At a ceremony last week, the United Nations Office at Nairobi and Mobike, the world’s largest smart bike-sharing company, launched a bike-sharing scheme for the UN’s Nairobi compound. The new system allows employees and visitors alike to use bikes around the compound free of charge; it significantly cuts down travel times for routes that were previously accessible on foot.
The roll out of the system came in the run-up to Africa Clean Mobility Week, which runs from 12-16 March. The Week will feature a series of forums and panels to promote clean transport across Africa. Experts from the public and private sector will come together to discuss a range of transport-related topics and highlight potential solutions as people around the continent increasingly transition to more motorized forms of transport.
Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, leads the inaugural ride around the compound. Unlike most bike-sharing services, the UN system is free and doesn’t require an app to unlock and use the bikes.
Local students and teachers from Milimani Primary School were invited to try out the bikes along with UN staff. The new bikes, already being used for transportation, will also be part of a bike-sharing showcase planned for Africa Clean Mobility Week.
Erik Solheim and Sahle-Work Zewde, Director General of the UN Office at Nairobi, pose with students from Milimani Primary School after the ride.
The bikes were provided by the Beijing-based company Mobike, in partnership with the UN Environment Programme. The company, which pioneered the dockless bike-sharing system, is now active in 14 countries. In December 2017, Mobike received the UN’s highest environmental honour, the Champion of the Earth Award, in the category of entrepreneurial vision. Thanks to mobile technology, bike sharing is now easier than ever and is increasing in popularity around the world as a carbon-neutral transportation alternative.
Learn more about UN Environment’s work on transport.
Do you want to change the world? We’re here to help. Young Champions of the Earth aims to celebrate and support individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 who have outstanding potential to create positive environmental impact.
In 2018, seven young people – one from each global region – will be named Young Champions of the Earth. These winners receive seed funding, intensive training, and tailored mentorship to help them bring their big environmental ideas to life.
Submit your application by 2 April!
To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, we spoke to three Young Champions of the Earth - women who are already changing the world. We asked what inspires them to pursue their vision, what got them started and what keeps them going.
We also asked what advice they could share with other young people who are looking to bring a big idea to life.
Kaya Dorey, 29
Kaya Dorey began her fashion label, NOVEL SUPPLY CO., after realizing that stylish clothing made sustainably from natural fabrics were altogether absent in the shops of Vancouver, Canada. Her apparel company produces clothes which are free from toxic dyes and synthetics, sourcing hemp and organic cotton and environmentally friendly inks.
Mariama Mamane, 27
Struck by devastating cropland degradation, caused by chemical fertilizers, Mariama Mamane founded JACIGREEN in Burkina Faso. The project aims to rid Niger’s waterways of the invasive water hyacinth, improving access to fresh drinking water and protecting aquatic life.
Liliana Jaramillo Pazmiño, 29
Ecuadorian biologist Liliana Jaramillo Pazmiño uses native plants to green the rooftops of our urbanized planet. Her work aims to reduce air pollution and vulnerability to natural disasters, while protecting native flora and fauna from disappearing.
And here are their tips:
1) Network. Going to events or exhibitions focused on your interests brings you closer to other strong and inspirational women and men, who can be a powerful source of motivation and inspiration.
2) Find your tribe. Even if it’s just having a coffee with someone likeminded to discuss ideas, connecting with others can give you the courage to try new things, build your confidence and help your idea grow.
3) Write it down. Writing your ideas and goals down helps manifest them. It may be just the seed of an idea, but writing ideas down can bring them to life.
4) It doesn’t happen overnight. Ideas evolve, and some take years of trial and error. Follow your passion, take a course, take another course. Find out how you learn best, and then keep going until your vision takes shape.
5) Believe in yourself. Everyone is human and sometimes the system can be hard – there will be challenges in your way. But remembering you are capable and believing in yourself is crucial to help you navigate difficulties and achieve your goals.
6) Be flexible. Some elements of your idea may not work in the real world at first. Listen to practical feedback from those already in your field – their comments could help your idea fly where it might otherwise fail.
7) Do what you love. Yes, there will be days when you have to do the equivalent of taking out the rubbish. You won’t love doing it yet it has to be done. But whether it’s potting a plant or cutting up fabric, doing what you love can get you back into your groove when things aren’t going to plan, or when your goal seems out of sight.
