Kenyatta University Green Education Hub celebrated its first Green Education Day-24th June 2022
‘Go out there and be the hummingbirds’
The first Green Education Day was marked on the 24th of June 2022 following the launch of the Kenyatta University Green Education Hub on the 11th of May 2022. Several activities ranging from television talk shows, awareness walk and world climate simulation exercise marked the day.
Television talkshow
The University Green Education ambassadors were hosted by Kenyatta University Television on the eve of 24th June to both publicize the event and create more awareness about the green education. The talk shows were bilingual, one each in Kiswahili and English languages. The shows were targeted to reach a wider community with the message of climate action and the role of education in mitigation and adaptation efforts. The TV programme attracted attendance from several stakeholders including NGOs involved in climate action.
Awareness Walk
A themed climate change awareness walk calling for collective responsibility from the university, local communities, government and civil society was held within Kenyatta University main campus. The Dean School of Education, Prof. Kisilu Kombo flagged off the walk, calling for participants to act as the hummingbird that tried to save a burning forest while other animals were stupefied and did nothing. The dean encouraged the participants that individual efforts to conserve biodiversity and address climate change can inspire people and communities to join the climate justice movement to increase the calls for healthy and sustainable living spaces. During the walk, participants used placards and banners to communicate the need to lower ecological and carbon footprint to support the Paris Climate Agreement’s call for the reduction of global warming to below 2oC and preferably 1.5oC.
World Climate Simulation
The main event of the 1st GED was the World Climate Simulation which was led by Ms. Sheila Shefo Mbiru and her team from Climate Interactive. Participants role-played different actors from the global north and global south in a heated debate on climate justice. The participants were grouped into nine negotiating blocks reflecting the UNFCCC categories each with their own interest and levels of contribution to climate change. The World Climate Simulation provided a platform for universities to replay the UNFCCC conference, and sharpen their negotiation and communication skills on climate action.
