Nature is easy to picture as somewhere “out there”, in a national park, on a mountain trail or along a stretch of coastline. But look around the average home and nature is already everywhere, from the food in the kitchen and the water running from the taps to the wood, fabrics and plants that fill its rooms.
Those everyday connections are at the heart of This Is Where We Live, WWF South Africa’s new public campaign built around the message Nature Is Our Home. At a time when pressures on water, biodiversity and the climate are increasingly being felt closer to home, the campaign encourages South Africans to see nature not as something separate from daily life, but as part of it.
“Nature is already part of home, even if we don’t always stop to think about it,” says Pedzi Gozo, Head of Strategic Communications at WWF South Africa. “Nature Is Our Home is about making those connections more visible and encouraging people to care for the natural world in the same way they care for the places they call home.”
A six-metre shipping container
From 15 October to 15 November, 2026, that message will pop up in a rather unexpected form at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, one of South Africa’s most visited destinations, welcoming more than 24 million visitors a year.
At The Pierhead, a six-metre shipping container will become a South African living room and kitchen that visitors can step inside, sit down in and explore. The sustainable build uses the comfort of home to show just how close nature already is to everyday life.
Inside, a couch, indigenous plants and natural textures sit alongside familiar household objects that offer clues to their links with nature. A digital “window” takes visitors on a tour of South Africa’s natural bounty across the country, while QR codes let visitors dig deeper. WWF representatives will be on hand to show people around and answer questions about the organisation’s work.
For the V&A Waterfront, the campaign connects with work already happening across the precinct.
“Sustainability has shaped how we operate for many years, from the way water, energy and waste are managed to biodiversity and the buildings across the precinct,” says Donald Kau, Executive Manager: PR & Comms at the V&A Waterfront. “Today, there are 30 green-rated buildings, and the Waterfront is on a path to carbon neutrality. Being set between a working harbour and the open ocean is also a daily reminder that this neighbourhood is part of a much bigger natural system, which makes Nature Is Our Home particularly relevant here.”
And while the installation may only take a few minutes to explore, Gozo hopes the idea stays with visitors after they leave.
“Everything people rely on begins with nature, but it can be easy to forget that when life gets busy,” she concludes. “If someone steps back out into the Waterfront noticing those connections a little more, that’s a good place to start. Protecting nature is ultimately about protecting the places and communities people call home.”
The Nature Is Our Home Open House runs from 15 October to 15 November at The Pierhead, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. Visitors can take in the sights and sounds of South Africa’s landscapes, interact with digital features and find out more about how nature shapes the way we live. It is open daily from 9am to 6pm, and admission is free.
Find out more at https://wwf.org.za/nature_is_our_home
What: WWF South Africa’s Nature Is Our Home Open House
When: From 15 October – 15 November, daily from 09h00 – 18h00
Where: At The Pierhead, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
Cost: Free entry
Information: https://wwf.org.za/nature_is_our_home
WS
