Pikitup ready to host youth summit

11 June 2015

 

Still fresh from staging a successful Environmental Week that reached its peak when Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau led a big cleanup campaign in Ivory Park on Saturday, Pikitup – the City of Johannesburg’s waste management entity – will celebrate Youth Month by hosting a youth summit on zero waste at the Metro Centre in Braamfontein on Friday June 12.

 

The summit is an annual gathering spearheaded by Pikitup’s Youth Unit with the aim of empowering and inspiring young people to take the lead in the journey towards the creation of a greener, sustainable and environmentally and socially just future in their respective communities.

 

The summit takes its cue from the Zero Waste Movement, championed by young leaders in countries such as Brazil, Sweden and the Phillippines who mobilised and inspired their communities to take personal responsibility in the state of their environment.

 

The concept proved very popular and soon led to the formation of several Zero Waste Youth Groups around the world, all working towards growing a global green consciousness. The aim was to develop and promote concepts for a zero waste future by punting efforts such as waste reduction, reuse, separate-at-source recycling and composting to conserve the world’s rapidly dwindling natural resources.

 

According to Pikitup’s Youth Development Programme Officer, Tumelo Johannes Thakheli, young people in Johannesburg have unfortunately not been as enthusiastic as their counterparts in other cities around the world. Thakheli said it was now time for Jozi youths to take the baton and run with these initiatives.

 

“Pikitup and the City of Johannesburg are keen to lend us their support on this day of inspiration and action,” Thakheli said.

He further emphasised that the City had a central role to play in mobilising schools and local communities around the shared dream of a zero waste future through targeted and sustained campaigns of “education, visioning and organising”.

 

Pikitup Managing Director Amanda Nair will deliver the keynote address on waste management and the role of the youth. Also speaking on the topic will be Ella Bella of Miss Earth Organisation.

The summit will also cover topics such as climate change and career development.