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Greening universities
What comes to mind when you hear greening universities? If you are like me, your first
thought must have been planting more trees in our universities on any viable available space.
Stop!
Think of that tap we find leaking and we leave it leaking or that light left on yet, we really do
not require it. Alternatively, that yoghurt Tetra Park or plastic juice and water bottle or sweet
wrapper or sugarcane fibrous material, that we so easily throw out of the window of a public
transport vehicle or our most treasured private cars without a second thought? After all, we
argue, it is not my responsibility and anyway, there are many more strewn around, what
difference does it make?
Listening to Prof. David Mungai, Deputy Director, Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and
Environmental Studies, make a presentation to the University of Nairobi, Central
Administration Environmental Sustainability Committee yesterday, I realize there is so much
each one of us can do to improve on our environment.
According to Prof. Mungai, besides tree planting, there are activities that the university
community can engage in at a personal level to promote a sustainable green environment.
This includes economical use of water, such as closing a tap well after use or reporting a
leaking tap, proper disposal of waste in designated places and purchase of ozone friendly
equipment among other activities.
At the corporate level, Prof. Mungai identified sorting and recycling of waste as one of the
initiatives the University can engage in. He challenged the Central Administration
Environmental Sustainability Champion to devise ways to have waste segregation
mechanisms at unit level put in place. This he pointed out, would encourage adaptation to
best practices of waste management and act as an avenue for revenue making if well
exploited.
A key message in his presentation however, was the need for promoting environmental
awareness, educating, and training the University community regarding collective
responsibility to implement the Environmental Policy. “Don’t blame people when you see
them throwing that plastic water bottle or juice bottle on the streets, it could be that they are
not aware of the impact their actions have on the environment. By creating more awareness,
people can be more conscious of their actions and make informed decisions before acting”,
said Prof. Mungai.
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Call for action
What are you doing today where you are, through your daily habits to promote a sustainable
environment?
You can send your feedback to:
Email: dvcrpe@uonbi.ac.ke
Resources
UoN Environmental Policy
Greening Universities Toolkit: Transforming universities into green and sustainable
campuses, UNEP 2013
Higher Education Sustainability Initiative