SA Affordable Housing May / June 2017 // Issue: 64 | Page 8

NEWS
SA Cleantech
entrepreneurs honoured
on world stage
Two South African Cleantech innovators were honoured at the
Global Forum during the 2017 Cleantech Week in San Francisco.
Y
olandi Schoeman of Baoberry, the winner of the 2016
South African Global Cleantech Innovation
Programme for SMEs (GCIP-SA), was named one of
two overall runner-up teams, while 2016 GCIP-SA runner-
up Martin Ackermann of Thevia was the winner in the
Green Buildings category.
Schoeman and Ackermann competed with clean
technology innovators and entrepreneurs from India,
Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan and Turkey for top honours
at the forum.
Schoeman’s aWetbox – a wetland in a box – is a nature-
based ecologically engineered water-purifying solution
suitable for use in rural communities facing water security
challenges, as well as for residential, holiday and
corporate developments. It is also available as a
do-it-yourself package.
“Being part of the GCIP-SA programme has been an
important learning experience in my entrepreneurial
career. Besides the honour of being selected a global
runner-up, this acknowledgement also confirms that
ecological engineering has been placed on the global
map,” Schoeman says.
Ackermann is delighted with the recognition. “This award
is our first step in convincing the world that this is the way
all roof tiles should be made. We are extremely excited
about the future of our product,” he says. Thevia received
the award for its roof tiles, which are manufactured from
99% waste materials (crusher discard and recycled HDPE).
The tiles are 75% lighter than conventional concrete roof
tiles but double the strength with less than 0.1% breakage,
translating into cost savings of 8% to 15% on total
roof installation.
This year’s Cleantech Open Global Forum winner was
Green India Building Systems and Services Private Limited
(GIBBS). The company developed a geothermal heat-
exchange air-conditioning system that achieves up to 60%
energy savings and 100% water savings compared to
conventional building cooling systems.
“The achievements of the GCIP-SA participants at the
Global Forum illustrates the level and quality of cleantech
innovation and entrepreneurship in the country,” says
Gerswynn McKuur, national project manager of the GCIP in
South Africa.
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AFFORDABLE
SA HOUSING
Yolandi Schoeman next to her project.
“We are grateful to the United Nations Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO), the Technology
Innovation Agency (TIA) and the Global Environment
Facility for their vision and support of this programme.”