My Project to Improve My Environment
(Original)

Patrick Komora
(Age 18, Kenya)
Mpeketoni Secondary School

The word environment refers to the natural world, including the land, water, air, plants and animals. As time goes by, our environment is being affected enormously by human efforts geared towards industrialization and development. It is therefore the role of the same human beings to put up measures that would ensure the environment is conserved and improved.

The project to improve the environment requires personal motivation and individual effort. Having this in mind, I have been involving myself in activities that would ultimately lead to conserving the environment. The wise men, said “Before you remove the speck in your friend’s eye, first remove the log in your eye.” This has made me to start the environmental conservation measures at community level specifically at home before extending the project to the others who may be out of my sight but not out of my reach. At home I talked to my father and he set aside five acres which were planted a wide variety of trees. These trees are for sale and home use. Also being a rural dweller, I have influenced my parents to involve themselves in farming practices that would ensure conservation of the soil, water and air.

At school I have come up with an environment club whose motto is “Let us conserve our environment.” My club performs a work variety of activities all aimed at improving the environment. The club has two hundred registered members which is three quarters of the school’s population. This has boosted man power in the club’s day to day activities. In registration there is a fee of fifty shillings which is used for improving the club.

The first thing that my club does is planting of trees. The trees are sold to local farmers and others are planted in the school compound. As we know, trees have great influence in our environment. They attract rain, protect the soil from erosion, source of timber and also they are used by paper and medicine industries. The rain attracted by trees is important for luxuriant vegetations, supplying of water to rivers and underground streams and finally it is important to farming activities. Due to the various roles played by trees and the importance that intervenes, we get to know that we should plant trees. So this makes the conclusion that we should conserve forests and human beings should not encroach that place.

The second thing that my club does is ensuring that the school compound and the neighboring village are clean. This has been done through collecting litter around the school compound every evening and around the village every Saturday. Also a plastic bucket has been installed in each class so that the students do not throw litter anyhowly. The buckets have been labeled ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs. Clean’ for boys and girls classes respectively.

The third thing that my club does to ensure that the environment improves, is educating people on ways that can pollute the environment and measures that can be taken to supersede that. We address famers on good farming methods and how to conserve our environment. Also I as a chairman, went to the neighboring cotton ginnery called T-S-S and the Jua Kali artisans. I told them how the industries contribute to water and air pollution through effluent and smoke respectively. I urged them to scrub the gases evolved and treat the effluent. The managers appreciated my effort geared towards improving the environment and they promised to put the measures into action.

The other thing that has made to know that people are appreciating my effort, and which has encouraged me very much, is the fact that there will be a seminar in our district set by our area member of parliament and the ministry of forests. The seminar would start from August 30th and would last for these days. This seminar would be about conserving the environment and I have been invited to give a talk/speech on my effort towards improving the environment and measures that people should take to improve the environment.

What I am currently doing is writing a book on how people should take care of their environment. If this will be successful then it will greatly help me to reach the people who are far from our community. The book would emphasize on what pollutes the environment, example bush clearing, noise from nightclubs and cars, water pollution, soil pollution, and poaching. Then appropriate measures would be stated on how those problems can be solved. Therefore what is greatly obstructing me is capital to publish the book and I therefore call upon anyone who can help me financially to give me the support.