- 3 months ago
Young activists use music, art and games to raise awareness of climate change and deforestation. Plus: Improving city life — from e-mobility in Lagos to "talking trees" in Berlin.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:13It looks like a party, but it's how change begins. Young people coming together to protect
00:22the places they live. Across Africa, young people are worried about the climate, and
00:30they are turning that into action. In Zimbabwe, that means green clubs and conservation groups
00:37are popping up everywhere. We're not just going to sit behind closed doors in hotels or in
00:54conferences and so forth. We're going to go outside, and we're going to impact everyone.
01:01Elaine Chiroto and Anamapisiri are thinking big. They are out and about in Monaville wetlands.
01:07It is located in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare. The protected area is a vital part of Harare's
01:20water cycle, but pollution and development are still very real threats.
01:26Wetlands Monaville is one of the most important wetlands in Zimbabwe, or places in Zimbabwe,
01:31because we are talking about saving lives here. We're talking about protecting the species
01:36that are here, because in this world, not only humans inhabit it. We have other species
01:40that really need a place to live.
01:51Hannah Mapisiri has joined a group of local residents for a clean-up in the Monaville wetland.
01:57She is involved with climate control Zimbabwe, one of the country's main environmental networks
02:02for young people. For Hanam, what counts is that people have fun taking collective action.
02:09At a social level, it's very important because the young and the old get time to actually sit
02:13down and engage and network, and also have different aspects and opinions and perspectives
02:18when it comes to environmental issues. The result of today's work, 12 backfalls of trash
02:24have been removed from this fragile ecosystem. Clean-up done. It's time to celebrate. Welcome
02:31to the quietest party in town. Rather than listening to music via speakers, people tune
02:38in via wireless headphones. It's called Silent Disco. Hannah also enjoys dancing without disturbing
02:46nearby wildlife or people. The event is part of a bigger initiative to protect Monaville wetland.
02:52We can even hear the insects chirping, the birds chirping as the sun goes down. But there's
02:58a party happening inside these headphones. And that's the joy of being able to have fun,
03:06but in a way that really respects the environment, respects the residents of people who are close
03:12by. And we can really come together and have a good time.
03:16And one of our rules as we were creating climate control was that we're going to make it a fun
03:21thing. We're going to make it cool. We're going to make it twiggy. We want people to really
03:25encompass it inside them. We want people to really take it and embrace it.
03:29Just 10 kilometers to the east lie Mukuvisi woodlands. The trees here rely on water from
03:35the wetlands. But these people have come to wonder at something equally important, a mushroom.
03:43Fungi are not plants. They belong to their own distinct biological kingdom. Unlike plants that
03:50make energy via photosynthesis, fungi feed on organic matter like dead leaves and wood.
03:56plant. They also provide trees with nutrients via vast underground networks.
04:02The small organisms play a very pivotal role in terms of the balance of the ecosystem within
04:08the wetlands. So I also feel like it's also one of the beautification and one of the wonders
04:13of nature. Yeah. And also the passing of the nutrients from the trees to the flowers and
04:19other smaller plants. So yeah, for example, the wild mushrooms as well.
04:25The fungi here even work hand in hand with termites.
04:40Those termites will grow their own particular mushroom. And then in the right time of the
04:45year, that fungus has a chance to come to the surface. So it's spreading its spores. Other
04:52animals eat termite fungi. So it's providing food for other creatures.
04:56In nature, everything is interconnected. And that's the principle that Elaine Giroto is
05:03following at this event in Harare. At the Love for Nature Festival, she has brought together
05:09a network of people who want to protect the world around them. About 100 people have come.
05:15Not huge, not huge, but a good start. The mixture of art, debate, and music is going down well.
05:30If you take a look at most youths, they connect with drawings, paintings, music, and poems.
05:36So this helps in the sense that if you are teaching them about climate change, it will not seem like
05:42a boring exercise. It will be really engaging as it is something they are used to on a daily basis.
05:52Environmental awareness is growing in Zimbabwe according to LA. But changing people's
05:58traditional habits is more difficult.
06:01How we lived, how we interacted with the environment.
06:04How many people are using gas? To be honest, people are using firewood. And some people,
06:09even if they have electricity, they don't want to use electricity because they feel like
06:12it's expensive. So they use firewood, they use charcoal.
06:16Then for a moment, people let the music carry them away and connect them.
