Kenya: Schools Deplete 60 Trees a Day - Expert

Green Africa Foundation chairman Isaac Kalua has asked schools to find alternative sources of energy like biogas. Addressing school heads in Mombasa yesterday, Kalua, who is an environment expert, said schools depend too much on wood fuel.

Scratch-card solar brings clean energy to Kenya's poor

Pix: Timothy Nyongesa compares the light from a kerosene tin lamp with that from an IndiGo solar lamp, hanging in his home. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION/Isaiah Esipisu

At Sibanga market, 10 km (6 miles) outside the town of Kitale in western Kenya, Timothy Nyongesa walks into the Mibawa Suppliers shop to collect a gadget that he hopes will brighten his children’s studies and his family’s health.

In exchange for an initial payment of 1,000 Kenyan shillings (about $12), Nyongesa walks out with a kit that will generate solar energy at his home. He jumps on his bicycle and snakes along a footpath to his village of Sinyerere, 6 km farther into the countryside.

Nigeria: Senator Bukola Saraki Speaks On World Desertification Day

The goal of the 2013 World Day to Combat Desertification is to create awareness about the risks of drought and water scarcity in the dry lands and beyond, calling attention to the importance of sustaining healthy soils as part of post Rio+20 agenda, as well as the post-2015 sustainable development agenda.

Dangote Begins Conversion of Vehicles from Diesel to Gas

A major leap in the ongoing efforts at providing gas as alternative automobile fuel has been taken, as Sagas Energy Company Limited, the pivot of the new technology in Africa, began the conversion of heavy-duty trucks for use of gas as fuel.

Liberia Loses US$17.5M Annually Due to Open Defecation, Poor Sanitation – World Bank

                                  A toilet house in West Point, along the Messurado River in Monrovia. Courtesy Liberian Observer

According to a March 2012 study recently released in Monrovia by the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program (WSP), 1.2 million Liberians use unsanitary or shared latrines, whilst another 1.7 million have no latrine at all and defecate in the open. According to the study’s results, the poorest population is almost 7 times more likely to practice open defecation than the richest. The Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program observed that Liberia’s economy loses US$17.5 million (2.0 percent of GDP) each year due to poor sanitation.

Nigeria: NGO advocates ‘waste exchange’ to curb waste

A non-governmental organisation, Waste Management Society of Nigeria, has said that waste can be managed through waste exchange, environmental education and effective sanitation enlightenment.

Africa: Matt Damon Seeks Safe Water, Sanitation for All

Through his nonprofit organization, actor Matt Damon hopes to bring the dignity of a toilet to all.

Reduce food waste: Don’t throw away leftover or surplus food

Get creative with leftover foods and create new recipes. Give away untouched and safe food to those who are in need. Surplus seasonal produce can be preserved in the freezer or canned.

Pix: AP

Quote of the day

Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It is loaned to you by your children. ~Kenyan Proverb

Sierra Leone braces for cholera season

As the fleeting storms of May give way to the persistent downpours of June, the National Cholera Taskforce in Freetown, Sierra Leone, is working to prevent a repeat of last year’s cholera outbreak.

Nigerian Villages Threatened by Erosion

Southeastern Nigeria is littered with gullies caused by extreme and swift ground erosion. Activists say millions of lives are affected as some villages are cut off from the rest of the country while in other areas, local economies are collapsing along with a building every month. 

Reduce food waste: Reduce your portion

Serve food in smaller amounts so that you can finish off what’s on the plate. While eating out, place your order from the appetizer menu or for a small-sized portion.

Pix: AP

Reduce food waste: Store away!

Organise your food cupboards and fridge as you would your closet. Clean the veggies and fruits and use specific containers before storing them in the fridge. Place the older food items in your cupboards and fridge in the front and store the new ones towards the back. Keep your fridge temperature between 1 and 5 degrees Celsius for food to stay fresh for longer duration.

Thai police discover 14 albino lions in warehouse near Bangkok

Thai police have arrested a pet shop owner after discovering 14 albino lions smuggled from Africa and hundreds of other protected animals in a warehouse near Bangkok.

Tanzania: NGO Carries Out Animal Census in Kalambo

Pix couresy postnoon.com

A NON-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Wildlife Conservation Society, is currently carrying out research in Kalambo River Forest in the newly established Kalambo District, Rukwa Region, in an effort to identify different species of animals including baboons living in the forest as well as their population.

Reduce food waste: Make a plan and stick to it

People usually buy more food than is actually needed, so plan your menu for the week ahead carefully before shopping for grocery. Check your pantry and fridge and write down the items you need before you head out. Stick to your list because many a time, people end up putting more food in their shopping cart simply because they weren’t able to resist the attractive offers at grocery stores.

Pix: AP