Port Harcourt City faces a pressing issue due to the lack of a proper plastic waste disposal system, compounded by insufficient awareness of the environmental impact of plastics and a limited understanding and capability to recycle their plastic waste efficiently. The Eco-Buddies initiative targeted Community Secondary School students aged 11 to 18. In response to the prevailing environmental challenges, our hub's proposed solution revolves around conducting comprehensive training on three crucial fronts: Climate Change awareness, effective Plastic Recycling methods, and promoting Tree Planting initiatives.

To address the prevailing environmental issues, our hub has implemented a series of activities:

• Leveraging the expertise of hub members experienced in climate advocacy, leadership, and upcycling businesses to facilitate skill transfer.


• Organizing these sessions on Fridays, as they are less hectic days for hub members and provide more availability for students.


• Assigning individual trees for each student to plant and care for.


• Offering incentives, such as pens, to encourage student participation.


• Engaging students with competitive challenges that offer prizes.


• Conducting climate education sessions accompanied by Q&A periods.


• Constructing seats using discarded tires, emphasizing the importance of upcycling.


• Initiating tree planting campaigns.


• Executing land mapping activities.


• Organizing plastic collection drives that resulted in amassing over 700+ plastic items contributed by students.


• Collaborating with partner organizations to ensure the collected plastics are recycled.


• Planning and monitoring all the activities to ensure their effective execution and desired impact. Short-Term Goals:


• Harness the expertise of hub members in climate advocacy, leadership, and upcycling to facilitate immediate knowledge and skill transfer.


• Organize special sessions on Fridays when students have more free periods to maximize participation.


• Assign individual trees to students to plant and monitor their growth.


• Distribute pens and other incentives to encourage student participation.


• Engage students with competitive challenges offering prizes to further promote environmental awareness and responsibility. Long-Term Goals:


• Establish a continuous curriculum on climate education, emphasizing interactive sessions like Q&A periods.


• Set up dedicated upcycling stations, starting with constructing seats using discarded tires.


• Ensure every student plants and nurtures at least one tree during their schooling period.


• Achieve a consistent collection and recycling process of plastics, targeting an increase in the number of plastics gathered and sent for recycling each year.


• Strengthen ties with recycling organizations to ensure that collected plastics are efficiently processed.

The metrics that reflect the output and impact of our project's activities are:

• A total of 100 trees were procured, with 50 of them already planted within the Abuloma community Secondary school. This consisted of 30 fruit trees and 20 aesthetic trees. The remaining 50 trees are scheduled for planting at the Federal Government Girls college Abuloma.


• Over 700 plastic bottles were collected from the Abuloma environment, all of which were subsequently delivered to our recycling partner, Trash coin.


• Out of the participating students, 138 now possess a clearer understanding of climate change and its ramifications for our community.


• A noteworthy group of 34 students have been trained in the art of tyre upcycling, thereby equipping them with a practical skill that aligns with sustainability principles.

Eco-Buddies project collaborators includes Trash Coin and Foundation of Partnership initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND)