MR AND MISS ENVIRONMENT (TEK) INITIATIVE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Environment is a vital component of our existence and therefore needs a concerted effort to be Conserve, Protect, Preserve, Rehabilitate and Restore it at ALL COST. Besides providing resources to humanity, our very life and existence is sustained virtually by the environment, this therefore behooves us to anything and everything within our means and power that is humanly possible to CONSERVE IT not just for ourselves but for posterity.

Mr and Miss Environment is an initiative by the TEAMEnvironment KENYA seeks to use beauty pageant and creative arts which includes:- fashion, art, music, dance, poetry, drama and skits to create awareness on the need to have a CLEAN, GREEN, Peaceful and Sustainable Environment now and for posterity.

Environmental degradation has been significantly increased by human activities and practices. Being oblivious of the fact that, “We need the Environment Much more than it needs Us.”

This initiative aims at educating the youth county and countrywide of their pivotal role to Protect, Preserve, Conserve, Rehabilitate and Restore the environment in their various spheres of influence. To the children in schools we endeavor to reach them best environmental practices as well as to inculcate good environmental practices and consequently have them as good environmental stewards through various activities such as music, poem, art and fashion.

The youth have an enormous untapped and unexploited potential to change the world and transform our environment through creativity and innovation. This initiative will therefore inspire many youths to come up with green innovations and thus help

in realizing the BIG 4 AGENDA by government. Which will in turn significantly contribute to constructive, productive and positive living by youths and therefore saving them from negative influence such as the use of drugs, alcohol and other

social ill’s.

It will create employment to many and provide a source of livelihood. The talent utilization shall be for economic gain as well as mitigate the devastating effects of CLIMATE CHANGE and global warming being SDG NO. 13.

INTRODUCTION

We shall Use Beauty peagent, Art, Talent, Innovation and Creativity to promoting environmental education and create awareness and sustainability amongst young people through talents. The Initiative Mr and Miss Environment will consist of environmental sensitization and awareness creation through Public speaking, Poetry, Music, Dance, Spoken word, Drawing, Painting, and Runway modeling of Eco-Fashion (creative wear). All these forenamed activities will all be aimed at communicating environmental issues, challenges and its consequent conservation solutions.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

People’s way of lifestyle affect the way they live and it reflects in their culture. Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. Culture is a strong tool that can be used to communicate. This initiative aims at using art to communicate environmental conservation. The contest categories shall involve poetry, music, dance, spoken word, drawing and fashion which will entail the (Eco- Fashion) creative wear.

The Environmental Ambassadors from the respective counties will help spearhead environmental activities and be responsible for conservation thus acting as the main drivers of change and transformation in the places that they represent.

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This will help to bring about behavioral change in many youths and have them adopt best environmental practices and therefore being good environmental stewards and together we shall be able to realize a clean, green and a peaceful environment not just for ourselves but for generations after us.

Youth have great potential and creativity that can help in addressing a myriad of environmental challenges and its degradation. The Ultimate aim of the project and initiative is to creating an ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE CENTRES (HUBS) where students, youths and people in the community can express their knowledge freely and showcase their innovations and involvement in environmental sustainability projects.

In the wave of climate change and global warming crisis, the youth and communities need education on sustainable environmental, living and farming practices that will help to mitigate the devastating situation and conditions that we are experiencing in the various parts of the country of CLIMATE CRISIS and EMERGENCIES. The project will facilitate green projects that facilitate environmental conservation.

About “Mr & Miss E nviro nme nt (TEK I nitia ti ve )”

The contesters will be selected after an audition exercise that will be conducted in every county. The auditions will be based on their basic environmental knowledge, their willingness to learn and their desire to be the change that they would want to

be and see in their community, county and country at large as far as environmental conservation is concerned.

The selected models (Winners of the Contest) of both genders (MR & MISS) from the respective counties (Environmental Ambassadors) during their tenure and crown bearing will uses their talents and position to reach to the less fortunate in the society and regularly be engaged and involved in community and environmental activities to help create awareness on Environmental Conservation.

In our initiative we a special category of people, “The People With Disability” (PWDs) with various challenges. We shall work on having one of their own, representing them as our environmental ambassadors in the all the counties that we shall conduct the activity. They will be of both gender lady and gentlemen, to challenge and inspire their peers that disability is not inability. In spite of their physical conditions they can live to their full potential and realize their dreams and fulfill their purpose in life.

MR & MISS ENVIRONMENT (TEK).

The Environmental Ambassadors will also give themselves to mentor, inspire ad encourage their fellow youths and young children in the counties that they represent and beyond. This will be in primary, secondary schools and institutions of higher learning/universities where they are expected to initiate environmental initiatives such as tree planting, establishing of tree nursery encouraging the use of clean, green & renewable energy and proper solid waste management.

Solid Waste is another major problem affecting the world right now. Even with a successful ban of the single use plastic in Kenya, there is still a whole lot more plastics that are non-biodegradable on the surface of land, which ends up in the rivers, lakes, sea and water bodies and thus causing a whole lot of environmental pollution and therefore affecting aquatic life.

Mr & Miss Environment (TEK) Initiative will help educate youths and students on the implications of solid wastage and call on them to actively be involvement so as to ensure proper solid waste management and environmental preservation.