06:21With fun events like this, Elaine Chiroto aims to get more people involved in environmental protection.
06:30After completing the filming process for the bulletin, I was dying for a simple bottle of water.
06:36But Elaine and her colleagues at Climate Control Zimbabwe instead gave me a whole library
06:42of environmental literature. What was I supposed to do with such?
06:46Upon reflection, I realized that the lesson that they were putting across was that environmental
06:52education goes on way beyond the games, way beyond the music, way beyond the fun.
07:03As much as you care for the environment, you still have to get from A to B somehow.
07:10In Lagos, just like many other cities, we waste hours in traffic jams.
07:15Every day, not to mention the poisonous air.
07:19But these waters behind me could become a game changer.
07:24These Lagos commuters are making the switch.
07:27They are crossing Versatis Lagoon aboard its first electric ferry.
07:32Water transportation for me is one that is easy.
07:37So I don't have to spend so much time in traffic.
07:40The electric only bus runs on two battery packs with 125 kilowatt hours of capacity each.
07:48The ferry's dockside charging stations also use solar panels.
07:52For commuters, the boat offers a way out of the infamous hold-ups as Lagosians call the jams
07:58that can add hours to their commutes.
08:01For this passenger, the time savings are a game changer.
08:05We are passing from Ikoroduna to Lagos Island.
08:08We spend about two hours.
08:11On the ferry, on that 30 minutes, you are already in Lagos.
08:16Nigerian company Cavatin Offshore Group and Exprimer of China are behind the project.
08:25Whilst electric ferries were seen to do the new fad and all of that,
08:33it was actually a lot cheaper to operate.
08:36Now, that's not to say that they're not more expensive in terms of upfront capital costs,
08:41but we felt it was a risk to take.
08:44Nigeria's Omi-Eko electric ferry project is a 410 million euro investment
08:51supported by the French Agency for Development, the European Investment Bank, and the EU.
08:57The project envisions up to 70 hybrid ferries and 25 modern terminals.
09:04Damilola Emmanuel sits at the helm of the Lagos State Waterways Authority.
09:09We're going to be ensuring that 15 of our major routes on the waterways
09:15are also fully dredged and channelized.
09:18We're going to channelize actually 140 kilometers of the entire inland water,
09:23which is about 70% of the entire inland waterways in Lagos State.
09:27Channelizing and deepening waterways can disrupt ecosystems
09:31and negatively affect fishers and their livelihoods.
09:35The hope is that e-ferries will lessen transport's overall environmental impact.
09:40Until now, Lagos ferries have mostly been run informally using small boats
09:45powered by loud, polluting combustion engines.
09:49E-ferries promise a cleaner, quieter and safer alternative.
09:54As Lagos struggles to fix its growing transport crisis,
09:58part of the solution might already be waiting.
10:01Not on the road, but on the water.
10:06Busy cities.
10:08By 2050, Africa's urban population is projected to double to 1.4 billion.
10:15Now, the amount space cities take up is expected to grow even faster.
10:20So how can we make sure that they don't become concrete wastelands?
10:24Has Berlin, in Germany, maybe got some takeaways for our cities?
10:33Berlin, like any big city, has its share of problems.
10:37Six years ago, a major project involving citizen initiatives was launched.
10:42The goal?
10:43Make the German capital greener, cleaner and more sustainable.
10:47Has it been a success?
10:52In 2020, some 2,000 volunteers took to the streets to water trees.
10:57This was organised by a neighbourhood plant watering platform
11:01called Gies den Kietz, meaning water the neighbourhood.
11:05Over the past five years, Gies den Kietz has done a lot.
11:09Over two million litres of water have been used.
11:12Berlin has a very active community with over 11,000 neighbourhood waterers.
11:18There are nearly 440,000 trees on Berlin's streets.
11:23Word of the successful neighbourhood platform is spreading.
11:27It started with Leipzig adopting the initiative,
11:30then Magdeburg made one as well.
11:32Now it's in Potsdam, too, and it's even gone international.
11:38In Barcelona and Paris, too, volunteers are now watering city trees.
11:43The latest project, the TreeBot.
11:47A tree that can answer visitors' questions
11:49thanks to artificial intelligence.
11:52I was wondering, is there anything I could do
11:55to make you feel even better?
11:58Ah, how kind of you.
11:59Simply appreciating and nurturing nature around you is wonderful.
