IMAGINING AN AFRICENTRIC CREATIVE CLIMATE FUTURE
By Natasha Simma
Simma Africa focuses on the active involvement of Refugee and Native, LBTIQ+ refugees and Adolescent Girls and Young Womxn (AGYW) in the planning of strategies and activities that affect their lives. At SIMMA Africa, the motto “Nothing about Us without Us” relies on the principle of participation.
This is why the fight against the climate crisis starts within communities getting involved and aware of the impact their actions have on the environment. Encouraging communities to embrace the 3R’s. The principle of reducing waste, reusing and recycling resources and products is often called the "3Rs." Reducing means choosing to use things with care to reduce the amount of waste generated.
Other communities also aim to Rot waste and Repair resources. At least 80 000 plastic bottles are collected every year during the Ocean Initiatives. They take between 100 to 1000 years to degrade in the environment. The pollution which arises from these bottles is a major, lasting nuisance for ecosystems, fauna and flora. Convinced that eco-responsible behavior depends on the promotion of viable alternatives, Simma Africa invites citizens to use a water-carrier instead of a bottle and use water fountains provided by local authorities. Simma Africa also challenges local authorities and European institutions to promote reusable containers and facilitate free access to drinking water fountains. We are calling for the abolition of single-use bottles and, where it is necessary, also for the improvement of retreatment and reuse of plastic bottles. Citizens, industries and politicians… Every stakeholder has the opportunity to make the right choices and to prefer reusable materials that do not depend on fossil energies. We prefer retreatment and reuse for a circular economy that respects the environment.
By Natasha Simma