ABOUT US

Eco Atlas empowers you to make better choices for people, for the planet and for your family, your business and yourself.

Who we are

South Africa’s all-inclusive eco ethic platform provides a unique search function which enables you to find places to eat, shop, stay and play according to the priorities that are important to you as a conscious traveller and active citizen.

There are so many people and places creating positive change and walking the talk of social justice and regenerative practices and Eco Atlas provides you with the map to find them. Expect to find hotels which recycle, restaurants serving ethical food or activities that empower the local community with profit share. Using the twenty Eco Choice icons you will be able to see at a glance who is achieving sustainable goals and make informed decisions about where to go, or be inspired to source locally produced and earth-friendly goods.

Eco Atlas is the first of its kind in South Africa in that it provides you with both the social and environmental achievements of places and highlights businesses that are making a difference. Any business can be listed as long as they meet at least three of the Eco Choice criteria.

Knowledge is power, put the power of choice back in your hands and, find what you’re looking for (and if you can’t find it, Recommend a Place you love and help grow the eco ethic movement!)

Rhian Berning – Founder

“I’m passionate about providing proactive tools so we can overcome the great disconnect and have a true sense of the part we play in this web we call life, enabling a viable future for all.”

Rhian Berning is an environmental activist and visionary, passionate about the interconnection of all life and the solutions and innovations leading us to a regenerative and socially just culture. She is the founder of Eco Atlas, which empowers active citizens with the information needed to vote with their daily choices for a better world. She was recently awarded the Eco-Angel Award in the South African Eco-Logic Awards presided over by the Minister of Environmental Affairs, in recognition of her life’s work in the fields of environmental education, awareness and activism. She speaks and trains on zero waste (through one of her projects Renew Able Plett) as well as on active citizenship, eco efficient homes and climate solutions. She is also a Director of the Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative creating biodiversity hotspot natural corridors.

Learn more about my personal experiences of regeneration after fire on my blog Stronger Greener Better

Rhian Berning – Founder

“I’m passionate about providing proactive tools so we can overcome the great disconnect and have a true sense of the part we play in this web we call life, enabling a viable future for all.”

Learn more about my personal experiences of regeneration after fire on my blog Stronger Greener Better

Advisory Team

Carmen van der Westhuizen

Carmen loves working with consciously minded businesses who have similar values to her so she can tell organic and authentic stories.A year ago her and her business partner decided to turn their passions into a creative communications company, “Explore More Creative Collective”. They specialise in marketing strategy and consultation, video content and photography.

She likes spending her time telling meaningful stories, especially around topics like responsible travel, conscious behaviour when adventuring outdoors and sustainable living. Through her work and clients she likes to encourage people to explore more and to do so with intention and mindfulness around their impact. She is deeply curious about the relationship between people, wildlife and the spaces they share.

Gina Ziervogel

lectures at UCT in the Dept of Environmental & Geographical Science. She has focused her research on climate change vulnerability and adaptation and has an interest in social-ecological system transformation. She is passionate about transdisciplinary and applied research, has worked with a range of academics, local communities, NGOs and local government and been involved in a number of local and international activities around climate and development.

Gina Ziervogel

Xoli Fuyani

is an Environmental Educator at the Earthchild Project. For more than 15 years she has been working in the NGO sector, offering complementary education to Primary Schools and communities with a focus on environmental education and self development. Her approach to education is holistic, reconnecting the children to self, nature and the world around them. Her wish is to inspire children to play a role in our societies by creating the change they want to see, by learning and developing a sense of UBUNTU (humanity), because we all have the ability to enhance or change the current situation.

Pierre Heistein

is a macroeconomic consultant specialising in Sub-Saharan Africa. He works as an independent specialist for a range of leading consultancies including 10EQS Consulting Services in the U.S. and Oxford Analytica in the U.K. For the last 6 years Pierre has written a weekly column for The Business Report in South Africa.

Pierre Heistein

Martin Wolfaardt

has a diverse background that encompasses a post-graduate degree in theoretical physics, a few unpleasant years in the financial markets, ownership of a small web development business and his current role as CTO for an international company in the Talent Analytics space. His passion for jazz improvisation reflects an evolving realisation that the only hope we have of leaving our children a habitable planet is to respond to the incessant madness of modernity with creativity, positivity and meaningful personal development.

Craig Armstrong

is an enthusiastic Computer Science graduate currently working as a software developer. He has an inquiring mind and a passion for learning. He always rises to the challenge of solving complex technical problems and takes pleasure in helping find solutions.