The Environmental Sustainability Conference, Expo, and
Awards (ECOSEA) hosted by Brand Communicator, a leading brand and marketing
publication, and Impact Report Africa, a fast-rising CSR, and Sustainability
platform recognised the Sterling One Foundation for its strides in combating
climate change in Nigeria with the Most Outstanding Foundation in Environmental
Sustainability award.
At their one-day event themed, “Only One Earth: Building A
Safer Environment,” the host organisations commended Sterling One for designing
what it described as grassroots interventions that are leaving a positive
footprint.
The event which was curated as a convergence of public and
private sector stakeholders in the environmental sustainability space, as well
as development agencies, was geared towards developing a blueprint of solutions
tailored to address some of the challenges peculiar to Africa, with emphasis on
Nigeria.
According to the organiser, the event is in line with the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as Goal 7 – Affordable and Clean
Energy; Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities; Goal 14 – Life Below Water,
among others.
The Convener of ECOSEA, Joshua Ajayi, revealed that the
outcome of the conference would help promote the achievement of
environment-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and assist in the
formulation of policies that will enhance their realisation in the country.
At the end of the event’s conference segment, sustainability
professionals and organisations were recognised for their environmental
sustainability contributions in the country. Sterling One Foundation was
recognised for its contributions towards recycling and better waste management
in a bid to build a sustainable environment.
The CEO of Sterling One Foundation, Olapeju Ibekwe, who was
also one of the panelists at the event themed; “Net Zero Emissions: The Journey
To 2060,” shared her thoughts on steps to reduce the emission of greenhouse
gases highlighting that its partner institution, Sterling Bank is set to launch
Africa’s first fully solarised building by a financial institution, a move she
believes others can adopt to help clean energy become commonplace.
While being awarded, some of Sterling One Foundation’s
achievements were brought to the fore, which included the adoption of four
beaches in Lagos where plastic recycling is being implemented with the help of
community volunteers, and capacity building for youths to help them tap into
the potentials of the circular economy.
In her remarks to the press, Mrs. Olapeju shared that the
Sterling One Foundation has the vision to plant 200 million trees before 2030
with its partners and plans to start by planting 10,000 economic trees across
the 6 geo-political zones in partnership with the Unity Schools Alumni in 2023.
“We will establish tree planting clubs in partnership with
the school’s alumni association to groom students who will not only plant these
trees but support nurseries to birth more trees for other schools,” she said.