The need to raise a generation that will not have the waste problem the world is currently facing is the reason, an environmentalist, Jumoke Olowookere, is taking her Creative Eco Clubs to schools.
She hopes that these eco ambassadors will impact society by training others. “We train them to train others. Imagine a six or seven-year-old teaching their siblings or parents better ways to manage waste! These eco ambassadors will be at the forefront of fighting climate change and waging the war against improper disposal of waste.”
“For as many waste we are able to prevent from entering the dumpsites and turn into wealth, the better for the environment.”
She told Nigerian Tribune that her initiative which is taking place in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, will “raise awareness and knowledge on battling waste pollution that we are facing thereby creating a better future for the coming generation.
“If we adults know what we know when we were younger, we would have grown up doing the right things and the waste problem we are facing today will be definitely reduced. We want to raise eco ambassadors that will take and show people around them the right decisions when it comes to proper waste management.
“The children will gain knowledge on how to convert waste into valuable materials, and how our daily decisions affect waste. They will gain skills on how to create wealth from waste as we will be empowering them with waste upcycling skills. We are focusing on converting waste from source, from our homes, so that those wastes do not end up in landfills where it can cause contamination and cause more problems to our environment.
Olowookere noted that, “Any education that does not have proper waste management practices as part of the education is not yet complete. We are in an era where every individual that can generate waste must know how to manage waste. It is humans that generate waste. If humans are the cause of waste then it is humans must rise to bring solutions to waste.
She added that the fee of N2,000 being charged for each pupil is “a little bit close to what we will spend on expenses and for the materials we will use to convert this waste into wealth. The classes are 20 per cent theory and 80 per cent practical. The children get to take all the waste-to-wealth materials home to show their parents, and also sell!”
The content of the classes will include upcycling skills, relevant SDGs, community engagement to promote responsible environmental behaviour and circular economy.
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