For instance, over\nand above marking birthdays with cake-cutting and parties, friends could add\ntree-planting and estate clean-ups to their to-do lists, as Arroisa has already\ndone along Kirichwa River in Nairobi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And how about\nnewlyweds symbolically planting trees to demonstrate the beginning of a new\nlife together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe use birthdays\nto celebrate with youths and children from informal settlements who are not\nable to afford celebrity birthdays. As we celebrate the birthdays, we use that\nopportunity to do environmental conservation, including environmental\nawareness, cleanup activities, tree planting, cake cutting and games,\u201d Arroisa\nsaid in an interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe believe such\ninitiatives alongside others will collectively help Kenya achieve the 10\npercent forest cover and Sustainable Development Goal 13 \u2013 Climate Action,\u201d she\nadded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Besides Kirichwa\nRiver, the group in conjunction with the Nairobi City County has marked\nbirthdays by planting trees at Muslim Primary School and Gatina Primary school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recently, she\nsays, one of her friends held a \u2018green wedding\u2019 in which the couple planted\ntrees on their wedding day, marking the highlight of their environmental drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The young\nenvironmentalist believes her campaign would go a long way in instilling a\nsense of responsibility especially among Kenyan youths and lower their\nindividual carbon footprints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having been\ninspired by her father, an environmental evangelist, Arroisa has never missed a\nchance to influence her circle of friends into planting trees on their\nbirthdays, over and above having fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being only five months old in the conservation journey, her green campaign has celebrated four birthdays, each every month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese\ncelebrations, coupled with environmental education, regular cleanups and tree\nplanting are of significant value to our ecosystem which has recently risked\nbeing thrown out of whack,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing she can\u2019t\ndo much by herself, she\u2019s quick to acknowledge the supportive role of her\nfriends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTeamwork is the roadmap to our success. Human\nand material resources are really hard to find when implementing projects, but\nwith a great team, things run more smoothly. Our partners have been very\ninstrumental as well,\u201d she pointed out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, it has not been all smooth for the team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Challenges\nencountered, she says, range from lack of funds to inadequate seedlings to\nignorance among local communities on environmental conservation efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere should be a\nparadigm shift in mindsets among the wider public towards environment\nconservation. It should start at the individual level upwards. It\u2019s for this\nreason that we are engaging young children in their early stages of development\nto build a conservation mindset in them,\u201d said Arroisa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe government\nshould also make environmental education compulsory as they have done in the\nprimary level as Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) all the way up to High\nschools and tertiary institutions. Units like Climate Change should be a\ncompulsory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe environment never fails to reward us when well protected and conserved. Never be comfortable in an unsustainable environment. Act and impact in your own small way.\u201d Arroisa concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/cake-1024x682.jpg\")
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