NWU hosts Environment Awareness Week
Lover’s Lane on the North-West University’s (NWU) Potchefstroom campus came alive with activity during Environment Awareness Week that started on 17 February 2020.
Environment Week is celebrated yearly to make students aware of the dangers of climate change and the influence it has on their lives.
Lover’s Lane was a buzz of activity with gazebos of different environmental societies lined up on either side, making students aware of the different activities that they can engage in to help make a difference.
Among the different societies that took part in creating awareness, is the Student Law Council of Potchefstroom (SLCP).
Elre van Niekerk, SLCP current affairs officer, said that Environment Week, also known as Green Week, presents many opportunities to students to be part of the solution for global change, as it equips them with ideas like recycling. She said the week offers a platform to establish awareness about environmental problems which need to be addressed.
Van Niekerk said SLCP used fun facts to get students and the youth in general to be more active in minimizing pollution by starting with recycling .
Van Niekerk further said students need to encourage each other to look after the environment, and the best way to do so is by being aware of the dangers, problems and the solutions to climate change. She said everybody can make a change no matter how small they start.
The chairperson of SLCP, Stefan Niemann, said the Environment Week celebration is very important as it creates awareness to students to take care of the environment.
Environment Week was celebrated by hosting Mr and Ms Environment, where the contestants were dressed in recycled clothing and gave fun facts about anything related to environment topics including endangered animals, global warming and energy conservation techniques. In her speech, Ms Environment said it is very important to take care of the ocean, as 12 million tons of plastic end up in South African oceans every year.
Other activities included a showcase of practical ideas applicable to NWU’s students, that can help the environment, Green walk that started at the Draak where deliberations were held about the environment and its problems and endangered species. The walk proceeded to the main library to build an eco brick with recycled material. There was also Green talk, where two lectures from the NWU talked to students about environmental issues. And finally Potch Clean-up with former campus rector Prof Fika van Rensburg, where students help to clean the area around Spar on the Bult.
