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Publication

YOU

Page

16-17

Date

Wed 01 Jan 2020

AVE (ZAR)

105474.69

YOU NEWS

HEYwantedtomakeama-jor statement, one climatechange denialists wouldfind impossibleto ignore.And that'sexactlywhat

they'redoing.TheirGreatLabyrinthofAfrica -

with dimensionsroughlythe sameasthe largestoftheAncientEgyptianpyramids- is taking shapeamongtherollinghillsofStellenboschintheWesternCape.And it will even-tuallybe sovastthat astronautswillbe ableto seeit from space,saysPeterShrimpton,founderoftheGreatLaby-rinth ofAfricaproject.But itwon't bebuilt frombrick orstone.

Insteadit'll bemadealmostentirely outofspekboomplants - 90000ofthem tobeprecise.The purpose: to serve as a living re-

minder that it'severyperson'sdutytobemindfuloftheir carbonfootprint.Astheywalkthe13circuitsoftheleafylabyrinth,visitors aremeant to meditate onwhatthey can do to cut their wasteful con-sumptionhabits.Thelabyrinthwillbethelargestin Africawhen it opensthis yearand has the samedesign asthat of theChartresCathedral labyrinth in France.Using spekboomplants to shapethe

new global landmark wasn't a randomdecision.The distinctive succulentis alltheragerightnow- andforgoodreason.Researchshowsonemature spekboomcanabsorbup to 8,5kgofcarbondioxide(CO;) ayear,whichmakestheplants 10timesmore effectiveat reducing carbonin the atmospherethan tropical rain-foresttrees.With globalwarmingnowsuchanur-

gent issue, many South Africans arechoosingtoplant thehumblesucculentin theirgardensin thehopeit'll helpslowthepaceofclimatechange.Addingto theplant'sappealisthat it's

hardy,waterwiseand low-maintenance- soeven if you don't have greenfingersthis is oneplant you shouldbe able tokeepalive.

MIRACLE PLANTThe spekboomis indigenous to SouthAfrica and doesn't occur naturally any-where elsein the world, saysProfessorStefanSiebertofthebotanydepartmentatNorth-West University.It's also one of the fewplants in the

16 | 30JANUARY 2020you.co.za

THEA-MAZE-ING'SPEKBOOMA labyrinthmadeofthe indigenoussucculentwill raiseawarenessofour carbonfootprintBY CHARLEASIEBERHAGEN-GREY

world thatreleasesoxygendayandnight.As aresult,onehectareofspekboomcanabsorbbetweenfour and 10tons ofcar-bon ayear, Siebert says."Due to their efficientphotosynthesis,

spekboom are ideal as a resource tocounterclimatechange;"he says.In addition, the evergreen succulent

hasseveralotheruses.Tortoisesandele-phants go crazy for its juicy leaves,Sie-

y"

bert says.But peoplecanalsotuck in."Its leaveshave a slight lemony taste

andthey're popular in saladswith toma-toesandchickpeas,"he says.The leaves are rich in vitamin C and

you cansuckthemto quenchyour thirstor chewthem to relieve a sorethroat, headds.Or you can crush them to treat arangeofnigglessuchasblisters, insectbitesand sunburn.

GREATLABYRINTHOFAFRICA:THENUMBERS

Itsdimensioninsquaremetres.

i Thenumberof_ |i lanesofhedging |+ makingupitsi 13circuits.

The numberofplantsin

| everymetre.

i_ Howmanytonsofi COztheplantsinthei- labyrinthwillabsorb|_ everyyear.

Thenumber |ofyearsaspekboomcanlive.

Howmanytonsof CO2SouthAfrica releasesintothe atmospher eeveryyear.

Howmanyspekboomtrees+= wouldhaveto beplantedto

neutralise SA'stotal carbonfootprint.

wM

a - + R

Pe " ® &»

+ * #

aei \.

Sjokolade,espressoenklapperpannacottaBestanddele40g Lindt 70% donkersjokolade, fyngesny500mklapperroom60 ml xylitol5ml espresso-poeier60m! warm water .

2.5ml agar-agar

Metode

Smeer 4 ramekins (115g-grootte)liggies met klapperolie.In 'n mediumgrootte pot oormedium/lae hitte, smelt diedonkersjokolade, klapperroom, xylitolsen espresso-poeier tot opgelos englad. Roer nou en dan om te verhoeddat sjokolademengsel brand.Hou op stoof tot mengsel begin prut.Verwyder van stoof.

Meng die agar-agar in die warmwater in 'n aparte houer tot volledigopgelos.Klop die opgeloste agar-agar-mengsel by die sjokolademengsel.Verhoog die hitte tot die mengsel

' stadig begin kook. Kook vir 3 minuteen roer tot dik. ke

Gooi die mengsel in dievoorafge'smeerde ramekins enverkoel tot volledig gestol. Versienmst vars bessies, klappé'r, ens. Jy

/Maak 4 panna cottas