ACCORDING to the Green World City Organisation, a green city is a city that is planned and structured with more focus on keeping it greener and sustainable environment to address the issues of rapid urbanisation, environmental pollution and climate change.
This focuses on cost- effective solutions that make cities more environmentally sustainable and economically vibrant. Components of green cities are renewable energy, green building technologies, ecofriendly transport, green certificates, recycling, sustainable design, urban design and planning. The question is how far are we with this development?
Are our town planners/ councillors well-informed about this project, which the world is striving to- wards? I guess not, because all we hear is politics and less efforts from our leaders towards greener cities. Our towns are still being built in an old style. Most of our structures are build with too many interlocks, particularly the newly-built flats/apartments where you rarely find space for plants.
For Namibians to realise this dream, I recommend that the government put more efforts in this project, and assist in fighting for green cities for future generations. Government and other stakeholders need to fund projects for those who are planning to engage in activities that will create greener cities. For example, projects of recycling tyres to produce diesel in a more convenient and less harm- ful manner.
Government needs to formulate policies that will regulate the structures to be built in our cities and avoid too many interlocks in the structures, such as flats. This concept needs to be taught in schools on an extensive scale for the learners who are the future leaders to fully un- derstand and take it ahead by making sound policies and implementations. We need more places like the UN-Plaza and the Zoo Park around our towns, regardless of the size of the town/city.
Fellow Namibians, let’s make our communities greener and avoid any destructive practices to our natural environment/ resources. Let’s take back the world to the Garden of Eden and spice it up with modern infrastructures and free air and get rid of pollution.
Sackaria Erasmus By email
