Environmental Education Is Key to Solving Our Waste Problem

By 

Olumide Idowu

@OlumideIDOWU

We live in rapidly evolving societies, so why doesn't our environmental sensitization adapt/conform to these changes?’’

Williams S. Anarfi explains - environmental education is becoming increasingly important as our lives, cities and priorities change. As our cities become more congested and busy, knowledge of the impact we each have on our surroundings becomes more and more crucial. Equally important however, is our understanding of how we can contribute to protecting the environment around us.

Africa is on the verge of losing its essence and beauty to different forms of degradation especially waste pollution’’. This is dope; I think you should start your article with this statement. As we become more urbanized and the spending power of the average African rises, more goods will be consumed leading to even more waste. “The volume of waste generated on our continent is expected to double in the coming years as the size and population of its cities explode.” John Paul.

Apart from the dirty and unsightly look that heaps of wastes are giving to several cities across Africa, poor waste management is closely related to, and largely responsible for, the outbreak of diseases. In addition to its undesirable effects, the mismanagement of our waste has a long-term effect on the handling of Africa’s natural resources in the future. Recycling items like kitchen waste, paper, plastic and metals helps reduce the pollution in our environment.

The enforcement of proper waste management has a strong impact on job creation in Africa. Organizations like Recycle Points Nigeria, Wecyclers, WASCO, EnviroWaste, WasteMan are one of the few organizations in Africa that are contributing to more job creations and ultimately promoting a more sustainable global environment.

Apparently, more efficient and sustainable approaches to waste management need to be adopted. To ensure this, we need to shift emphasis towards a more localized/community based system, make use of low tech/ low energy systems and most importantly ensure waste minimization. This approach is widely practiced all over the world and very few African companies like afore mentioned have adopted these methods.

1. Waste Minimization is an approach that aims to reduce the production of waste through education and the adoption of improved production processes and less wasteful practices.
2. Recycling means to separate certain materials within the waste stream and reprocess them. Currently, the recycling of many materials is not financially viable.
3. Waste processing is the treatment and recovery (use) of materials or energy from waste through thermal, chemical, or biological means.

A waste management system is a combination of several stages in the flow of materials within a given society. All waste management systems goes through the mining stage, processing, production and consumption stages which involves the final treatment and disposal. I believe that the ultimate goal of waste management efforts should be waste minimization, however, waste processing and waste recycling play an important role in improving production processes and in dealing with ‘waste’ in a manner that is more environmentally and economically beneficial.

For us to make this happen we need to improve the educational sectors in Africa There is an urgent need for us to do more advocate for both young and old. But you know what ­- The standard of education in many parts of our continent has deteriorated terribly. Poor access to quality education at all levels – from basic primary education to university – is another serious and nagging problem across Africa.

The poor quality of government education and low investment in the education sector has put youths in a state of crisis in many African countries.

Because many Africans understand that education is one of the few bridges out of poverty, millions of poor families on the continent are desperate to find good schools for their children. However, the existing schools and training facilities are unaffordable for many people and are not even enough to cater to the needs of Africa’s large and rapidly growing population.

How do we make education more attractive? Does anyone understand why education is crucial for Africa’s growth? Should we introduce free education for all or shall we demand a fee from those that can afford it?

I invite you to be part of the solution to the waste management problem in Africa and to help and encourage others. We need to endeavor/strive for sustainable education and proper waste management for all - together we all can make a difference in our different communities.

Thank You.

Olumide Idowu is the Team Lead, 

Climate Wednesday. 

He can be contacted on 

Twitter via @OlumideIDOWU

ME, A MARKETER?

Marketing is an everyday affair as long as human life is concerned. Everyone sells something to someone. You are either selling to your parents the person you want to become after college or you are selling a fun activity to your peers or a guy trying to win a girls love and affection or trying to sell a brilliant idea to the board members of your organization or making a sales presentation to potential investors. Whichever form it takes, whether formal or informal, an item is sold (goods or services). Now a lot people think marketing and sales is rocket science and so, some have built this giant image about marketing in their mind. These and lots more have left some thinking that some people where born to be marketers while others are not.

To help you build confidence in yourself and also have a breakthrough in your marketing career, here are a few tips which I believe would set you up on your journey as a marketer.    

