On April 20, 2023, the American University of Nigeria's (AUN) Office of Sustainability, in collaboration with the Environmental Care Foundation, planted various species of economic trees on AUN Campus to Commemorate the 2023 World Earth Day with the theme "Restore the Earth."
The official day for the celebration worldwide is April 22, but was marked earlier at AUN due to the public holidays.
Mr. Raymond Obindu, AUN Sustainability Coordinator and Ms. Ohirijesu Okonta, President of AUN Stars Club, a team of students devoted to advancing sustainability, welcomed the delegates from Environmental Care Foundation and Alimat Care Foundation, NGOs, and other community members present at the event.
The event featured a display of 'eco-essential' products made from environmental wastes, such as littered polyethylene products and leather bags, and pieces of clothes, which were transformed into new different products such as foot mats, decorative table covers, handbags, backpacks, foot mats, beach mats, and key holders. It also featured a pledge–to–Earth, where participants write out their intentions in favor of Earth on a sticky note and paste it on a board as a reminder to enable them to fulfill those promises. Some sticky notes read: I will plant 12 trees in 2023 and nurture them to maturity. I will always clean my environment and separate the dirt into categories for reuse.
Reported by John Abah