Students pulled out all the stops to create environmental awareness amongst fellow students, visitors and the community at large.
The week-long programme included three exhibitions in the Student Recreation Centre of existing conservation and sustainability-related programmes and activities on the campus. One featured green lodging put together by the Game Lodge Manage-ment II class. This exhibition featured various models and visuals that clearly depicted the concept of a lodge that reduce its carbon footprint.
Another exhibition by the BTech Nature Conservation class showcased a variety of sustainability projects that students are involved in, such as the Tierkop action research project; the Vermiculture project, student involvement in the training of community members and the establishing of vegetable gardens for the Men on the Side of the Road Project and the recently established Green Campus Forum.
The stand by the Nature Conservation Communications II students highlighted a variety of environmental issues.
Students also organised a green fashion show and a green box-cart race with outfits and cars made from recyclable materials. A variety of competitions included paint-ball, green goo recycle pool and trolley races. The trolley "race against time" featured trolleys filled with recyclable cans, paper and bottles and students sorted the materials in recycling bins at high speed.
A number of schools also made use of the opportunity to introduce their learners to the green concepts and the NMMU George campus, while EDENfm kept listeners in the Garden Route and Little Karoo up to date with all the events.
What some of the students had to say:
Heinrich Diedericks: "Worm farming (vermiculture) can help us deal with the immense waste problem we as a country have. We produce too much waste and our land fill and other waste disposal facilities can't cope. Conservation starts at home."
Mfundo Majola, Green Campus Forum spokesperson: "As students we want to change poor habits and attitudes towards the environment and issues of sustainability."
Merwe Potgieter: "Tourists pay attention to the sustainability of a lodge because they know that the earth is under tremendous human pressure. They want a guilt free holiday."
Bianca Currie, lecturer in the School of Natural Resource Management concluded that her role was to help develop critical thinking amongst students. "We need students to be equipped with the necessary skills and mind-set so that they can be innovative and develop new ways of living within the capacity of the earth", she said.
A highlight of the Green Campus Awareness Week was the live broadcast by EDENfm from the Saasveld Campus. Morne Pietersen (right), EDENfm Station Manager delighted in interviewing NMMU students about their research projects. Damien Coulson shared the Tierkop action research project with listeners.
