#knowyourbenoni – Martinho believes in sustainable living

Kathy Martinho believes in a greener lifestyle; she recycles, grows her own herbs and vegetables and makes her own clothes.

October 29, 2017

Benoni City Times 2 minutes read

She studied for a combination of 16 years and has various degrees in English history, psychology and remedial education.

She believes strict self-discipline is important to leading a more fulfilling life.

BCT: Tell us about your childhood and life growing up.

KM: I lived with my parents in Zambia until I was three – my father worked on the Copper Belt.

Then we moved back to Benoni.

I attended St Columba’s until Grade Four. In Grade Five I was transferred to Benoni West School.

I matriculated in 1977 from Benoni High School.

I have studied at the University of Witwatersrand, the University of South Africa and the University of Johannesburg.

BCT: Tell us about your family.

KM: My husband’s name is Daniel; we will have been married for 30 years this December.

I have two children, Heidi Martinho (26) and Marc Martinho (23).

My husband is a civil engineer, Heidi is an actuary and Marc is a mechanical engineer.

BCT: Do you have hobbies?

KM: Yes, I love to sew and to paint – they keep me sane.

BCT: Did you do any activities at school?

KM: Yes, I did ballet and contemporary dance from the age of three until about three years ago.

I also played a bit of hockey in school.

BCT: Tell us more about your take on sustainable living.

KM: I think if everybody just does a little bit, it can make a big difference.

It is all about finding bins for recycling and knowing how to recycle.

I recycle all of my paper every Thursday, but even before that, I try to use the paper twice.

I simply put it into a bag and the company I use comes to pick it up.

I also place recyclable tin into a bag on top of my rubbish bin, and a man who recycles privately comes to pick it up.

Glass jars can also be reused and people don’t know how easy it is to sterilise them.

You simply pour a little water into them and microwave them for a short time.

My family and I also use all our food scraps to make compost for my garden.

I also make my own sinus medication using bicarbonate of soda and table salt.

I had a solar geyser put in and the water is hotter than ever.