Nature Speaks !!!

    Nature Speaks.............

What is in your immediate environment? Do you know the impact of your activities on the surrounding where you live?

As we exist in life we will generate waste it is unavoidable but the most important thing is how do you manage your waste stream and how is it disposed? It is very possible to minimise the waste generated by every family or community by adopting sustainable lifestyles. This can be achieved by complying with the 3Rs principle - reduce the amount of waste generated in your daily activities, reuse the products of your waste by putting it to other uses until the life cycle is exhausted and finally by recycling the waste. These measures can be achieved in different ways ranging from simple methods to technological advancement. The main goal is to ensure that nothing goes to the bin until it cannot be used for as a resource. This will make us cost effective by ensuring all our purchases achieve the purpose for which they are bought and more and also the environment is now impacted negatively by the product of our waste.

The above video is taken for a luxurious site in Victoria Island in Lagos in an affluent area of Lagos Island. It was shocking to see that people that live a comfortable life in an area where the rent or cost of a house is very expensive care little or less about what is in there immediate environment. The water and the land are polluted by waste generated from the community but none has taken the responsibility to take action and clean it up. Take a look at your surrounding environment, it is your responsibility not the government alone. Be sustainable, take up the challenge and make a positive impact wherever you find yourself. Do not leave the job for your landlord, the local authority or the state environmental agency. Challenge your self and make a change to ensure we protect and conserve our home..... the environment.

Developing Personal Goals for 2015…………………………are they sustainable?

The New Year marks a year of hope and new beginning for a lot of people. It provides an opportunity for a fresh start. It also comes with a lot of plans filled with uncertainty. This is always challenging when things don’t go the way as planned. This is the time when people start by setting goals and making New Year resolutions. The big question is, today marks the last day of the first month of the year (January). Have you set your goals for the year? If you start the New Year with procrastinations, just getting on in life without a vision, how do we make achievements determined by timelines? What is the driver to make us earn that amount we need to meet our basic needs? It can be referred to as having “dreams with a timeline”. We constantly need to challenge ourselves in order to achieve what we have set out to do. One of the ways we can we accomplish that is to set sustainable goals.

The tips below will help you to set sustainable goals for 2015 to ensure your environmental performance as an individual is improved and your carbon footprint is reduced to ensure you can adopt a sustainable lifestyle. Your goals should be periodically reviewed to ensure they remain sustainable through the year and they are achieved to a considerable level of accomplishment.

v  Publicly stating what you set out to achieve- write it down and share with family and friends so they can remind you and keep you aligned

v  Set goals that provide observable and measurable results- that which can simple answer of yes or no when the question” has the goal been achieved?” is asked

v  Do not try to tick they box or make it a checklist- make it intentions with a target, it is all about continuous improvement

v  Your goals should be able to steer you in the right direction- specific to what you set out to achieve so all activities should be steered in the right direction towards achieving the set goal.

v  Your personal goals should be aligned with close family and friends- having a common vision helps to ensure all are committed and focused on the specific objectives of the goal

v  Reach for goals that will be motivating and inspiring-it should not be just more issues that need to be managed but should have a meaningful impact.

v  Sustainability goals must be integral to all aspect of your life - these goals will help enhance the way you conduct your activities

v  Always make sure the targets are realistic not bogus- there is a need to strike a balance between what can be practically achieved and at the same time setting a benchmark at a level where real improvements will ensue.

v  Setting sustainable goals should not be an expression of hope and desire – do not include goals without there being a clear roadmap as to how they can be achieved in reality.

v  Finally your goals must be innovative – think of ways to solve key environmental or social sustainability issues; this should be factored into the thinking when developing the goals.

Setting goals can be a herculean task and even making them sustainable can be worse but then at the end of the year, it leaves you fulfilled knowing that you have made a positive impact on your environment that is reflected globally. Take that step today and set your sustainable goals, it is not too late……………..pick your pen ………..write that first line.

The Aftermath of Ebola in Nigeria

On the 20th of October, Nigeria was given the clean bill of being "Ebola free" by the World Health organisation. This good news came after a gruelling three months for a nation since the inception of the virus that dates back to 1976 when the first incident was recorded in Zaire. It had a lot of negative impact for Nigeria which includes the record of about nineteen (19) cases and seven (7) deaths mostly of health care workers but on the other hand, it had a lot of positive impact for us as a country. It gave the government a challenge to improve on the health care services, created awareness on personal hygiene for all citizens (hand-washing, use of sanitisers, proper disinfection e.t.c.), private organisations took up the challenge to improve on their welfare for their staff and the to the general public (provision of hand sanitisers, washing facilities, temperature scanning), non- governmental organisations and civil agencies created awareness in the local community, health care workers were trained to ensure they have adequate knowledge and skills to combat outbreak. In all these, it was a victory for Nigeria as a community and lots of other nations had one thing or the other to learn from our experience. This challenge brought out the best in us and was an indicator that when everyone collectively work towards a set goal, it can be easily achieved. Let us all continue to work together to make Nigeria a better and more sustainable country to live and dwell in.