12:03Planting more trees or reducing waste in your daily life
12:06helps me thrive, too.
12:15The TreeBot can be placed anywhere.
12:18It speaks many languages.
12:19That's the beauty of it.
12:21We're using AI for a good cause, in inverted commas.
12:24It's self-powered so we can hang it on any tree.
12:28It could be here in Berlin.
12:29It could be in Boston.
12:30We've even taken the tree to Paris.
12:36CityLab is a public innovation laboratory
12:38working on digital solutions for Berlin.
12:42Like the climate dashboard,
12:44where data is compiled for everyone to access online.
12:51Now we have 16.5 days a year over 30 degrees.
12:55In the 1950s, there were only 5.5 days.
12:59What will the future look like?
13:03We have a strong foundation in Berlin
13:05for using these kinds of digital tools
13:08because we have a lot of open data
13:10and a wide range of publicly accessible maps.
13:13These show potential heat and stress zones
13:16and areas with lots of concrete and asphalt.
13:21In 2020, the FixMyBerlin app mapped out the city's bike lanes.
13:27Residents could submit requests
13:29for where they wanted bike lanes
13:31or spots to park their bikes.
13:33Many of these citizen-led initiatives
13:35have made progress,
13:37like in the Kreuzberg district
13:38with so-called Keatsblocks.
13:4135 of these Keatsblocks were approved in Berlin
13:44thanks in part to the political support
13:46of the organization Changing Cities.
13:51The idea comes from Barcelona
13:54where they're called Superblocks.
13:55The concept is taking a residential neighborhood
13:58with a lot of traffic
13:59and very little green space,
14:01which is what you want to change,
14:03to filter out the traffic and make it greener.
14:08The goal is to discourage cars
14:10by forcing them to navigate a one-way system.
14:15The Keatsblocks encourage people
14:17to switch to other transport.
14:19People aren't stupid
14:20if it's easier to walk or bike than they do.
14:24In the long run,
14:25it shifts transport patterns.
14:28Simon Wehr's NGO helped plan the project,
14:31which was quickly accepted
14:33in the Graefekietz neighborhood.
14:37In Germany, there are about 650 cars
14:40for every thousand citizens
14:42and in Berlin,
14:43it's 350 cars for every thousand residents.
14:46But here, we're only about 170.
14:49So naturally,
14:50people here are more likely
14:51to want to use their street space
14:53for something other than parked cars.
14:58It's not just traffic that's diverted.
15:00Nearly 80 parking spaces have been converted
15:03into flower beds and seating areas.
15:05In other parts of Berlin,
15:07the so-called traffic transition has failed,
15:10like on Friedrichstrasse,
15:12one of Berlin's major thoroughfares.
15:14Closed to cars and open to bicycles
15:16by the previous council,
15:18heavy traffic is now rolling through again.
15:22Another example, the Radbahn.
15:24Like an autobahn,
15:26it was supposed to be a bicycle highway,
15:28nine kilometers long,
15:30running beneath a subway line.
15:32But only 200 meters were approved.
15:35The rest remains a vision.
15:41The advantage is that you're in the middle of the road
15:43but protected from traffic.
15:46There are no cars crossing your path,
15:48so it's like a tram track,
15:50running down the middle,
15:51which we often have in Berlin.
15:53The issue of water has only come into focus
15:57in Berlin in recent years,
15:58with hot summers increasing concern.
16:01Water is one of the city's most vital resources.
16:08CityLab developed the digital platform SmartWater
16:12for urban planners to make Berlin
16:14more resourceful and resilient.
16:20SmartWater's goal is essentially
16:21to design and adapt infrastructure measures.
16:24For example,
16:26by installing green roofs and facades,
16:28creating green spaces
16:30through the installation of drains,
16:32tree pits or simply planting new trees
16:35in such a way that the city becomes more liveable,
16:38less hot and less prone to flooding.
16:47Berlin's controversial transport plan
16:49means there are new bike lanes,
16:51yet the city maintains a car-centric stance
16:54that leaves little room for cyclists and pedestrians.
16:58That's the big problem with Berlin.
17:03There isn't really a grand vision.
17:05It keeps changing.
17:10Other cities like Paris and Barcelona
17:13are ahead of us
17:15because even in the city legislation
17:17there's a goal that's been agreed upon
17:20and that they're moving towards.
17:23But there's hope.
