The Centre for Women, Gender and Development Studies, (CWGDS), Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) joined the international community June 27 to celebrate 2013 World Environment Day.  The theme for this year is “Think-Eat-Save”.

World Environment Day (WED) was instituted by the United Nations in 1972 to which have drawn attention to environmental issues and challenges such as climate change, global warming etc.

The Vice-Chancellor of FUTO, Prof. Chigozie Asiabaka in an address on the occasion said the university has special interest in environment and that is why it dedicated a whole school to the studies of environmental issues.  “It is therefore our due responsibility and mandate to create the needed fora and avenue such as this where important ideas and information could be generated on how best to handle issues that directly or indirectly affect our environment.

According to the Vice-Chancellor, “this informed the decision of our administration to accord some priority to the creation of healthy environment through deliberate effort in the clearance of over-growth bushes, grassing of the lawns and pathways, opening up of blocked drains, massive landscaping work on campus, repainting of buildings, planting and regular maintenance of flowers and ornamental trees etc.  All these measures, I am pleased to observe, are impacting wonderfully on our corporate drive for excellence in the university”.

Earlier in her welcome address, the Acting Director, Centre for Women Gender and Development Studies (CWGDS), Dr. (Mrs.) Iheoma Asiabaka said this year’s theme, “Think-Eat-Save” (TES), was chosen to encourage the prevention of food wastage and to raise awareness about the environmental impact of the food choices people make because when food is wasted, natural resources are wasted.

Dr. Asiabaka revealed that a third of food produced globally is either wasted or lost, even as one in every seven people in the world go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of five die daily from hunger.

The Director hoped that at the end of the 2013 World Environmental Day celebration in FUTO, “We will develop positive ways of protecting the environment through preventing food wastages by sharing our excess food, developing preference for local food, using traditional preservation methods etc.”

She expressed the need for collective efforts at reducing food wastage, save money, minimize the environmental impacts of food production and make food production processes more efficient.

The keynote paper on “Promoting Food Security for Improved Rural Livelihoods in Nigeria”, was delivered by Prof. Alfred Ihekoronye while Engr. C.O. Owuama and Engr. E. Uja jointly presented another paper – “Flooding, a Consequence of Anthropogenic Neglect”.

Our reporter said apart from the lectures, the 2013 World Environment Day featured sanitary inspection of schools in FUTO to ascertain the cleanest school, environmental sanitation, debate and drama.

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