There will be sensitization to the youths and students on the need for them to properly manage their waste and have them to adopt reusable bottles for their drinks and water as this will go a long way to ensuring a CLEANER, GREENER, HEALTHY and a Peaceful Environment. This awareness creation will educate and focus on the

7R’s which are:- Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refuse, and Refill and Rethink these will ensure sustainable living with the aim of realizing the sustainable development goals (SDGs) otherwise known as the GLOBAL GOALS or Vision

2030).

OBJECTIVES

1. To inspire a youth culture that is concerned with environmental

conservation through art, fashion and entertainment.

2. To create environmental ambassadors who will spearhead green initiatives in their respective schools, institutions and counties.

3. To enhance behavioral and ATTITUDE change that will stimulate environmental sustainability in communities.

4. To inspire young people’s imaginations and creativity to address the

problems related to environmental degradation.

5. To educate the youth about climate change, global warming crisis and sustainable living practices.

6. To inspire and foster social entrepreneurship and opportunities in the communities through green projects i.e. setting up of tree nursery beds and management, clean and green energy both for cooking and lighting and proper waste management systems.

7. To educate youth and communities on the reduction of food waste from post harvesting to the one prepared in homes for consumption, so as to ensure that we are FOOD SECURE.

8. To create environmental sensitization and awareness on proper waste management through the 7R’s of sustainable living. (Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refuse, and Refill and Rethink)

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Air, water and soil pollution require millions of years to recoup. There are various ways of pollution which affects the environment. The processes are interlinked in the system i.e. when air is polluted it affects the soil and water systems. Industry and motor vehicle exhaust are the number one pollutants. Heavy metals, nitrates and plastic are toxins responsible for pollution. While water pollution is caused by oil spill, acid rain, urban runoff; air pollution is caused by various gases and toxins released by industries and factories and combustion of fossil fuels; soil pollution is majorly caused by industrial waste that deprives soil from essential nutrients.

The over consumption of resources and creation of plastics have created a global crisis of its waste disposal. Developed countries are notorious for producing an excessive amount of waste and dumping their waste in the oceans and less developed countries. Lack of proper waste disposal systems is one of the urgent current environmental problems.

Climate change is yet another environmental problem that has surfaced in last couple of decades. It occurs due to rise in global warming which occurs due to increase in temperature of atmosphere by burning of fossil fuels and release of harmful gases by industries. Climate change has various harmful effects but not limited to melting of polar ice, change in seasons, occurrence of new diseases, frequent occurrence of floods and change in overall weather scenario. Global warming leads to rising temperatures of the oceans and the earth’ surface causing melting of polar ice caps, rise in sea levels and also unnatural patterns of precipitation such as flash floods, excessive snow or desertification.

Natural resource depletion is another crucial current environmental problem. Fossil fuel consumption results in emission of Greenhouse gases, which is responsible for global warming and climate change. Globally, people are taking efforts to shift to renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, biogas and geothermal energy. The cost of installing the infrastructure and maintaining these sources has plummeted

in the recent years.

EXECUTION

We are seeking long term strategic partnership with your organization/institution through funding and grants to attain the conservation

/environmental goals as articulated above. As TEAMEnvironment KENYA we shall come up with projects from time to time in line with the objectives which we shall jointly executing with other conservation partners for accountability purposes.

For every of the projects or initiative we shall be having a formal engagement by signing an MoU which will define the details of terms of engagement for projects in areas listed below, among others.

‘ IMPLEMENTATION

1. Setting up and establishing Green and Sustainable building designs

 Buildings can be built sustainably to cut on energy used for air conditioning and lighting.

2. Establishing of Renewable energy facilities

 The “Green Lighthouse” building to be constructed in Schools, Institutions and other social amenities to generate its own energy from solar cells and panels, storing excess energy underground.

3 Water packaging bottle re-use (Dispensers)

 By encouraging the re-use water bottles by providing water dispenser in offices do reduce and consequently do away with the disposable water bottles.

4. Domestic food production

 Encouraging balcony or urban farming so as to supplement on the food supply to households most of which should be organic and healthy.

5. Organic/Municipal waste disposal

 Encourage right disposal of organic waste by sending it to a nearby farm, where it is used to produce organic fertilizers and also biogas fuel, generating heat and electricity for the farm, domestic use and the neighboring community(ies).

Paper waste can be sold to a recycling company, with the proceeds providing scholarships for students from low-income backgrounds.

6. Adoption of Green transport

 Introducing a once a week or a month non-motorized transport and Encouraging people to walk to work. Students to move on rollers skates or operate bike/cycle hire or loan schemes, students can borrow bikes (bike share) using their student cards, and also bring in their own bikes. This will significantly enhance low carbon emission.

CONCLUSION

As the TEAMEnvironment KENYA we are about, “leaving a HERITAGE for Future Generations of a CLEANER, GREENER (FOOD & WATER SECURE) and a PEACEFUL Environment of Flora, Fauna and Aquatic Life.”

This duty, mandate and responsibility of conservation cannot be abdicated or delegated to any other, but ourselves. To this course our clarion call is, “Let’s Go Green With You” to do ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION and AWARENESS CREATION as it is the bedrock of environmental conservation and its sustainability now and for posterity.