8) Keep your vision in mind. What would the world look like without your idea? What change will it bring? While you don’t need to have every element figured out at the beginning, building your vision will help you stay on track when you hit challenges.
9) Take it step by step. A vision is important, but the big picture can get overwhelming. Remember to plan smaller goals you can achieve along the way, to keep you motivated and ultimately help you realize your vision.
10) Go for it! You many think your idea needs more planning, or that it’s not good enough yet. But the process of speaking to others, researching and validating your thoughts, will give birth to new and better ideas. And sometimes you have to knock on many doors to open one - so you might as well give it a try.
This International Women’s Day, we hope you’ll raise your game and join those we’re celebrating. Voice your idea. Put forward your own initiative. #PressforProgress in environmental change.
Inspired to be a Young Champion of the Earth? Apply by 2 April!
Young Champions of the Earth is an initiative of UN Environment and corporate partner Covestro which aims to identify, celebrate and support young women and men who have outstanding potential to create positive environmental impact.
By Erik Solheim, Head of UN Environment
It’s not always easy to be optimistic about the future of our planet.
The oceans are rising, and some species are dying off. From Somalia to Nigeria, millions of people are reeling from vicious droughts. Only an hour’s flight from our offices here in Nairobi, the world’s last male northern white rhino lives under 24-hour protection from poachers in northern Kenya. With stakes as high as this, it can all seem pretty overwhelming.
What keeps me from despairing, though, is you, the younger generation. You’re not discouraged by past failures, nor are you beholden to the old ways of doing things.
Among all the heads of states, ministers, and accomplished environmentalists at the UN Environment Assembly this past December, you were the ones who really captivated us with your energy and fresh ideas. You give us hope.
But allow me please – as an old(er) fogey – a few words of guidance. Because as impressive as your contributions are, we desperately need even more. Social media can be a powerful tool, but we mustn’t lose ourselves in our screens. We need to renew our focus on the real world, and the many environmental challenges that lie on our doorsteps.
I implore you put down your phones, your laptops, and help us re-examine how we might make our lifestyles more sustainable. Though more connected to one another than ever before, I fear we’ve become horribly disconnected from the very Earth we’re fighting for.
Above all, I call for you – young campaigners, scientists, engineers and more – to translate that fierce online passion into concrete action on the ground. If we can truly harness your talents to the environment’s advantage, I have little doubt we can right the planet’s wrongs.
Some of you might wonder if you can really make a difference out there, beyond the internet petitions and shareable videos. After all, it’s a big world with formidable-looking environmental challenges. But let me assure you that everyone of us can be part of the change we so desperately need.
Whether it’s just adapting your daily activities to use less water and energy or cutting out waste, every little bit helps. This Valentine’s Day, UN Environment appealed for a “break-up with plastics”. By taking personal responsibility and turning to more environmentally friendly practices, we can begin the slow process of transforming our societies.
And for those of you keen or perhaps able to do more, we’re here to help. In fact, we’re particularly interested to hear from you. Last year, we unveiled the first Young Champions of the Earth, and as we move to tackle a range of challenges – from soil degradation to fast decreasing bee populations, we’re looking for the next crop of brilliant movers, thinkers and shakers in 2018.
If you have an idea or project that addresses pressing environmental concerns, we’re all ears. It was my honour a few months ago to recognize Omer Badokhon, a Yemeni engineer, who even in the middle of his country’s conflict dreamt up a brilliant device that swiftly decomposes organic waste, thereby producing biogas.
The more innovative and daring, the better. Another of last year’s winners, Mariama Mamane from Burkina Faso, developed a programme that uses one problem to help solve another. By taking invasive water hyacinth plants, which clog many of Africa’s waterways, she found a cheap and sustainable means of producing energy and organic fertiliser.
This is a call for youth action because we need you. And we need you now. Don’t sit back, thinking this isn’t your problem. The environment is crying out for your assistance. We’re here to help make that happen.
The 2018 cycle of Young Champions of the Earth launches on 27 February. To learn more, and find out how to apply, visit the Young Champions website.
