As part of the collaboration between Bangor University-UK and Makerere University which is aimed at promoting sustainable development in the two universities and their communities, Bangor and Makerere students are joining hands through their student engagement initiative, to implement the very first Go Green Week at Makerere. Slated to run from Monday 27th February to Friday 3rd March 2017, the aim of this event is to create awareness about climate change.  The campaign will run under the theme, “The Green Makerere We Desire.”

The Go Green week at Makerere is organised by the Sustainability Program-coordinated by the Planning and Development Department (PDD), in collaboration with the Students Sustainability Action Group; and supported by the Sustainability Lab-Bangor University, Hub Cymru Africa and the UNDEB-Student Union Bangor.

Students are taking the lead in creating awareness under this theme and are engaging fellow students and staff to receive their views on the greener Makerere they envision.

According to Ms. Pamela Matovu, the Coordinator of Sustainable Program at Makerere University, the activities of the Go Green Week are basically run by students under their Sustainability Action Group. “The sustainability program is currently engaging University students to actively work together, learn and create sustainable practices. Through the Students Sustainability Action Group, students are engaging with fellow students and staff to receive views on the greener Makerere they desire,” she said.

She explained that students are involved in activities aimed at creating awareness. They are reaching out to students in the respective halls of residence, hostels and colleges. The participants are using placards in strategic areas within the University to exhibit environmental management messages and a photo booth will be set up in the halls of residence.

 “Everything starts with awareness. We have engaged students from all Colleges to make this possible. We have also engaged students from plant science. We have concentrated on creating awareness within the University, but later we shall involve the entire community,” said Mr. Ahumuza Emanuel, a fourth year student of Urban Planning and Regional Planning at Makerere University.

Mr. Ahumuza, also the Team leader of the Students’ Sustainability Action Group reiterated that much as Makerere University is green, they needed a pattern in creating a greener Makerere and were looking for a comprehensive plan of attaining a greener institution with a structured pattern.

The Go Green week events can be followed on Twitter via the #gogreenmak hashtag.

About the Go Green Week

Go Green week is an annual week of climate action which is part of the National Green Week- an annual campaign initiated by the Green Education Foundation (GEF)  which runs between February and April.

The Go Green week encourages students to run activities throughout the week to raise awareness and demand stronger actions to tackle climate crisis.

In the UK, it is organized by the People and Planet https://peopleandplanet.org/ with support from the National Union of Students (NUS). Students in UK universities run their activities during the week of 13^th to 19^th February.

Article by: Charles Iga-Mak News