A local NGO, Global Pastures Foundation, has partnered with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to promote responsible environmental practices among basic school children.
The project, dubbed “Agenda ME-2035,” will focus on plastic waste and measures to reduce plastic pollution, which poses a significant threat to the environment.
The aim of the project is to help change the attitude of Ghanaian children towards maintaining a clean environment.
According to Stephen Asenso Amankwaa, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Pastures Foundation, it is high time conscious efforts were made to instill environmental awareness in children.
“Our young ones of school-going age should be trained to understand the need to keep the environment conducive for us all,” he emphasized.
In the first phase of the project, some schools within the Bantama Constituency will be targeted for education on responsible environmental practices.
The foundation has already visited State Boys and State Girls schools, where students were taken through lessons on reducing plastic waste in the environment.
The foundation also donated dustbins, brooms, and other materials to the schools to support their sanitation needs.
Additionally, reading materials were donated to the students to sustain their interest in cleanliness.
After the successful implementation of the school project, the group plans to extend the sensitization program to selected markets in the Kumasi Metropolis.
Plastic waste poses significant dangers to Ghana’s environment, economy, and public health.
Plastic waste has clogged drainage systems, causing urban flooding and contaminating water bodies.
It has also reduced crop yields and affected human health. Ghana’s plastic pollution crisis is estimated to cost the country $6 billion annually, equivalent to 11% of its GDP. Halting this form of pollution will help improve the economy and promote a healthy environment