Spekboom – dynamite comes in small packages

At times the choice to make a change can be challenging.

Where does one start? Will the small change I make really drive a bigger change in the larger ecosystem?

Spekboom or Portulacaria Afra is an incredible plant found in South Africa. It is also known as elephant bush, dwarf jade plant, and porkbush. It is a small-leaved succulent (with a serious bang for buck, that punches well above its weight) that is a phenomenal CO₂ sponge, which means that it will play a key role in helping us navigate solutions to combat climate change. 

Four tonnes of carbon dioxide are absorbed each year per hectare of spekboom planted, which means that this tiny leafed plant is more effective than the Amazon rainforest at sucking carbon dioxide out of our atmosphere. 

A few weeks ago we featured a blog encouraging South African’s to join the Spekboom Challenge. Well, the movement is growing and more people around the country are contributing towards making a difference to our future using the power of this little plant.

So, use this opportunity to make a small difference and contribute to something far bigger than your immediate ecosystem. As a rule of thumb, you should always make the effort to start… the finer details we will work out along the journey.

Here are a few pictures of members of the CN&CO team who have Spekboom at their homes.