Sustainability Institute

The Drie Gewels Roof Restoration - A new crown for an historic building:

As a result of our crowd funding campaign towards the end of last year and the loyal support of The Lexi Cinema and the Rupert Heritage Foundation, Drie Gewels’ new roof is now complete.

The foundations of the building are traceable through its remarkable history and today it remains one of the finest examples of Cape Revival houses within the winelands.

Timeline of Drie Gewels History

• Early 1700s: The site was part of the Welmoed farm, owned by Jacobus van der Heyden. His defiance against the corrupt governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel earned him a reputation for courage ("wel moed"), which likely gave the farm its name.
• 1914: The building was constructed by Mr. Kramer, a wealthy businessman, as his private residence.
• Mid-20th Century: The residence was converted into the Glen Eagles Hotel, eventually becoming known as the Drie Gewels Hotel.
• 1967: Significant archaeological finds of Stone Age implements (cleavers, choppers, and handaxes) were discovered on the site, revealing the area's ancient history.
• 1989: The building became a focal point of political protest when it hosted the Voëlvry music group after they were banned from performing elsewhere. The concert was a pivotal moment in cultural resistance against apartheid.
• 1999: The Sustainability Institute purchased the land and buildings. The hotel was in need of a total overhaul and this building along with others on-site were renovated to house a primary school, a hall, student accommodation and the SI’s offices and classrooms.
• 2002: It became a place of residence for students who studied at the SI. NGOs and various organisations rented the larger spaces for workshops, contributing towards the income-generating activities of the SI. The Drie Gewels eco-lodge welcomed guests until September 2018.
• 2024: The SI celebrated its 25th anniversary as a place of imagination and restoration. Drie Gewels continues providing a remarkable space for students of all ages who engage with the SI’s transformative learning programmes.

Connection to a place enhances our ability to learn from it and by crowning Drie Gewels with a new roof, we have secured a place for the next generation of children, generative citizens, explorers, edgewalkers, and storytellers to imagine what a regenerative future can look like.

Drie Gewels holds the spirit of "Welmoed" (courage) and that is part of its foundational strength. Its roots are historical and the new roof is securing a future promise to ensure that the "everyday magic" of the SI can continue undisturbed.
Here is to the next twenty years of transformative learning. Thank you to everyone that made this possible!

Through barista and hospitality training, our youth learned technical coffee and specialty beverage preparation, from bean selection and dialling in grinders to steaming microfoam, alongside essential front-of-house customer service and equipment hygiene protocols.

Mastering these practical skills while learning to handle real-world customer interactions builds profound personal confidence and social development, empowering young people with the self-assurance and hands-on versatility needed to thrive in hospitality careers.

A big thank you to our Nourish team for leading the training!

We just held our very first Annual General Meeting and 2025 has been quite a year to reflect on!

From nourishing meals grown in our own food gardens to children finding their confidence in our Children's House, to young people building the skills and healing they need for what comes next — this year showed us just how many ways "sustainability" lives in action.

A few numbers that made us proud:

26,740 meals served in 2025

35,000 seedlings planted every year

120 school children learning in our food gardens each week

Almost 24 million people reached through our knowledge network on organic farming and agroecology

Thank you to our incredible team, trustees, partners and funders who make this work possible. Here's to more growth, more connection, and more of this beautiful, multi-faceted work ahead.

You can read the full report here:https://www.sustainabilityinstitute.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/SI-Annual-Report-2025_single-pages-interactive.pdf

“Old ways of thinking cannot keep up with current challenges” - Aisha Marzuki.

During last month’s Soil, Soul & Society event at the Sustainability Institute, futures practitioner Francois Pretorius and futurist, author and systems thinker Aisha Marzuki unpacked futures thinking, stewardship, daily practices and navigating uncertainty. Together, they balanced practical realities with the imperative of building regenerative futures that endure across generations.

The discussion invites participants to move beyond the here and now and consider how systems can be reshaped for the benefit of all.

Listen to the full conversation on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0bGiaddHVuoGLHqCNrptUa?si=Bj1zRg0zQgODses4GCbI6w&nd=1&dlsi=83e4f4c1032b4745

Deliciousness alert: Have you ever tasted creeping foxglove relish? What about Beetroot salad with indigenous veg and peanut butter?

We hadn't either until we welcomed eco-cook and permaculturalist Bia Goll from Sao Paolo in Brazil, storyteller Megan Lindow, and wild food expert Loubie Rusch to turn our campus into a “living laboratory” for culinary discovery, community knowledge sharing and storytelling.

The result was an amazing fusion of flavours and recipes that are as unique as the Cape Floral kingdom.

Discover the recipes and explore the full story here: https://www.sustainabilityinstitute.net/2026/07/01/our-afro-brazilian-wild-food-journey/

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We are glad to announce the release of the updated 2026 Nedbank SMART Living Guide developed in partnership with the Sustainability Institute. Originally published in 2019, Nedbank commissioned a comprehensive review to ensure the guide remains a relevant and accurate resource for contemporary sustainability trends, technologies, and regulations in South Africa.

This guide is one of a series available and is free to use for individuals, communities, and businesses starting, or enhancing their reduction journeys. There are step by step guidelines and case studies to demonstrate their efficacy.
Consider this when debating whether you need to know how to live smarter:

1. We use more water than the global average: Average water consumption in South Africa is 237 litres per person per day, which is significantly higher than the estimated world average of 173 litres.
2. A small leak leads to major waste: A single leaking tap can waste roughly 20 litres of water a day—enough to fill a standard bucket.
3. Wasted: There is so much to re-use and re-purpose yet it is estimated that only 7.5% of South Africans currently recycle.
4. LEDs: Replacing 10 old 50 W bulbs with LEDs can save you approximately R11,000 in electricity costs over five years.
5. Small geyser tweaks yield big savings: Simply lowering your geyser's thermostat from 65°C to 60°C can cut water heating costs by 8% to 12%.

Discover how to reduce your cost of living and smarter ways of tackling household maintenance by working with the handy tips and guidelines: Download the full guide here: https://group.nedbank.co.za/sustainability/sustainability-resource-centre/sustainability-guides.html