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Caren Botha, Propelair South Africa General Manager

Meet the members, in conversation with Caren Botha

Caren Botha is the general manager for Propelair in South Africa, and she is passionate about saving water. She answered our questions to give us insight into her work, the environment and what inspires her.

  1. Where do you go for inspiration?

My inspiration comes from my daughter, she is a vibrant, positive, happy girl, despite the difficulties she had to endure growing up. Seeing that nothing can get her down, and that she is a go getter, drives me to be better. It inspires me to be the best version of me.

  1. What is the best part of your workday?

The best part of my workday is meeting clients face to face, building relationships, and walking out of a meeting energised, being able to assist our clients in saving money, water, and saving the earth at the same time. With the limited contact during COVID, it was difficult building relationships online, and if you are an extrovert like me, where we get our energy from people, this is for sure the best time of a workday.

  1. What is the most exciting aspect of your work currently?

Being the only person representing Propelair in SA for almost a year, without having met any of my colleagues in the UK personally, and managing to onboard new clients, set up a new entity and finding channel partners all during a global pandemic.

  1. What achievement are you most proud of?

In my personal life, the biggest achievement that I am proud of is raising a wonderful, confident young girl with a positive outlook on life. Professionally, I am proud of having raised Propelair’s profile and footprint in South Africa, and then Africa.

  1. What do you think is the most urgent global environmental challenge facing us?

I don’t think we can single out any one of the many global environmental challenges we are facing. Propelair specifically focuses on water reduction because it’s absolutely essential to our wellbeing and life. Being conscious of the declining water resources, and understanding the urgency to use water efficiently – and understanding what will happen if we run out of clean drinking water – drives me to try and educate as many people as possible as part of my job. I am not just selling a toilet. I’m genuinely trying to provide a better way to use water efficiently. If only one person changes his/her daily awareness of not wasting water, we can all make a huge difference in the world. So imagine this on a big scale, such as in a mall or an office, where you have loads of toilets, and just by making this one upgrade, organisations and individuals can make a positive difference.

  1. What do you feel is the biggest issue in the green building industry that we have to overcome, and any ideas on where to start in tackling it?

I personally think that the GBCSA has been excellent in addressing energy efficiency especially in new buildings. I would like to see more focus on water savings on a bigger scale, not only in new buildings, but also existing buildings. Some of the old buildings are the areas where the most water is being wasted.

For many organisations, there needs to be a cost incentive to use products like ours, which tend to be more expensive than the less efficient standard products they have already. So I think organisations like Propelair and the GBCSA need to find ways to educate decision makers on the financial savings they can achieve with eco-friendly products and likewise, the buyers need to plan for the future and not settle for quick fixes.

Individual Membership

Designed for professionals acting in their individual capacity, including single consultant-businesses.

Organisational Membership

Ideal for companies, government departments, and organisations.

  • Total Employees: 1 - 5 Employees - R 4080.00
  • Total Employees: 6 - 20 Employees - R 12570.00
  • Total Employees: 21 - 50 Employees - R 24690.00
  • Total Employees: 51 Plus Employees - R 43840.00

Lisa Reynolds

Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director

Lisa Reynolds is the CEO of the Green Building Council South Africa.

Lisa was the driver for the drafting of Energy Efficiency Standards and Regulations for Buildings and has been involved in Energy Efficiency since 2003. She serves on many committees in the SABS and within the energy management professionals’ space. She was President of the SAEEC from 2016 to 2019 and was the previous President of the ESCo (Energy Services Companies) Association. Lisa was instrumental in the formation of SAFEE (Southern African Females in Energy Efficiency) within SAEEC.

She has assisted the South African Government with its Green Building Framework policies, Energy Efficiency Tax Incentives and Energy Efficiency Strategies

Her passion for the “Green space” started with the birth of the Green Building Council in 2007. Lisa served on the Board and the Technical Committee of the GBCSA, as well as on several Technical Working Groups for Rating Tools and Criteria. Lisa. became CEO in June 2020.

Lisa has a BSc, an MBA and a CEM. Lisa’s awards include the 2007 ETA Award for Women, 2008 Individual Energy (SAEE), 2012 SABS Standards Writer Award; the 2014 Women in Energy (SAWIEN); and the 2016 Ian Lane Hall of Fame award.

Lisa is committed to growing the Green Economy within a Green Recovery.

Organisational categories

As an organisational member, you will fall into one of the below categories, and be charged according to specific size indicators. Please reach out to us for any further clarity on which category is best for your organisation

Property Developers

Annual Turnover

Investors, Owners, Property Managers

Total Asset Value

Major Corporate Tenants & Retail

Annual Gross Rentals

Building Contractors

Annual Turnover

Building Product Manufacturers & Distributors

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Professional Services: Architects, Designers, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, PM’s, Consultants, Legal

Number of employees

Research, Higher Education, NGO’S & Regulators

NGO or Research/Higher Education/ Regulators

Related Interests: Utilities, Financial, Insurance, etc.

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Government

Local/ municipal/ provincial/ state 
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