Guardian Publication : Nigeria is now Ebola free.

Climate Reality Project launched in Africa………….the most vulnerable continent to climate change impacts

24^thThe 24^th international Climate Reality Project training by Al Gore took place in Johannesburg on 12^th-14^th March, 2014. It was the first time the Climate Reality training was conducted in Africa therefore a milestone achievement. This brought over 700 passionate individuals together from over 53 countries together in the beautiful city of Sandton, South Africa. The Mayor, Honorable Mohp Parks Tau who highlighted the effects of Climate Change in Johannesburg in the last decade opened the event. He discussed the adaptation initiatives that have been undertaken by the government and also plans in the future to reduce the effects of this dilemma.

Nigeria Delegates

Mentors with Al Gore

The art of storytelling as a effective tool was emphasized by Actress and Playwright Danai Guriri because personal stories help to connect with people when trying to win the climate change conversation. Other speakers includes Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Green Peace International; Wanjira Mathai, Director of Wangari Manthai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies, Evans Wadougo, Patrick Ngowi, a social entrepreneur and CEO of Helvetic Group to mention a few.

Less than 24 hours after the training, most of the new Climate leaders were left energetic and joined a day of action for the tree planting campaign organized by the Climate Reality Partner and leader for the African branch; Food and trees for Africa led by Jeunesse Park. 

Tree planting campaign at Alexandra

The pictures give more insight into the activities that took place in South Africa to
kick-off the action for the social revolution in Africa.

More information on the Climate reality Corps can be found http://climaterealityproject.

                                      

Written by O’ Reese on behalf of En-pact Solutions Limited. 2014.

Twitter: @O Reese2

         @EnpactHSE

World Health Day 2014: Small Bite Big threat!

24^tThe World Health Organization celebrates the World Health Day globally on 7^th April annually to marl the anniversary of its origin and founding in 1948. The theme for this year is “Small Bite, Big threat:  preventing vector borne diseases" to highlight an area of priority. This year the World Health Organization committed to creating awareness for travelers by use of promotional material such as posters and boarding pass cards at London Heathrow airport ad Washington DC ‘s Dulles’ airports where travelers were advised on how to protect themselves from vectors borne diseases while away from home. At Geneva, the headquarters and other offices around the world, various campaigns took place to educate the general public on  the threat of vector diseases.

What are vectors? They are small organisms that serve as a medium for spreading diseases from person to person or place to place. They may be a threat to your health and that of your family at home and when traveling. Such vectors include mosquitoes, flies, ticks, freshwater snails, sandflies, rodents; insect vectors, lymphatic filariasis, chagas and bugs can cause serious illness, which may lead to death. These vectors transmit a wide range of parasites and pathogens that attack humans and animals. Diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, leishmaniasis, yellow fever, Ebola fever (currently endemic in Africa) to mention a few are preventable and they have a greater impact on the poorer and low income earners of the society.

About 50% of the general population is at risk of these diseases for people are more vulnerable due to travel, trade, migration, environmental changes such as climate change and industrialization, low immune system and various other factors. This year’s theme aims to promote and create awareness by focusing on the vectors that spread the disease, the disease they cause and simple precautions we can take to prevent the bite from these vectors.

                                                                                                   

   

Tips for preventing vector borne diseases

The following are tips to be considered to prevent borne diseases:

Ø  Get vaccinated against diseases such as yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis.

Ø  Educate

Ø  Clean your surroundings; ensure gutters are clean and free from all solids, get rid of all stagnant water that can be a breeding area for vectors

Ø  Ensure you wear light colored long sleeves and trousers especially between dusk to dawn

Ø  Use insect repellent as appropriate for mosquito prevention it should have at least 25% DEET content

Ø  Use insect treated nets over beds for all family members to sleep

Ø  Ensure the windows and doors of houses have net screens to prevent insects and other vectors from accessing your homes

Ø  Prior to traveling, contact your health care provider, find out about the vectors in the country and take steps to prevent vector bites

Ø  Frequent travelers should protect themselves when traveling to countries which pose health threat

Ø  Government should put measures in place to improve the protection of the population

Ø  Families living in vulnerable or vector prone areas should apply protective and preventive measures.

Ø  Practice vector control and provision of safe water.

Diseases caused by vectors are preventable therefore bite prevention is the key. 

Let us all join the global campaign with the World Health Organization to create 

awareness, provide education for those who are less informed and promote this campaign. 

The threat caused by a small bite can have devastating impact on a larger community. 

The tips above can be applied to prevent bites, spread the word.