17:25Green spaces have increased
17:27thanks to citizen initiatives
17:29and a grassroots movement
17:30that's making life more sustainable.
17:35I would say it's thanks to Gisden Kids
17:38that Berlin has started a small movement.
17:41It got off the ground here
17:43and now everyone knows
17:44that a green city is a liveable city.
17:47So public awareness has steadily grown.
17:50It's growing in the world.
17:52It's growing in the world.
17:59Do you like dates?
18:01I find them so delicious, sweet and tasty.
18:05Believe it or not,
18:07they are the oldest cultivated fruits
18:09most have grown in Egypt
18:11but with them come
18:13millions of tons of palm waste each year
18:16and this has inspired
18:18some very creative solutions.
18:21Time seems to stand still
18:23here in this palm grove in Dakhshu
18:2640 kilometers south of Cairo.
18:28Dates are being harvested
18:30from the tall trees
18:31using ancient, simple methods
18:33and nothing is left out.
18:37Every part has its use
18:38like a human.
18:39It's generous and it's useful.
18:43Born and raised here
18:44Khaled El Khazaz
18:46has always felt
18:47a deep connection
18:47to this land.
18:48Today he shares
18:50that connection with visitors
18:51from around the world
18:52on his eco-friendly farm.
18:57A village like ours
18:58used to have more than 10 workshops
19:00working with palm funds.
19:01Now you'd be lucky
19:02to find even one or two.
19:04Plastic took over
19:05and traditional crafts
19:06are disappearing.
19:09Egypt is one of the world's
19:10largest producers of dates
19:12and with every harvest
19:13comes millions of tons
19:14of palm waste.
19:16For centuries
19:16farmers have used
19:17every part of the palm
19:19but these traditions
19:20have faded over time.
19:22Nowadays
19:22the leftovers
19:23are mostly burned
19:25or thrown away.
19:26But Khaled
19:27is reviving
19:28the old knowledge
19:28proving that
19:29sustainability
19:30isn't new.
19:32Every branch
19:32every leaf
19:33has its place
19:34in a cycle
19:34where nothing is wasted.
19:39We make recycling bins
19:41from palm-front waste
19:42along with pallets,
19:43tables
19:43and foldable chairs
19:45inspired by
19:46Tutankhamun's design.
19:47All eco-friendly products
19:49all made from the palm tree.
19:52But this circular model
19:54using all parts
19:55of the plant
19:56remains rare.
19:57For most Egyptian
19:58date farmers
19:59reusing palm waste
20:00is too costly
20:01or labor-intensive.
20:03Yet
20:03just a few kilometers
20:04away
20:05another approach
20:06is taking shape.
20:07In a small workshop
20:08south of Cairo
20:10a sustainable
20:11design studio
20:12is re-imagining
20:13palm waste
20:14turning it
20:15into contemporary
20:15furniture
20:16and design objects.
20:20It all began
20:21as an experiment
20:22to create
20:23art and functional
20:24objects
20:25from a sustainable
20:26material.
20:27I chose palm-front
20:28and it worked.
20:31It was a success.
20:32Now we make furniture,
20:33cladding
20:34and flooring
20:34and our new collection
20:36is 100%
20:37palm-front based.
20:40Palm-front
20:41are tough
20:42and unpredictable
20:43and a challenge
20:44for the craft's folk
20:45who work with them.
20:46But the team
20:47here transforms
20:48them into traditional
20:49yet modern
20:50designs
20:50proving that
20:52what some
20:52consider waste
20:53can become art
20:54and more.
20:58Working palm-fronts
20:59on machines
20:59is tough.
21:00They wear out
21:01the tools quickly
21:02but the finish
21:02is better than wood.
21:04When we saw
21:04the final results
21:06I really fell in love
21:07with a work.
21:09The workshop does
21:11good business
21:11and shows
21:12what's possible.
21:13Still,
21:14it remains
21:14a small-scale operation.
21:16Considering
21:16the huge amount
21:17of palm was generated
21:18in Egypt
21:19and elsewhere
21:19it cannot address
21:21the greater need.
21:24The furniture
21:25will stay
21:27that it's
21:28a design studio
21:29so it works
21:31with architects
21:31with projects
21:32and it's not meant
21:33for mass production.
21:37Here, however,
21:38on Cairo's
21:38eastern edge
21:39scientists
21:40at a research
21:41and development
21:42company
21:42are thinking
21:43bigger
21:44by studying
21:44palm fibers
21:45at the molecular
21:46level.
