As part of its sustainability efforts focused on the environment, Vivo Energy Ghana, the company that markets and distributes Shell branded fuels and lubricants has entered into partnership with Environment 360, a Non-Governmental Organisation to roll-out a comprehensive recycling programme dubbed CyClean targeted at basic schools in the James Town, Chorkor and Lartebiokorshie enclave of the Greater Accra Region.
The initiative forms part of Vivo Energy Ghana’s people-centred sustainability projects, focused on communities where it operates. This programme also aims to instill good environmental behaviours, practice and recycling mind-set in school children.
The programme, which was rolled out in about 10 schools last year, seeks to equip the beneficiary schools to adopt innovative means of recycling plastic and paper waste, in a bid to reduce waste within their environment and to the landfills.
The children are taught how to segregate their waste with the help of volunteers from Environment 360.
Additionally, the students are also equipped with skills through a series of creative activities such as rubbish sorting and production of pencil, pen and flower vases out of plastic materials. Their intellectual prowess on green technology and recycling is also tested through research, debates and quizzes.
To give the school children a better insight into recycling, the students have also embarked on an excursion to the Accra Faecal Treatment plant where they were taken through the various stages in the recycling of faecal waste.
At the Vivo Energy Ghana head office, waste segregation bins have been placed at strategic positions to aid waste segregation at source and at the work place.
The Managing Director of Vivo Energy Ghana, Mr. Ebenezer Faulkner said Vivo Energy Ghana recognizes the importance of protecting the environment and is committed to the schools and workplace recycling programme aimed at promoting environmental sustainability.
It is therefore not surprising that CyClean emerged as the winning project of the Vivo Energy Reputation Builders Award category in Amsterdam earlier this year.
“We believe in environmental sustainability and one of the ways of championing this course is through this recycling initiative. Instilling the habit of recycling in people particularly children, can change perceptions about the environment and create the next generation of green leaders. Children are powerful change agents that can impact their communities.
He added that the company owes it a responsibility to educate local communities and help them adopt behaviours that will safeguard the environment.
So far, over 5,000 school children from Nii Kojo Ababio Basic School, A.M.E Zion Cluster of schools, St. Georges Anglican School and Korle Gonno R/C Boys School have participated and benefitted from this programme. The programme will be expanded to include more schools to champion environmental sustainability.
Vivo Energy Ghana has the strong conviction that by helping children adopt to good environmental practices, there will be a knock-on effect on future generations and the environment will be safeguarded for the benefit of all.
