Tetra Pack, a food processing and packaging solutions company has started its campaign to plant trees at the Oloolua forest.
The exercise is an enactment of the company’s ongoing campaign ‘Go nature GO carton.
Speaking during the event the National Environment Management Authority of Kenya (NEEMA) Director General Mamo Boru said that protecting and enhancing the quality of the environment is a divine duty to all human beings.
“The greatest challenge we have at Oloolua is littering with the waste we generate yet we do not want to take responsibility for it,” said the Director General Boru.
He added that Kenyans have a poor attitude towards the environment saying taking care of the environment is a constitutional provision.
“I would like to call upon all other corporate companies to join us in enriching the forests by planting trees and nurturing them,” said Boru.
The Director General revealed that the Ministry of Environment and Forestry has been working on the green spaces in Nairobi like the Michuki Park with the aim of making such places clean.
“We are looking into mainstreaming environmental issues into the school curriculum in a programme dubbed greening of the school curriculum to create awareness among the children,” he added.
Boru further stated that NEEMA is providing schools with waste bins so that they can learn to sort the waste at the point of generation.
He urged the citizens to normalise sorting waste even before disposing it off as it will reduce unnecessary littering and encourage recycling.
“NEEMA has already written to IEBC to ensure that the candidates who want to vie in the forthcoming elections commit to protecting the environment by avoiding littering the streets with posters,” Boru said.
Boru warned that NEEMA will fine any aspirant who will be found guilty of littering and it will be mandatory for the candidates to put their commitment in writing.
While giving her remarks Tetra Pack Marketing Director Jackline Kittony said that all their carton packaging comes from sustainably manned forests.
“Our business solely relies on the forests hence it is our responsibility to plant trees and take care of the environment,” said Kittony.
She stated that Tetra Pack is looking at neutralising carbon emission and envisions being 100 per cent compliant on renewable energy by 2030.
Kittony revealed that the company is committed to protecting and preserving nature and has partnered with the Oloolua forest management to plant one million trees in the forest.
By Njeri Kariuki and Morphine Opilio