These were the words of keynote speaker the Honourable Mlibo Qoboshiyane, Chairperson of the Public Participation, Petitions and Education Committee in the Eastern Cape Legislature at the recent 12th national Green Campus conference of the Association of Colleges and University Housing Officers – the International, Southern African Chapter (ACUHO-I SAC).
Nelson Mandela University’s Residence Life and Student Development Office under Student Housing hosted the conference on its Ocean Science Campus where staff, students and researchers gathered.
The Green Campus is about improving energy efficiency, conserving resources and enhancing environmental quality by educating for sustainability and creating healthy living and learning environments. The conference theme was “Ubuntu and the Environment: African Indigenous Knowledge in Sustainability.
The Honourable Mlibo Qoboshiyane
Mr Qoboshiyane continued to say, “we must be willing to let go of old ways of thinking and try new ideas that come from African traditions”.
He reminded the audience that the Eastern Cape is a land of wisdom and rich culture, but it also faces serious environmental problems that need urgent solutions.
Mr Qoboshiyane, however, pointed out that most universities in South Africa and across Africa do not include Ubuntu in their environmental programmes. Instead, they follow Western methods like ISO standards and green building systems.
While these may help reduce emissions or improve efficiency, they often ignore African values and traditions.
He also called for changes in how students are taught about the environment, so they also learn about African spirituality and the wisdom of their ancestors. Further, he urged universities to work with the elders, traditional leaders, and young people, to design campus housing and sustainability projects based on Ubuntu.
Mr Qoboshiyane provided examples to show that this approach is already working in some places. In Amathole, for example, farmers are mixing old planting methods with new drip irrigation systems to save water.
At Mandela University, researchers found that many traditional plant remedies have real healing power. These examples show that African knowledge and modern science can work well together.
Khoisan Chief Edmund Stuurman (left) highlighted the real effects of climate change in South Africa today, including the recent floods in the Eastern Cape that killed over 100 people and damaged homes, schools, and clinics.
“We cannot treat this as just another day,” he said. “Our roads are flooding, our people are dying, and nature is warning us.”
He stressed the need for everyone to take part in protecting the planet.
“This generation carries the burden of fighting for climate justice,” he said. Quoting leaders from around the world, including church leaders from Australia and Fiji, he explained how rising sea levels and pollution are global issues that need urgent attention.
Stuurman encouraged the audience to go back to basics by using traditional ways of caring for nature, such as plants like Aloe, Boegoe, African potato, and Rooibos, and respecting the land’s natural cycles. He warned that “we only have one planet to live on.”
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Drs Ramolobe Kutu and Buyiswa Hlangothi, Mxolosi Ncapayi, Mbokodo Mbatha, Chief Edmund Stuurman, Shirani Nhlangwini, Jay Pillay, Honourable Mlibo Qoboshiyane, Mfaniseni Mguni, Sithembele Tutuse and Sibusiso Thwala
Conference convenor Shirani Nhlangwini, Senior Manager: Res Life and Student Development alluded that essentially their goal is to help students develop a mindset that values caring for the environment and ensuring sustainability.
“We want future generations to still see green grass, trees, and blue oceans,” she said. She explained that many institutions have green committees or societies, often supported by student representative councils (SRCs), that run environmental programmes.
Ms Nhlangwini stressed the importance of these efforts in protecting the planet. “We’re alive because of planet Earth, so we need to keep it alive,” she said. Part of this work includes teaching students simple, practical habits like saving water and electricity. For example, students are encouraged to turn off taps while brushing their teeth and to report leaking pipes to technical services.
Ms Nhlangwini highlighted how these small actions can make a big difference. She mentioned that during a critical water shortage in Gqeberha, initiatives like the Green Campus Initiative (GCI) helped raise awareness and mitigate the water crisis. “These small things have a ripple effect,” she said. “Eventually, they help us save our planet,” she concluded.
Final-year Business Administration student from the University of the Free State, Sinentlantla Mathebela, a delegate of the Green Campus Initiative (GCI), shared an innovative idea to help make campuses more eco-friendly. “One of the good ways to keep the campus greener is to take the village to campus,” she said.
She explained that they have been working on replacing plastics, by putting pure glycerine and potato peels in the soil. Once these “biodegradable plastics are used”, students can simply use them in the gardens, where the material can break down and enrich the soil, helping crops grow and “helping to provide food to students’’.