21:48Their research
21:49aims to transform
21:50palm waste
21:51into biodegradable
21:52material and fibers
21:53that can be used
21:54for products
21:55like sustainable
21:56packaging
21:56or insulation.
22:00The handcraft
22:01sector
22:02it's not intended
22:03to be
22:04scalable.
22:05If we're
22:06looking at
22:07what are
22:07the possible
22:09industrial
22:09raw materials
22:10that can be
22:11developed
22:12from the palm
22:13waste,
22:14this is where
22:15scalability
22:16is necessary.
22:18Mohamed Bidani
22:19says he wants
22:20to expand
22:21solutions that
22:21can process
22:22and reuse
22:23millions of
22:24tons of palm
22:24waste produced
22:25every year
22:26in northern Africa
22:27and many
22:28Arab countries.
22:30We have two
22:32main technology
22:33platforms.
22:33one platform
22:35is called
22:35palm fill,
22:37which is a
22:37technology to
22:38transform the
22:39palm residues
22:40into textile
22:41fibers and
22:42reinforcements.
22:43And we have
22:44another technology
22:45platform,
22:46which is a
22:47technology that
22:48transforms the
22:49date palm residues
22:51into soilless
22:52growing media
22:53and sorbent.
22:54from the date
22:55farms of Dachshu
22:56to Cairo's
22:57workshops and
22:58laboratories,
22:59Egypt's palm
23:00waste story is one
23:01of rediscovery,
23:02where tradition,
23:03creativity and
23:04science meet.
23:05It's a story of
23:06people determined to
23:07make every leaf count
23:08again, because
23:09sometimes the answers
23:10to our future lie
23:11in the roots of our
23:13path.
23:29What happens to
23:30school children's
23:31homework at the end
23:31of the year?
23:33In Benin,
23:34English teacher
23:34Eric Herman Ahan Hanzo
23:36is giving newspaper
23:37a second line.
23:40I'm an eco-friendly
23:42craftsman.
23:43I focus mainly
23:44on recycling
23:44paper waste.
23:46He collects
23:47used papers
23:47and cardboards
23:48from schools
23:48and printing centers
23:49in the southern city
23:50of Kotonou,
23:51including this school
23:52run by Guillermo Boko.
23:56Here at my school
23:57we can produce
23:58up to, say,
23:59one to two tons
24:00a year.
24:01He comes to pick it up.
24:02He was able
24:03to recycle the waste
24:04right in front
24:05of me once,
24:06and that's what
24:07motivated me to help.
24:08him out.
24:09The school is right
24:10next to his home
24:11and studio.
24:12Eric Herman always
24:13manages to find
24:14materials that are
24:15unique for his
24:16crafts.
24:16He cuts and rolls
24:18paper into tubes.
24:19They are assembled
24:20into home deco
24:21and jewelry.
24:22The pieces are then
24:24left in the sun
24:25to dry naturally.
24:27Waste management
24:27remains a major
24:28urban challenge
24:29in West Africa.
24:31Schools,
24:31offices,
24:32and printing centers
24:33generate large
24:34amounts of paper,
24:35most of it dumped
24:36in landfills
24:37or burnt,
24:38polluting nearby
24:39communities.
24:40Now you don't see
24:42people smoking
24:43on the trash piles
24:44anymore,
24:44and you don't see
24:46paper just lying
24:47around everywhere.
24:48So that's actually
24:49part of what
24:50motivated us.
24:52waste.
24:52Trained in decorative
24:53arts and origami,
24:55Eric Herman Ahanhanzo
24:56is teaching others
24:57that waste can
24:58become anything
24:59you want.
25:01plant.
25:02I plan to use them.
25:04I plan to use
25:05this paper.
25:06I plan to use
25:07these objects in
25:07decoration at events
25:09like weddings,
25:11birthdays,
25:11and others.
25:14From homework
25:15to home deco,
25:16Eric Herman proves
25:17that recycling
25:18isn't just about
25:19reducing waste.
25:20It is about
25:21reshaping how we
25:22value what we
25:23throw away.
25:28Well, and that's a wrap
25:30here on Echo Africa.
25:32Now it's your turn.
25:34We really want
25:34to know what
25:35environmental issues
25:36are on your mind
25:38and what matters
25:39to you.
25:40Tell us and sign up
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