Mitigating Climate Change in Local Communities through Sustainable Living Education and Practices

NaDEET’s new Community Education Programme is a hands-on practical training course in  sustainable living techniques and technologies. Based at NaDEET Centre, this  programme  focuses on improving household energy practices to help communities cope with  environmental changes and improve their quality of life.

In the years of offering environmental education for youth groups, we saw the need to  develop a programme for adult community groups from disadvantaged regions of Namibia.  There is a lack of awareness of alternative energy use and energy-efficient practices, and a  general lack of understanding of the harmful environmental impacts of current practices such  as the collection and use of firewood.

Namibia has bountiful sunshine but limited trees, and it will be distinctly affected by climate  change. Modifying household energy practices is one way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions  and mitigate the impacts of environmental change. Programme participants gain the  knowledge, skills and materials to create significant change when they return home, and to  serve as role models and leaders in their community.

Programme

The Community Education Programme offers holistic and experiential environmental education for adult learners. Each programme includes a theoretical component about the environmental crisis of climate change, as well as hands-on activities that help participants evaluate and modify their own current household energy practices. They make their own fuel-efficient stoves and learn to prepare meals with solar cookers and solar ovens. Through interactive experiments, they test the energy efficiency of various electrical appliances and cooking methods. They increase their own awareness of consumption by conducting daily water and energy audits. Participants not only learn about sustainable living, but they also live it and learn how to bring it back to their community.

Read our press release about the Community Evaluation (pdf, 150KB)

Outcomes

Participants learn how to:

• Assemble and cook with a parabolic solar cooker
• Construct and cook with a solar oven and fuel-efficient stove
• Make and cook with recycled fire bricks
• Conduct an environmental audit (including water, energy and waste)
• Understand the climate change crisis and learn ways to adapt
• Implement low-cost energy and water-saving methods to minimize their “environmental footprint”
• Envision and implement a more sustainable lifestyle

To help participants put their new knowledge and skills to use upon returning home, each participant receives a fuel-efficient stove (made themselves during the programme!) and a copy of NaDEET’s guides: It’s Time to Solar Cook and It’s Time to Be Efficient. A parabolic solar cooker is given to every 2-3 participants, and one solar oven (constructed by the group) is raffled off. The programme graduates are ready to improve their household energy practices and spread awareness in their community.

Sample Activities

• Intensive Lessons in Solar Cooking and Baking
• Construction of Fuel-efficient Stoves
• Understanding Climate Change: Causes and Impacts
• Taking a Look at Energy Efficiency: Comparing Fuel Sources & Stoves
• Water, Waste and Energy Monitoring

Download the Pre-Visit Information for Community Groups (pdf, 890KB)