The environment is important for the survival of mankind; therefore mankind must ensure the survival of the environment. The environment has the ability to sustain itself but the action of man keeps posing constant and continual threat to the environment. The use of machines resulting in the release of excess carbon to the atmosphere, production processes that leaves many pollutants, and indiscriminate waste disposal contribute to the environmental degradation.
The African Youth Corner (AYC) collaborated with Standing for Environmental Restoration (SOFER) in carrying out an environmental sustainability project. The project which held in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, saw members of both organisations working hand-in-hand to collect waste from traders at a neighborhood market and educating the traders and locals on how to properly package and dispose their waste. Adopting the method of recycling, reducing and reusing, the team broke into smaller groups and went on to collect waste materials in the different categories. The climax of the exercise was when the team took control of a popular dump site in front of the Cross River State University of Technology (CRUTECH). The dump site which had been filled to the brim was a sanctuary for flies and other vectors. The teams scrubbed up, wearing gloves and nose mask and took the pains of properly packaging the waste in bags before the agency in charge of final disposal would come to take the waste away. Other highlight of the exercise included distribution of waste baskets to traders and shop owners in the area and further engaging the beneficiaries in discussions that were aimed at effecting behavioural changes.
As the founder of the African Youth Corner, Jude Ogar says: “It is our collective responsibility to ensure a cleaner, safer and sustainable environment.”
African Youth Corner 