Every year on June 5, people all across the world observe World Environment Day. The day was commemorated for the 49th time worldwide in 2022, with a different nation serving as host each year. The theme for this year is "Only One Earth," according to the United Nations calendar. To honor, safeguard, and rebuild the Earth, it urges global cooperation and transformative action.
World Environment Day - June 6th
The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) celebrated World Environment Day on June 6, 2022 at Dedan Kimathi University of Technology. Government representatives, including Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko, Garissa County Governor Ali Korane, and Kenyans participated in activities to commemorate World Environment Day on June 5. Recently NEMA was awarded as the Africa's Environmental Regulator of the year in Ghana. This was towards the Authority's effort in the ban of plastic bags back in 2017.
In an op-ed, KCB Bank Group CEO Paul Russo urged banks on the continent to adopt sustainable measures that will in turn ensure business practices and those of customers are sustainable in the long run. He acknowledged that coining global alliances such as Net Zero Banking Alliance and Green Climate Fund is also an avenue in which banks ensure that they are part of the decision-making and strategy building, guiding the technical work that needs to be done in the sustainable space.
Major news companies in Africa teamed up with the China Media Group (CMG) in rolling out a joint initiative in environmental protection dubbed “Speaking for Nature Media Action for China-Africa Environment Protection”. Representatives from African media weighed in on their role as broadcasters and publishers in creating environmental awareness among the public. “Media is the one that informs the public and also educates the public,” Samuel Maina, the Acting Managing Director of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, said.
NCBA Bank, under their CSR campaign, #ChangeTheStory, donated 100 indigenous seedlings to the SOS Children's Village. In 2018, Kenya embarked on a journey to attain 10% forest cover by 2022 and NCBA Bank created a movement that awakened the consciousness of Kenyans to plant and conserve trees. Together with different stakeholders, the bank has planted over 7 Million trees across Kenya.
World Ocean Day - June 8th
In order to highlight local ocean-adjacent communities, ideas, and solutions that are uniting to protect and revitalize the ocean and everything it supports, The Ocean Data and Information Network for Africa (ODINAFRICA) joined forces with the Government of Kenya, the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the UNESCO Kenya National Commission, and The Kenya Marine Fisheries and Research Institute (KMFRI) to mark UN World Oceans Day in Kenya. To preserve marine life, KMFRI has started replanting coral reefs and mangroves.
It is essential that international environmentalists and social partners join forces with the best intentions in order to safeguard and save the earth from the heinous environmental mutilation crimes that are on the approach of disaster. To ensure successful fundraising, partnerships, and cause sponsorship, it is essential to know how to bring these enabling groups together. The least that can be done for the funders to understand the value and impact of their investments is to be transparent about operations, expenses, and responsibility. As Wendell Berry put it "The Earth is what we all have in common,"
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