Between 15th and 21st October 2025, we embarked on a transformative mission across Ondo City, establishing Green Guardian Environmental Clubs in eight secondary schools under the PURE-WISE Project (Plantain Residue as an Eco-friendly Alternative for Single-use Plastic Packaging), supported by the United Nations Development Programme Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (UNDP GEF-SGP).
The initiative marks one of the major steps we are taking in fostering environmental awareness, student leadership, and sustainable action within Nigerian schools, starting from Ondo.
Cultivating Environmental Stewardship in Schools
The weeklong activity brought together hundreds of enthusiastic students and teachers eager to learn how they could play a role in protecting their environment. Each visit began with a courtesy call to the school management, where the CAIS team shared the vision behind the PURE-WISE Project — to promote eco-friendly innovations, waste reduction, and youth-led climate action through education.
School principals expressed their excitement, noting that such initiatives align perfectly with the new drive to incorporate environmental learning into extracurricular activities.
The Green Guardians Toolkit: Turning Awareness into Action
At the heart of each school’s inauguration was the introduction of the Green Guardians Toolkit: A Guide for Establishing and Managing Environmental Clubs in Secondary Schools — our newly published handbook, supported by UNDP GEF-SGP.
The toolkit simplifies environmental education into 24 short, hands-on modules on topics such as waste management, recycling, tree planting, climate adaptation, and sustainable living. Each module takes just 20 minutes to deliver, making it easy for teachers to integrate environmental learning into weekly club meetings.
Each school received copies of the toolkit, along with starter materials such as logbooks, club notepads, and stationery to support documentation and activity planning. To us, the toolkit is not just a book; it’s a roadmap for empowering young people to think, act, and innovate for the betterment of the planet.
Empowering Teachers as Mentors
During each visit, the CAIS team met with the school’s management and selected two teachers who would serve as patrons or matrons for the new Environmental Club. These teachers were formally introduced to the students as their mentors who will be responsible for coordinating activities, guiding projects, and ensuring the sustainability of the clubs.
The teachers also received orientation on how to use the Green Guardians Toolkit to lead activities and report progress through a simple monitoring logbook.
537 Students Step Forward as Green Guardians
The highlight of each visit was the interactive session with students. Facilitators explained what it means to be a Green Guardian, someone who leads by example in protecting the environment through small but meaningful actions like recycling, waste segregation, and tree planting.
The response was inspiring. Across the eight schools visited, a total of 537 students expressed their interest in joining the newly formed clubs, marking the beginning of a dynamic network of young environmental champions in Ondo State.
Students were visibly excited as they discussed ideas for their first club projects. Many proposed starting waste collection drives, school gardens, and awareness campaigns on reducing single-use plastics.
Eight Schools, One Movement
By the end of the week, eight schools had officially inaugurated their Green Guardian Environmental Clubs. These include:
- St. Helen’s Girls Grammar School, Ondo
- St. James’s Catholic School, Ondo
- St. Ambrose’s Catholic School, Ondo
- Calvary Group of Schools, Ondo
- Jubilee Community Grammar School, Ondo
- B-Great Horizon School, Ondo
- Ondo Boys’ High School, Ondo
- All Saints Grammar School, Ondo
Together, these schools now represent the first wave of Green Guardian Schools in Ondo State, forming the foundation for a growing network of student-led environmental action.
Each club will hold regular meetings, guided by the toolkit, and document their progress through activity logs and photographs for submission to CAIS.
Looking Ahead
Following the successful establishment and teacher training, CAIS will continue to support the clubs through follow-up mentoring, inter-school clean-up drives, and innovation challenges. At CAIS, we will continue to advance climate education, environmental innovation, and youth-led sustainability action across Nigeria. Through projects like PURE-WISE, we are empowering schools, communities, and local leaders to adopt eco-friendly practices that protect people and the planet.
