“500 youths empowered in environmental consciousness.”
The Green Mind International Academy has empowered no fewer than 500 youths in Ondo State with the knowledge and skills needed to become environmentally conscious to achieve environmental sustainability and protection.
The Founder and Executive Director of the academy, Miss Olamide Olayiwola, disclosed this during the Plastic Project Implementation Event in Akure, the state capital.
Olayiwola noted that the environmental academy is dedicated to empowering youths, particularly by charging them to take meaningful climate action and contribute to environmental preservation and sustainability.
The event, which attracted hundreds of youths, featured the exchange of plastic waste received from participants for foodstuffs, which will be recycled into reusable products.
Olayiwola explained that the implementation of the Plastic Barter Project, an initiative of GMI Academy, is a youth-led organization dedicated to environmental sustainability, education, and protection through active youth and community development projects.
According to her, the academy focuses on local solutions to global challenges, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, targeting climate action, life on land, quality education, and zero hunger.
Emphasizing the Plastic Barter Project at the event, the founder stressed that the initiative is one of the academy’s innovative projects aimed at addressing plastic waste pollution and food scarcity caused by harsh economic realities.
Through the project, she explained, the academy exchanges plastic waste for foodstuffs, emphasizing that the plastics received from the beneficiaries will be recycled into reusable everyday products.
“By incentivizing responsible waste disposal, we not only reduce plastic pollution and feed households but also educate people on the importance of sustainable practices.
“This project was born out of a vision to create a culture of recycling and sustainability in every Nigerian community and to also support community members.
“For Ondo State, it reduces the burden of managing plastic waste, improves public health by minimizing pollution, and creates a cleaner and more attractive environment for residents and visitors. For the environment, it helps combat climate change by diverting plastic from landfills and waterways, encouraging recycling, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
She appealed to governments at all levels, stakeholders, and international bodies to support the project, which she said would directly tackle climate risks and promote sustainable development.
The Deji of Akure, Oba (Dr.) Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi, Odundun II, commended the founder of GMI Academy for the initiative, which he noted will assist governments at all levels in proffering solutions to climate challenges and flooding encountered by residents in the state.
He appealed to governments to provide the necessary support to the founder of the academy for a better Ondo State and Nigeria at large.