1. Know yourself; Ever heard of the phrase ‘Oh man, know thy self’? Self awareness is one of the key factors in making success in your career as a marketer. Know your strength and weaknesses, know what motivates and inspires you to succeed. You cannot achieve success as a marketer with your confidence nose diving
2. Know your organization; A broad understanding of the source of your products/services is a major determining factor in your success as a marketer. Carry out a SWOT analysis of your organization. And know the direction in which your employer is leading the organization. This information will arm you for your customers, because sometimes, customers want to test your knowledge about your organization.
3. Know your product; You do not need a soothsayer to tell you that a full understanding of your product/services increases your confidence in actually selling that particular item. Every product has characteristics and behavior. As a marketer, you must understand these various features and characteristics in order to make sales
4. Know your competition; who has a similar product like yours? Whose product can serve as a substitute to yours? Whose product is of the same quality as yours? Know what your competition is doing, how they are doing it, with what resources are they doing it and why are they succeeding over you. Then device means to eliminate competition and gain more market shares
5. Know your market and your customer; This is one of the most important aspect of marketing; who is buying your product/services, what is their lifestyle, what is their spending power, what are their values, customs and traditions that you need to respect. Take your time to study them and familiarize yourself with them.

A proper and effective market segmentation will help you position yourself, gain market control, increase sales and increase your profit. As a marketer, you cannot stop doing market segmentation because the market is very dynamic and ever changing. You must proactively develop and innovate new ways to stay above your competition, involve your customers in the sales process and maintain your relevance in the market.

In conclusion, everyone is a marketer, whether great or small, old or young, male or female including you. If anyone can succeed in marketing, you can.

LESSONS AN INDIAN BOY TAUGHT ME

I have read books and practised leadership from my teenage years, but this little boy inspires a different level of leadership in me. His determination to make a difference in a system that cared less and a society that was characterized by selfishness, nonchalance, mediocrity and greed inspires in me the need to take the lead in effecting positive change.

CLICK ON THE LINK TO WATCH VIDEO

 https://youtu.be/GPeeZ6viNgY?si=_UBRLM-DF-jYxzRH

THERE WAS A PROBLEM;

Things weren’t working as normal and no one seemed to care about it; Do you work in an organization where things aren’t going smoothly as it should, do you come from a family that seem to be careless about certain things they should take rather seriously, or you live in a society that has accepted the life of mediocrity? If you find yourself in such a system as I have, you would notice that people aren’t usually very happy about the situation they have found themselves, but they can’t do anything or so they would think. But this boy is someone you would call a maverick (one who sees things differently from others). What did he do?

• He saw the situation and was exasperated by it
• He analyzed the situation and identified the root cause of the problem 
• He didn’t complain, whine, lament or turn a blind eye (which was the major problem) to the problem like the others in the same area
• He asked himself the most important question under the circumstance, ‘What can I do to solve the problem?

THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM;

People respond differently to problems and situations around them; some complain bitterly, others blame the government, the weather, the system, their family background, the economic situation or any other external factor not realizing that the major challenge is not the external forces but the internal weaknesses that we accept as our reality. The bitter truth is that, things are meant to go wrong; people change, government and organizational policies fail, systems that may have lasted for decades fall apart. Rather than sit back and wait and look for whom to blame and criticize, we can be proactive enough to do what this little boy did. He focused his attention on finding a solution to the problem. The only answer that made sense to him was ‘I can move this tree out of the way’. What a stupid thing to do right?

Printivo launches Reseller program to help graphic designers, event planners, photographers and other middle men earn from the platform.

Press Release

Lagos, Thursday, January 07, 2016.

Nigeria’s innovative online printing company Printivo.com today launched Printivo For Resellers, a platform that allows print brokers, designers, photographers, event planners, marketers, freelancers and creative agencies order in bulk and on behalf of the end user. Printivo for Resellers allows individuals or firms to create and order print products on its platform and earn as high as 20% discount all year round subject to terms and condition.

Printivo which announced its six figure series A funding from EchoVC Partners last year after its launch in 2014 is now opening the platform up for creative professionals and anyone who order print products on behalf of their clients with focus on helping small businesses order print faster, cheaper and better via its web2print platform and get amazing discounts.

