and researching and producing information materials. While historically best know for highlighting environmental injustice, we also work to promote ecologically sound alternatives, like renewable energy and efficiency, organic farming and adopting the 'Zero Waste' approach to industrial pollution and waste management. We have also put considerable effort into participation in government policy development processes.
Earthlife Africa's autonomous branches run a variety of different campaigns and projects. All branches are involved in the Nuclear Energy Costs The Earth Campaign (NECTEC). For more information about the campaigns and projects the different branches are involved in, please see the branches' respective websites.
What does Earthlife Africa Cape Town do?
Earthlife Africa Cape Town's current main activity is the NECTEC. We are active also around renewable energy, marine protection, food security and waste issues. We are affiliated to the following organisations;
Biowatch South Africa
Environmental Justice Networking Forum (EJNF)
Environmental Monitoring Group (EMG)
Institute for Zero-Waste in Africa (IZWA)
SouthSouthNorth (SSN)
South African Climate Action Network (SACAN)
Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Project (SECCP)
Sustainable Energy Africa (SEA)
Ubushushu Bendalos
Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa (WESSA)
