World Environment Day 2023: Beating the Plastic Pollution in Mogadishu
On 5th June 2023, ICE Institute celebrated World Environment Day to be part of the global movement of beating plastic pollution in Mogadishu. By empowering our green community, and students, we organized various activities including plastic cleaning, awareness raising and many others.
As part of our impact pathways to capacitate the local communities through awareness building on environmental and climate issues, we conducted an awareness campaign at Town Campus, SIMAD University. Over 10 classrooms were targeted and educated about environmental conservation and sustainable practices in their lives. A total of 170 students were reached through visits to their classes, including four Engineering classes (61 students), two Law classes (50 students), and two Social Sciences classes (60 students). The campaigns effectively raised awareness among the students, highlighting the importance of environmental conservation and sustainable behaviours towards greener classrooms, campus and beyond.
Righter after the awareness campaign, the students and all the participants of the event participated in an open Quiz Contest where they scan a barcode to answer 10 questions about environmental concepts, and the winners were awarded free bags. Over 30 Participants took part in the quiz while only 10 successfully responded to all the questions and were awarded free environmental products including Bags and T-shirts. Through our cooperation with Haybed, a sustainable shop based in Mogadishu, the participants, university staff, and students were exposed to eco-friendly products including T-shirts, bags, caps, and many others to support local green initiatives and challenge environmental contributors.
In addition to the awareness campaigns, the participants undertook a plastic cleaning exercise within the university campus and its neighbourhood. Over 30 volunteers carry out the cleaning exercise to collect plastic waste from the streets surrounding the university campus. Mogadishu, like many other cities, faces a significant issue of plastic waste accumulation, often dumped in uncontrolled and open landfills. This plastic waste not only contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and hazardous waste but also poses dangers to domestic and wild animals, as well as marine life in Somalia. The students focused on collecting plastic bottles, food wrappers, bottle caps, grocery bags, and straws, which were the most common types of plastic waste found on the streets. During the cleaning exercise, A total of eight bin bags filled with plastic bottles and other plastic waste were collected. The collected trash was picked up by the waste management
The event also attracted media coverage, with Astan TV, Goobjoog, the university media, and independent camera persons invited to capture the proceedings. Together with our social engagement, the event’s media coverage served as a valuable resource in promoting awareness about environmental conservation and promoting sustainable solutions and practices in campuses and communities.
In a nutshell, the event brought together environmental activities and students and wider community members to collectively address plastic pollution and promote sustainable practices in the city. The ICE Institute will continue to serve as the platform for environmental activities and green champions to learn, act and adapt towards sustainable and climate-resilient Somalia.
