The Center for 21st Century Issues in collaboration with Lagos State Parks and Garden (LASPARK) on Thursday June 24, trained 40 students and 20 staffs of Penckers School, Isolo Lagos.
The event, themed “Tree Planting and Sensitization exercise about our environment” had in attendance the Executive Director, Center for 21st Century Issues, Ms. Titilope Akosa, the School Principal Mrs. Olowu, Representative of Lagos State Parks and Garden, Adebimpe Kuponu others.
At the event, the ‘Green Club’ was officially unveiled, a practical tree planting exercise involving the students was also conducted with over 20 seedlings of different kinds planted. Students were sensitised about the environment and why they need to understand its importance.
The Executive Director of Center for 21st Century Issues, Ms. Titilope Akosa in her welcome address, spoke about the importance of the environment and the need to take care of it.
Akosa made the students aware that the Green Club already exists in public schools years back, but since private schools make up a greater percentage of schools in Lagos, a lot of students are deprived of this opportunity which is why the organisation has decided to establish the club in private schools.
She charged the students to seek more knowledge about their environment. Akosa informes the students about various concepts they will learn, and skills they can achieve, especially “using waste to create wealth.”
The school principal, Mrs. Olowu in her opening remarks mentioned that the world environmental day 2021 was birthed in the United States of America, 1972, to stimulate environmental consciousness.
Placing emphasis on the need to preserve our environment from climate change, Olowu stated that planting trees is one of the most important aspects of fighting global warming.
Also, a representative from LASPARK, Mrs. Adebimpe Kuponu educated the students on the importance of tree planting. She explained the phenomenon of climate change to the students and its effects to which she stated that the cheapest and effective way to maintain the climate is through tree planting.
Additionally, she explained the various categories in which trees are divided and how to successfully plant a tree; she mentioned that the trees’ health depends on the location, depth of the hole, the tree types, and their maintenance.
Kuponu concluded by informing the students about the tree planting day on July 14th.
Other side attractions at the event were; video presentation on how to plant trees, poem rendition titled “Mother Earth” and poem on earth respectively from the students.
Speaking at the unveiling of the Green Club, Mrs Titilola Kazeem-Arnold of Center for 21st Century Issues charged the students to plant trees. She said, “Every tree they plant is planting hope”
She mentioned that the Green Club members will be called Green Champions and there would be teachers coordinating the group activities.
Highlighting the various benefits students can achieve by being members of the Green Club, she charged the students to show a sense of commitment to the club.
A student, Olowu on behalf of the school, commended the initiative of Center for 21st Century Issues in sensitizing the students of the school on environmental practices and other issues relating to environments.
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Centre for 21st century Issues (C21st) is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization responding to the challenges of the 21st Century through addressing inequality, climate change, democracy and governance.
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