A group of environmental activists on the platform of the One Environment Initiative is set to plant 5,000 trees in Abuja in the next 12 months.
Mr Ifesinachi Nwanyanwu, Executive Director of the Environmental Art Collective Foundation, said this in Abuja on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said that the project was part of ways to promote sensitisation on environmental sustainability.
Nwanyanwu said the group, One Environment, was an “environmental hybrid“ made up of professionals, who were passionate about promoting safe and sustainable environmental practices.
He said the project to plant trees would be part of the outcome of a planned seminar on environmental sustainability in July.
He added that the seminar, which would be held annually, was also aimed at developing an effective policy direction on safe environmental practices.
“The essence of One Environment is to bring together environmental experts and stakeholders, to dialogue on challenges and articulate ideas that promote sustainability and organic contents.
“At the moment, we have a work plan we intend to implement but that will not be until after a seminar we are organising in July.
“During the seminar, we are having a lot of stakeholders and experts in and out of Nigeria, who would generate the work plan which will be implemented after the seminar.
“We plan to plant 5,000 trees across Abuja for now and eventually, we will take it to other states in Nigeria.
“During the July event, we want to plant trees and that raises the awareness on environmental sustainability and we tend to do this within the next 12 months, “ he said.
Nwanyanwu said that the group’s work plan would develop environmental-friendly projects, which would be focused on areas to be addressed during the seminar.
“When we are done with the seminar, we will have a more definite work plan for the next 12 months.
“By the time we are meeting for the next seminar in 2017, we will build up on the experiences we have had in the past 12 months and that would help us plan for the next 12-month cycle, “ he added.
He further explained that the group would work with relevant government ministries, departments and agencies to promote the implementation of the United Nations` Framework Convention on Climate Change.
“The goal we are aiming is to sensitise Nigerians on how certain actions they ignore constitute to the degradation of the environment like felling of trees, building on drainages, poor waste disposal and the like.
“The little abusive actions we do collectively harm the environment.
“We want to take this sensitisation programmes to schools and more importantly work with the key ministries in Nigeria by developing a policy direction for them to work with.
“We understand that the Ministry of Environment has its own agenda on sustainability.
“We are all working towards the implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, “ he said.
The seminar, tagged “One Environment“ would hold from July 4 to 23. (NAN)
Photo Credit: @talk2suleih on twitter
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