'We launched Reseller to help graphic designers, freelancers, photographers and other creative professionals order print products for their customers and still make a great margin on each order.With Printivo for resellers, creative professionals can ship printed products directly to their clients, get constant discounts, free sample packs and a dedicated account executive. What this means is that they can focus on the most important part of their business while Printivo takes care of the printing and logistics'. Says Olu’yomi Ojo, CEO of Printivo.

Printivo currently offers free online templates, design support, a custom upload service, nationwide delivery and a fast turnaround with products ranging from business cards, letterheads, flyers, envelopes, and posters to gift products like custom photo mugs, notepads, paper bags and wedding gift items. Customers can order almost any kind of print on the website by selecting from its large database of free editable templates or by uploading their own print ready designs. Printivo then prints and ship the ready-made design to the customer.

'We are expanding our product categories to meet the rapid increase in demand and cover products that our customers would love to order. The idea is to ensure small scale businesses never have to worry about anything print again' Concludes Oluyomi Ojo.

While the reseller programme attracts an annual membership fee of Twenty thousand Naira (N20,000), it is currently free to sign up for the next one year, Printivo believes this will help creative professionals get value from the platform.

To opt in, interested reseller applies on Printivo’s website. Printivo’s reseller team reviews the application and approves the reseller if he meets all criteria. To learn more about Printivo For Resellers visit; www.printivo.com/reseller

12 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR TEAM AND INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY

The success and failure of your business/organization/team depends on the quality of your Human Resources. All other factors that increase productivity and profit are driven by human resources. Businesses are run and driven by people and not machines. Happy and motivated staff/team attracts happy and loyal customers. Employees are like women, they are soft, tender and fragile; to keep them motivated and productive, you as a team leader/employer have to be creative in keeping them happy. You may be thinking, why should I spend so much resource in keeping them happy? Why not fire them and employ new ones and tell them what happened to the former ones. That will keep them on their feet. Hehehe….. very smart move, but then, you have succeeded in making yourself a tyrant and a mafia boss. What will be the outcome of such action? 

• Your staff will term you a tyrant and will work in constant fear 

• Your corporate image will have been tarnished 

• You will lose your market share to your competitor 

• You will face legal charges and be forced to pay a huge fine 

• You will experience a huge loss on your investment and low productivity 

• Also go through the hassle of recruiting and inducting new staff which will consume time and money. Do you still want to fire them? I guess not.

Your staff are your corporate family, treat them like one. Let’s explore some ways to keep them motivated and inspired to achieve organizational objectives. 

1. Leadership by example; this is still the best form of leadership. Team members want a leader who knows his onus and have the balls to get things done. People follow a general who is always at the forefront and not a rear admiral who fights from the background. 

2. Be transparent and Honest; Give them every necessary information about their jobs and the project. Give them a reason to follow you. It will be a disaster if they find out the hard way that you are hiding something they should know about. You will lose trust and credibility. 

3. Team bonding exercises; All work and no play makes your team ineffective. Introduce some games and exercises that will reduce stress, ease off tension, increase team connection and increase productivity. Create the atmosphere for them to enjoy work. No one wants to work with an acquaintance, so give them a chance to become friends. 

4. Give them a sense of belonging and ownership; listen to their ideas and implement them. Let them be in the implementation team. And if the idea really sucks, be constructive in putting it aside.
5. Reward/little incentive strategy; it may include giving them bragging rights if they perform well in a task, employee of the week/month/year awards, souvenirs, holiday trips etc. these activities will introduce healthy competition in the team 

6. Appreciate them openly and individually; openly let them know how important they are to the team commend their individual strengths and help them walk through their weaknesses. 

7. Support them in achieving tasks. 

8. Be a strategist; Always be steps ahead of your members. Have a plan A, B, C, D etc. and develop an emergency response system for situations that may arise. 

9. Improve budget; This will create a better working atmosphere and increase productivity. 

10. Hangouts and social visits; As often as possible, hangout with your team; watch movies, have game nights, beach hangouts etc. Also make out time to visit them in their homes. You’ll be amazed at the response you will get the following day or week. 

11. Manage change effectively; As often as it occurs, be an effective change manager and inform them when changes occurs. 

