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Chuwa wins environmental award during Olympic ceremonies
- Sebastian Chuwa, an environmentalist who has long been
- active in implementing educational and tree‑planting programs for
sustainable
- development on Mt. Kilimanjaro, has received the "Spirit of the Land"
award
- during Olympic ceremonies in Salt Lake City, USA. This award, presented
by the
- Salt Lake Olympic Committee, was given to 10 US and 5 international
recipients
- for their work in promoting environmental educational efforts during
the year
- 2001.
By Bette
Stockbauer
- Sebastian Chuwa, a
Tanzanian botanist and environmentalist, has
- been chosen by the Salt
Lake Olympic Committee to receive the "Spirit of the
- Land Award" honoring his
work in environmental education. The award was
- presented to ten
US
and five international recipients during Olympic Ceremonies
- in Salt Lake City, Utah
on Feb. 19.
-
- In 1994, the
International Olympic Committee adopted environment
- as the third principle of
Olympism along with sport and culture. One of the
- primary goals of the Salt
Lake Olympic Committee has been to ensure the
- protection of Utah's
environment while staging the 2002 Games. The Spirit of the
- Land program embodies a
commitment to raise the general consciousness of its
- guests from around the
world about green practices, to leave a legacy of
- environmental improvement
and to honor individuals from around the world who
- have made substantial
educational efforts on behalf of the environment.
-
- During the past ten years
Mr. Chuwa has been active in
- organizing communities on
Mt.
Kilimanjaro
to institute programs which protect
- the ecology of the
mountain. The rich volcanic soil of Kilimanjaro makes it one
- of Tanzania's most
important agricultural areas. Runoff from its slopes supply a
- large surrounding region
with vital water for drinking, irrigation and
- hydrological power.
-
- Working through the local
school system, Mr. Chuwa has
- established 47 Malihai
Clubs (youth conservation groups) which are teaching
- students the importance
of sound ecological practices and organizing them in
- practical activities to
help the environment. Each school group establishes a
- tree nursery and raises
seedlings which they replant in deforested areas which
- need reclamation or
distribute into the community to help raise the standard of
- living for those who live
on the mountain.
-
- Each year these Clubs
host a 5‑day Environmental Day celebration
- to raise environmental
awareness on the mountain and to encourage replanting of
- local species. Malihai
Clubs on Mt. Kilimanjaro have replanted over 500,000
- trees, many of them along
the overused routes that backpackers use in climbing
- the mountain. Mr. Chuwa
is chairman of the Kilimanjaro Environmental
- Conservation Management
Trust Fund:
-
- Mr. Chuwa has also
co‑founded the African Blackwood Conservation
- Project (ABCP) "http://www.blackwoodconservation.org/"
- along with a
US
team of woodworkers. This organization spearheads educational and replanting
programs for African blackwood, an important species that is used
- internationally in the
manufacture of musical instruments and by the carving
- cooperatives of eastern
Africa. Because of over harvesting this wood is now
- becoming threatened and
several international groups are working towards
- instituting programs for
its sustainable use.
-
- In 2001 Mr. Chuwa
received a grant from the Charles A. and Anne
- Morrow Lindbergh
Foundation which was targeted
- at educational and tree
planting programs for African blackwood.
-
- Bette Stockbauer
- Director/US
Co-Coordinator
- African Blackwood
Conservation Project
synergy@smithsys.net
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