The initiative is aimed at involving teacher trainees to be champions of environmental education across the country.

Launching the initiative, Mr Robert Kwaku Adjei, the Writers' Bureau Manager of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, speaking on behalf of the Managing Director of Zoomlion, Madam Gloria Anti, emphasised that the company through the initiative was nurturing a community of passionate individuals who will be actors in the sanitation space in the near future.

He said the initiative also signified a momentous move to address waste management and climate change in the country.

The event, which was on the theme: 'Achieving Zero Waste: The Role of The Teacher Trainee in Combating Climate Change', was also used to unveil the Green Generation Champions, an environmental club for tertiary institutions.

The Principal of Accra College of Education, Prof Samuel A. Atintono, said the sustainable management of waste was a critical component of global efforts to mitigate climate change, preserve and present the planet for future generations.

"The time is up for all, especially our young teacher trainees, to rise up to work towards achieving zero waste in order to recover the negative impact of climate change," he said.

According to him, the onus is on all citizens to improve consumption patterns and adopt sustainable waste management practices that protected the environment through recycling of waste.

The National Coordinator of Zoomlion Foundation, Mr Thomas Narh Korley, said Zoomlion had committed resources to the mobilisation of the youth and children to change the sanitation narrative in the country.

He explained that even though Zoomlion's public education programmes had achieved remarkable results, they still needed to educate citizens on reducing, re-using and recycling of waste instead of dumping it on landfills, which resulted in environmental and health hazards.

"We are therefore drumming home that waste is a resource and we need everyone to appreciate that fact and lean towards benefiting from it," he stressed.
He said the Foundation agreed to work with the Accra College of Education because the teacher trainees were key stakeholders in involving children and the youth to impact the knowledge of transforming waste into resource.

"So when they become professional teachers they would not find it difficult at all to teach children and the youth to transform waste into resources," he emphasised.
He said Agenda Zero Waste would be replicated in all tertiary institutions, particularly teacher training colleges in the country.

The President of the Student Representative Council (SRC), Mr Richmond Adjei, explaining the rationale behind the programme, said there was so much filth on campus and to address it they decided to collaborate with Zoomlion to bring a lasting solution to the challenge.

"The collaboration birthed Agenda Zero Waste and the establishment of Generation Champions GGC," he added.

"Zoomlion has done a great job for us by offering us a lot of support including the provision of waste bins to promote waste management on campus," he noted.

Mr Adjei further added that the SRC would not rest there, but lobby for more support to push forward the agenda.

He encouraged other tertiary institutions to adopt the initiative and institute programmes that would prompt students to promote good sanitation.
Zoomlion is providing training for the Green Generation Champions and resources for the implementation of Agenda Zero Waste Project.