WINDHOEK – This year’s FNB Global United Climate Kick was launched at the bank’s head office in Windhoek last week in conjunction with other partners that included Nampower, Gondwana Collection, Sense of Africa, the Mariental municipality and South African Airways.
The international football legends will be in Namibia again between the 28th of this month and the 5th of April to support the project aimed at encouraging Namibians to use their resources wisely. Namibia’s two deserts will be the focal areas this year, which will include a visit to the Namib and Kalahari deserts, Sossusvlei and ultimately Mariental, where the main activities regarding the usage of renewable energy, recycling, energy saving measures and other initiatives will take place. The community of Mariental will also benefit directly through the environmental awareness campaigns, supported by donations and proceeds from the charity match slated for the 3rd of next month. In his address Ian Leyenaar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FNB Namibia said the bank, as part of the FNB Global United Climate Kick, has made a concerted effort over the past three years to educate Namibians about recycling through the ‘Waste not, want not’ campaign.
The bank donated 16 recycling stations to the value of N$100 000 to various schools in Windhoek and the coast, while also conducting more activities such as tree planting, clean up campaigns and educational talks at schools and businesses around the country. “At FNB Namibia our stance is that environmental sustainability is only possible through the participation of fellow Namibians, which in turn calls for their education on these matters. We wish to continue our environmental message this year and agreed to expand it to include the fact that everyone should take care of our natural resources,” Leyenaar said.
“In 2014 the organising committee of volunteers, found it appropriate to add a new call to action to each Namibian with the theme, ‘Let’s use our resources wisely’. While we still concentrate on recycling and waste management, we add the resources this year and emphasize the fact that we need to save and respect these – for example: save water, it is scarce; save electricity, it uses natural resources; save food, many people go hungry and food sources become depleted e.g. fish; save fuel, walk to the shop if you can or use lift clubs, fuel is expensive, pollutes the atmosphere and oil sources will someday be depleted, as well as save paper, plastic etc. by reducing, recycling and reusing it,” added Leyenaar.
Well-known local football administrator Harald Hecht, chairman of Global United Namibia said he had the privilege of attending a seminar on corporate governance hosted by well-known South African world personality Professor Mervyn King SC recently and that a particular paragraph from that talk had stuck with him.
“Yesterday’s economic model was based on two FALSE assumptions that: (a) there were limitless resources in nature and (b) that planet earth had an infinite capacity to absorb waste,” the likeable beanpole football administrator quoted Professor King. “I think we would all agree that these assumptions were fatal and that a total mindset change to the former traditional ways of doing business is currently evolving worldwide in order to save our planet for the next generations,” he continued. He also added that companies worldwide and in Namibia in particualr are now required to adopt an integrated reporting approach, which means companies do not only report on their financial and manufactured capital, but lately also on their human, intellectual, natural and social capital. “The objective of the FNB Global United Climate Kick initiative is to bring about a greater understanding of the impact of climate change on our environment and also the importance of environmental education and awareness in general,” said Hecht.
By Staff Reporter