                                         

Written by O’ Reese on behalf of En-pact Solutions Limited. 2014.

Twitter: @O Reese2

         @EnpactHSE

World Tuberculosis Day: Find Treat and Cure

 Today, March 24^th is recognised globally as a day for promoting awareness and work towards the eradication of Tuberculosis. This day collaborates the discovery of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB) called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The theme for 2014 is “Reach the three million: A TB test, treatment and cure for all”. The number represents an estimate of the number of new active TB cases annually that are left untreated by the healthcare systems. This is a global call for all to reach out to the people that do not have access to the health care which include the world’s poorest, most vulnerable communities and includes groups such as migrants, miners, drug users and sex workers. TB is curable; let us therefore continue to create awareness on the treatment of this scourge. There is an urgent need to invest in technological research and development of new tools (diagnosis, drugs and vaccines) to reach more people and prevent them from the devastating effect of TB.  This can contribute towards achieving the Millennium Development Goal of totally eradicating TB within the next two decades.

Facts of TB Disease: The following are some facts of TB infection:

Ø  TB affects One third of the world’s population.

Ø  About 9 million people get sick annually from TB.

Ø  Mycobacterium tuberculosis can stay alive in the air for a few hours especially in rooms with no fresh air

Ø  Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine is given at birth to newborns in high-risk countries to prevent TB and prevent active TB in childhood but not effective in adults.

Ø  It is a deadly disease with almost 2 million associated deaths each year and about 4,000 deaths daily.

Ø  In 2011, there were about 8.7 million TB cases; 1.4 million deaths around the world including about 430,000 who were HIV +

Ø  TB is the leading cause of opportunities infection death associated with HIV.

Ø  One active TB disease can infect at least 15 people.

Ø  The campaign for this year is aimed at zero TB deaths, infections, suffering and stigma.

Symptoms of TB Disease: At the latent stage of TB there are no symptoms and it cannot infect anyone but at the active state it can be infectious and have the following symptoms: unexplained weight loss, feeling sick, abnormal x-ray results, night sweats, fever, coughing lasting up to 2-3 weeks.

Treatment: TB is treated with medication for at least 6 months taken exactly as directed by the medical practitioner to prevent drug resistance. Multi-Drug Resistant TB has been identified and has been recognized as a growing concern in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

Let us all join the global community to find, treat and cure all people with TB and increase the progress being made towards zero death, infections and stigmas. There are available tests to detect active and latent TB, get screened today.

Written by O’ Reese of En-pact Solutions Limited, 2014

Twitter: @O Reese2

         @EnpactHSE

The Cost of Carbon…….who pays the price?

24^t

Carbon pollution has adverse effect on the individuals, their health and also the environment. These effects attract a cost that is either borne by the people or the environment. What is the price of carbon pollution commonly referred to as carbon price? It refers to the amount that must be paid to a public authority such as carbon tax, or as emission permit exchange such as emissions for one tonne of carbon doixide into the atmosphere or purchasing emissions allowance. This can also be based on international emissions trading agreement between countries. The purpose this is implemented to ensure the “polluters pay principles” are enforced within a system. This will enable emitters to be responsible for at least a certain percentage of the cost of pollution and ultimately climate change.

Climate change has economic and social costs, which has an implication on those that are affected directly or indirectly, it has a negative impact on the flora and fauna, families, local community, the government and the nation as a whole. The sect that is least affected is the organization or companies that engage in activities that contribute to climate change because there is little or no enforcement through taxes, fines or penalties.

It is our responsibility to enlighten these organizations, the government and the public on the devastating effects of carbon on our health and the environment. This awareness will bring about change in attitude and approach of industries activities that contribute to climate change and also investment in more sustainable and greener technologies. Therefore the major contributors to climate change will bear the cost of their action and be responsible for ensuring we have a more sustainable world to live in.

The Climate reality project has developed a tool for calculating the carbon cost in different continents but unfortunately the tool has not been activated for Nigeria therefore you cannot check the cost of carbon for Nigeria at the moment. This tool highlights the effects of carbon pollution in various aspects of life and then the risk associated with such effects are classified from a range of extreme risk to low risk. The aspects considered with this tool are higher food prices, water scarcity, reduced water quality, property damage, loss of wildlife/wetlands/agriculture soil, ecological damage, higher insurance premium, spread of diseases, river or lake water level decline, heat related illness . This is just one of the various ways of highlighting the cost of carbon. What suggestions do you have on how to combat this  growing concern? We want to hear from you…….

More information on the carbon cost can be found on http://www.thecostofcarbon.org/.

More information on the Climate reality Corps can be found http://climaterealityproject.

                                      

Written by O’ Reese on behalf of En-pact Solutions Limited. 2014.

Twitter: @O Reese2

         @EnpactHSE