Uptake of Premese Africa in Mitigating Climate Change

The latest uptake of Premese Africa was in the area of conservation of environmental ecosystem launched in 2021 in the name of Eco-Cultural Heritage (ECOH) Park. This was designed and launched in collaboration with Environmental Voice Today (EVT), an NGO formed by the Premese Africa Directors to spearhead networking with similar global efforts in combating the negative effects of climate change. This is intended to be achieved through the promotion of green energy and especially solar lighting and solar heating. The initiative also entails tree planting crusades in schools and families to enrich ecosystem. We also promote cultural evolution that seeks to preserve and evolve positive aspects of our culture and its values. 

A society only truly prospers when its old men plant trees under whose shades they will never rest, but the next generation will enjoy (A Greek Saying)  

In our showcasing site of ECOH (Ecocultural Heritage) Park at Premese Greenhill School, we have posted the following declaration: “We Believe All of Us Have The Fundamental Obligation to Conserve Ecosystem Life on the Land, In Water (Blue Economy), and In Air; Both Visible and Invisible, an Epitome of The Garden of Eden. This Includes Wildlife, All Kinds of Vegetation and All Created Living and Non-Living Things. This is With the Sole Purpose of According Human Race Unpolluted and Sustainable Natural Life that We So Desperately Need for Our Own Well-Being and Survival. 

For This Reason, We Commit Ourselves To Participate In the On-Going Global Effort To Mitigate Climate Change And Its Adverse Effects, As We Strive To Save Our Mother Earth Both for The Present Generation and Posterity. In the Process, We Clamour To Restore and Evolve African Cultural Values, Synchronizing Culture With Modern Technology In the Process of Refining It, Without Losing The Sight of The Core Essence of Our Heritage, As We Seek To Actively Challenge the Attitude of Ethnocentrism To Embrace And Respect Our Diversity”. 

When the first human being was created, he was given the Garden of Eden to ‘work it and take care of it’. Human beings were not given a shop, supermarket or a factory but a garden without farm machineries (Genesis 2:9-20). But they were endowed with sufficient ingenuity and intelligence on which basis to take off from that foundation with the modernization and expansion of the fundamental provisions. We are meant to preserve the ecosystem that we inherited from the Garden of Eden but also to co-create by expanding it through inventions for co-creation.  

In actual fact, we are mere tenants (squatters if you like), assigned to be the trustees of God’s creation. We are meant to tend what belongs to the Owner of the earth resources as we benefit from its proceeds. That’s why we must act responsibly as stewards. We must therefore be sensitive against any action that attempts to destroy or destabilize the environmental harmony. If we decide not to, the creation itself will shout to God in worship and cry to God against its abuse by humans. In case we didn’t know, all creation, including both living and non-living things, worships, glorifies, honours and sings for God in a language we don’t have the ability to fathom (Revelation 5:13; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalms 66:4; Luke 19:40).

Ecologists urge us to be mindful of environment and particularly the preservation of conducive environment for its creatures to co-exist with humans as we develop concrete cities everywhere. They remind us that we should always remember to create sufficient open, green spaces for other living things. We should also plant enough variety of vegetation suitable for animals and birds among other creatures. In fact, wherever we have planted trees within our schools, families and other community institutions, birds of all different species and colours appear to emerge spontaneously. As a result, the environment comes alive with birds’ melodies all over. 

In the same breath on conservation of environment, Environmental Voice Today recognizes and seeks to associate with efforts in the exploration of alternative sources of energy such as geothermal, wind and solar energy for commercial and domestic consumption. These alternative sources of energy are becoming popular worldwide in cooking, heating and lighting. Governments and commercial banks are increasingly advancing loans to fund these initiatives globally. Premese institutions have also endeavored to harness solar energy for lighting and water heating both in homes as well as schools. Such initiatives have been financed by the Premese Africa Development Institute whose directors double up as members of the Environmental Voice Today. The good news is that these alternative sources of green energy usually have little or no maintenance cost.  

Below is devastation of ecosystem as a result of climate change and human activity 

Tree Planting Initiatives of Environmental Voice Today to mitigate against the effects of climate change 

Some relevant quotes

 ‘…Trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord; For He is coming to judge the earth’ (1 Chronicles 16:33). 

Jesus rebuked Pharisees saying: ‘I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out’ (Luke 19:39-40). 

Other sources of evidence that creation worships God include Psalm 65:13; Joshua 24:26-27; and Habakkuk 2:11 among others. 

When Premese Africa Development Institute bounced back after Covid-19 pandemic era, we chose to focus on environmental issues in our desire to make a humble contribution towards the global agenda of combating climate change. This initiative is centralised near at Chumvi Town, off Machakos-Kyumvi road, next to Premese Greenhill School.     

Broad Project Purpose:       

Basically Environmental Voice Today seeks to: 

1. Promote “Green Economy” through rigorous tree planting efforts and the promotion of appropriate, environmentally friendly technologies that generate clean energy. 
2. Support efforts for the generation of thermal, wind and solar energy for specifically for domestic and institutional utility.
3. Promote cultural preservation as a precious heritage, but at the same time seek to support efforts to evolution its negative traditions and practices.    
4. Enhance community participation in building vital blocks for the sustainability of ecosystem which pertains to the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, including their replenishment to meet the needs of the present and future generations. 
5. Make our humble contribution towards global efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change with view to slowing it down and possibly reversing its deterioration. 
6. Establish an Eco-Cultural Heritage Park (ECOH), as a platform for raising awareness on culture and environment through eco-tourism activities.  

Project Vision: 

We envision a future of tremendously increased forest cover depicting unique environmental panorama within the beneficiary homes and institutions, accompanied by extensive use of renewable green energy for lighting and heating, with the effect of improved freshwater supply and better food security.   

Project Mission

We aspire to seek networking with like minded partners with a view to escalating efforts in “Painting Africa Green”, through greater scope of envitonmentally friendly, culturally sensitive and gender inclusive green economy.