AMPLIFYING Environmental Conservation.
Today, Rotarians and Rotaractors are working hard to improve the lives of people all over the world by creating positive, lasting change in their communities and beyond. At the heart of this sustainable and lasting change, is environment.
It’s against this background that in the Rotary Year 2019-2020, Rotary Foundation Trustees and Rotary International Board of Directors unanimously approved adding the seventh area of focus: supporting the environment.
Closer home, Rotary District 9212 composed an Environment Team to champion efforts under this new area of focus. Under the leadership of Rotarian Mburu Machua, the team continues to map out efforts aimed at conserving the environment in the region.
In the month of August, Narok County was also on the radar of the environmental committee, owing to the fact that it hosts some of Kenya’s biggest water towers and an impressive network of both permanent and seasonal rivers originating from the county.
In an unforgettable two-day experience on the 14th August 2020, the Rotary District 9212 Environmental champions travelled to Narok County, about 150kms from Kenya’s capital, to share the vision of Rotary; To plant 2 billion trees by 2022 and recruit more environmental champions to join in the movement.
During the launch of the Narok Environment Program at the Narok County Commissioner’s office, the District Environment Chair, Rotarian Mburu Machua, reminded the stakeholders present on the importance of environmental conservation
“Our country and the globe are crying for proactive environment champions. Our children and grandchildren’s lives really depend on our actions or inactions today,” said Rotarian Mburu Machua.
To mark the launch, a tree planting exercise took place where 10 indigenous tree seedlings were planted at Hossana Enelerai Primary School. So far, the environmental committee has successfully launched the program in various parts of the country and planted more than 20,000 tree and fruit seedlings.
After the launch, the environment champions were treated to a game drive where they enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the Annual Great Wildebeest migration at the Masai Mara National Reserve.
Eldama Ravine in Baringo County, also played host to the Rotary District 9212 Environment team during the grand unveiling of the Baringo Environmental Conservation Program on the 28th of August, 2020.
Led by the District 9212 Environment Chairperson, Rotarian Mburu Machua, the team committed to commence tree planting programs on a fortnight basis as well as focus on other environmental programs.
“We hope to plant and grow a minimum of 1 million trees in this Rotary year. We will continue to give weekly updates on our efforts hoping to persuade your club to join in this initiative amongst other environmental programs,” said Mburu Machua, the District Environment Chairman.
During the ceremony which took place at the Uasin Gishu Deputy County Commissioner’s office and notably attended by Moses Lessonet, the Area Member of Parliament, the Rotary Environment Committee in Eldama Ravine was commissioned and tasked with the responsibility of both overseeing and spearheading environmental conservation efforts.
On the same breath, the environmental champions planted 540 tree seedlings. With an intended goal of planting 12,000 seedlings in the area, this is a huge milestone towards realizing the 10% tree cover recommended by the United Nations Environmental Program.
The committee is further engaging in river clean ups, waste management and recycling, renewable energy amongst other areas of interest in the holistic approach to environmental conservation. It’s our collective individual responsibility to champion environmental conservation. Join in the challenge by planting a tree today!