12. Be their coach/mentor/best friend; Be someone they can confide in when they get into trouble trying to finish their tasks. Guide them and show them what to do. You are their best trainer. 

 Your staff is the live wire of your organization; their happiness should be your priority if you must get returns on your investments. Use positive reinforcements

3 REASONS WHY YOU ARE NOT EFFECTIVE IN THAT TEAM

Team membership is one of the most effective ways of not just discovering talents, but also maximizing talents and really making impact in an organization or in any system. No man is an island of anything, you're either connected to someone/thing or someone/thing is connected to you. A team is a group of individuals from different cultural, traditional, psychological and socio-political background coming together to accomplish a given task. Research shows that we all learn effectively from each other. Alphabetically, we can describe a team as

T - Together 
E - Everybody 
A - Achieves 
M - More
Teamwork develops your interpersonal skills in coping with conflict, in being a chairperson, in developing your interdependence and accountability and in developing your sense of self-esteem. This aids your personal development and your non-work related relationships. As awesome as teams are, some members of the team are not at their very best in delivering team goals, even as after the team has undergone the various stages of formation. However, it is important to know note that conflict resolution is an ongoing process that continues till the team is dissolved. Some of the reasons for this poor performance by team members are emotional, temperamental. We shall explore some of the reasons you have not been doing so well in that team;

1. Myopic mindset; Just like how being myopic affects our personal success, when you fail to see the big picture of the group we cannot achieve much success when we are given tasks in the group. When you have a shallow understanding of your abilities, it affects your communication with team members and your superiors in your work place. This can be characterized by inferiority complex, low self esteem, inability to comprehend concepts and team values. When you find yourself in this position, you tend to withdraw yourself from others and you’re becoming unnecessarily defensive when you are confronted. 
2. Pride; This attitude is usually exhibited by those with more experience and knowledge than the other members of the team. Sometimes they are more experienced than the group leader. Pride has destroyed so many people’s career and still is. You feel you are more experienced and more qualified for the job than every other person on the team and so you become antagonistic in your approach and tend to question every process and every decision. Sometimes you want the team to revolve around you and you have this 'am the boss' attitude. Team members do not need another 'boss' within the team who is there to fry their asses, they need a team mate and a friend who will guide them and teach them how to get the job done. Remember, the team doesn’t revolve around you, but around principles and values which form team policies and culture. Yes! Every team has a culture... 
3. Fear; This is another very dangerous force that can destroy your thinking faculty and render you completely useless in a team. It makes you pessimistic and you second guess every action that is being taken. Fear is sometimes generated when you think of past failures and the outcome it had on your previous team. So the thought of the same incident repeating itself in your new team affects your effectiveness and productivity and your general output in the team. To overcome these challenges, we must have adaptability, dynamitic personality and an 'i can do it' mentality. The singular reason why a lot of people don't work well in a team is because they don't think they can work well in that team. As a good team manager, make everyone believe and understand that they can carry out what ever task they are given and always help them accomplish such tasks. Step out from the shadows of your nasty past and embrace the future of your organization

SETTING THE STANDARDS

The year is gradually winding up and most of us will blame ourselves for some of the mistakes that we made, some would blame society, some would blame God for not being there. But instead of blaming, hating and cursing yourself or someone else for the mistakes that were made, you can be grateful for the little successes. Yes the little successes you had. Bury the mistakes and move on. The secret to being successful is actually expressing your gratitude for the little things that we sometimes consider irrelevant. We all have reasons to be grateful.

Success has so many sides and several many faces. But failure has just one face; 'quiting'. You must have heard the story of the young man who was just a few kilometers away from the gold he had spent weeks and months trying to dig up when he eventually gave up. Apostle Paul said in Phil.4:13 "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead",make up your mind to continue pushing in 2014.

Amongst all the resolutions for the next year, the most effective one would be an attitudinal change. Change of moral values, we should look inwards and build on the values that make us more humans and less animals.

Above all, ladies and gentlemen, we cannot erase God is our quest for happiness and a peaceful co-existence. He is the supreme being that oversees the affairs of men. We must honour God above all things and make him the first in our plannings and in the execution of our plans. Prov. 3:5-6 "5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight".

Happy new year in advance and God bless us all!