 |
| Mathew Omina holds The Campus Green Guide, available online or by dropping by the College of Sustainability. (Nick Pearce Photo) |
Call it the little black book for the environment.
The Campus Green Guide is the Dalhousie University go-to for sustainable and green living resources. This small but mighty tome contains some very important information for living a sustainable lifestyle.
Thanks to Mathew Omina, The Campus Green Guide will soon have its content recycled, reused and adapted for an African audience.
Mr. Omina, a Master's in Research and Environmental Management student, is originally from Kenya. He came to Dalhousie to continue his studies after completing his undergraduate degree at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. Over the past summer, Omina worked with two other students to produce the 2010 edition of The Campus Green Guide.
He's been interested in environmental issues his whole life. As a child growing up in Kenya, he saw first-hand the devastating effects that deforestation and heavy industry can have on the environment. He is interested in studying the environment as a way to effect positive change by helping developing countries implement sustainable practices.
While the information contained in The Campus Green Guide is geared toward the Dalhousie community, there is also a lot of practical advice on how to live a sustainable lifestyle that can be used by a variety of audiences. It is this practical knowledge that Mr. Omina hopes to parlay in a version of the guide for his alma mater in Kenya and maybe even private citizens.
"The practical issues discussed in the green guide are applicable to all university students, including the ones at my former university. Kenya is quite small in comparison to Canada. It is possible to address environmental issues as a country, rather than just a singular community or university campus," says Omina.
Mr. Omina has been working with the College of Sustainability and a student from Joma Kenyatta University to produce the guide which should be completed by December of this year.
LINK: The Campus Green Guide is available as a PDF on the College of Sustainability's ESS page. Scroll down under 'news and events' at the bottom of the page for the link.