Section 5: Projects for the Environment

PROJECT 1: Community Research

STEP 1. Preparing to survey.

1. Tell your members that they are going to survey residents in your community, to ask residents what they know about environmental problems. By doing this activity you can learn what environmental problems exist and also if it is necessary to do an awareness raising campaign on environmental issues in your community.
2. With your club members, decide exactly what your questions will be. Write down the questions. Also, consider whether it is necessary to first explain what an environmental problem is to those that you interview. Ask your members how they will explain to the person they are surveying what an environmental problem is.
3. Now practice asking your questions. Role-play the questions- have one club member pretend to ask the questions and another pretend to be a resident of your community. Tell the member who is pretending to survey to remember the following:

• Ask permission of the person that you are surveying before you survey them
• Explain who you are and why you are surveying
• Do not lecture or tell people about environmental problems - ask for their opinion
• Do not give recommendations or suggestions to the people you are surveying
• Do not argue with the person you are surveying
• Be polite, thank the person after you survey them
• Do not ask people when they are going to work

STEP 2. Do the survey.

1. When your club does the survey it is important that you accompany them. It will help boost their confidence. It will be easier if they approach people of about their own age first.
2. Go in small groups, carry your club ID cards or wear your club T-shirts.
3. Allow your club members lots of time to do the research.

PROJECT 2: Water Pollution Research

STEP 1. Read the following article with your club.

Water pollution is caused by human waste, sewage, rubbish and poisons entering the water. When rubbish containing poisons such as acids, mercury, bleach or dioxins are not disposed of properly, the poisons can be washed away by rain and may eventually pollute rivers or other sources of water and can make us sick.

By using our senses and observing, we can find out if a water body is polluted. You can use your eyes to look for signs of pollution. Polluted water bodes will often have oil or scum on the surface and the water will be very murky. Another sign of pollution is if bubbles are coming from the mud. We can also tell if a water body is polluted by observing if there are any harmful human activities such as dumping of sewage, use of water as a latrine, washing cars or dumping of refuse. You can also use your nose, if the water is very polluted, the water and the mud will have a bad smell from the poisons or sewage.

We can also check for signs that the water body is healthy. The presence of water insects, fish and water plants are all signs that the water body is healthy and unpolluted. You can use your ears to listen for insects, birds and jumping fish. Look also to see if the water is clear.

STEP 2. Plan to visit local water bodies with your club members.

1. Explain to your members that they are going to visit water bodies in your community to make observations in order to determine if the water bodies are polluted.
2. With your club, make a list of local water bodies that you can visit with your club. If you live near the ocean or a large water body, make a list of various sites that you can visit.
3. Try to make a list that includes a variety of sites.
4. If you have time, make a map that shows all of the water bodies that you intend to visit.

STEP 3. Make the chart below with your club members.

1. As you make the chart, review each one of the things to check with your club members and explain to them why you are making this observation.
2. You will need to make one chart for every water body or area of the water body that you visit.
3. At the top of each chart, write the name and place of the water body.

STEP 4. Investigate the Water bodies in your community and complete your charts.

Warning! - Your club members need to be supervised very carefully when near water bodies. Never visit water bodies when they are in flood. Never allow your club members to leave your supervision when near water bodies. Club members should work in pairs and be instructed not to enter or lean over the water at anytime.

1. As you visit each site, ask your members each one of the questions in the chart. Tell them to use their eyes, ears and noses. Have them be quiet and listen for animals.
2. Record their answers in each chart.
3. Your club members can copy the chart themselves and make their own recordings in pairs.

STEP 5. Rank the sites that you have visited from best to worst.

1. When you have completed your visits add up the total points for each site. The higher the score, the more polluted the water body is.
2. Rank the sites from best to worst based on the scores.

PROJECT 3: Air Quality Research

STEP 1. Read the following with your club.

Our daily activities produce poisonous gases that are called air pollutants. Burning rubbish or petrol and diesel in cars creates air pollution. Air pollution is a major factor in causing ill health to humans. Tuberculosis, bronchitis, asthma and cancers can all be caused by chemicals in the air.

STEP 2. Visit various sites in your community and set up your experiment.

1. Tell your club that you are going to do air pollution research in your community. With your club select a number of places in your community where you can safely leave an index card.
2. For each site, make an index card on thick white paper and smear the index card with petroleum jelly. Label each card with the name and place of the site.
3. With your club members visit the sites early in the morning and place the card in a secure place that is exposed to the air and wind. You may need to nail or tack it to a post or tree.
4. Take notes with your club members at each site. Describe the site in detail, or draw a picture of it. Describe what is happening near the site, are there many cars? Are there people near by? What are they doing? Can you see any colour or particles in the air at your site? Is it harmattan? Does the air smell? What does it smell like? Is the wind blowing? Where is it blowing from? Write down the direction.

STEP 3. Collect your cards from each site and record your results.

At the end of the day collect the cards from each site and compare them with your club. Use a hand lens to examine the cards and see what you find stuck to the jelly. Which sites have the most pollutants stuck to the cards? Rank the cards from dirtiest to cleanest.

STEP 4. Lead the following discussion with your club members.

What do you think the things on the jelly are at each site? Where did it come from?

Compare all of your cards with each other. Which was the cleanest? Why?

Which was the dirtiest? Why?

Do you think the air quality in your community is good? What can you do to help make it better?

PROJECT 4: Trees and Forests research

STEP 1. Lead the following discussion with your club members.

Ask your club members if they know what is Deforestation?

Deforestation is the loss of forests to logging, burning and clearing for agriculture and houses. Ghana only has one quarter of its original forests left. If the rate of current deforestation continues, there will be no trees left by the year 2020. This means that Ghanaians will have to pay to import trees and wood from other countries.

Ask your cub members what causes deforestation in their community?

STEP 2. Do the following research project with your club members.

1. Tell your club that they are going to research trees and forests in your community that will require them to collect information through interviewing and surveying. Review the directions on how to do surveying and interviewing for community research.
2. If necessary, practice interviewing and surveying beforehand with your club members.
3. With your club, brainstorm what wood and other forest products (cane, herbs, snails, mushroom, etc.) are used for in your area.
4. Do a market survey. Have your club members go to the market in your community and write down a list of all the things that they find in the market that come from trees and forests.
5. Ask the traders where exactly the forest products came from. Ask them if they have any problems getting these products. Ask them if it was easier or harder to find these forests products in the past.
6. Find out problems people have in collecting / buying enough fuel wood or timber for building in the area. Survey people in your community. Find out if the problems are worsening or lessening? Be sure to ask elders and also to ask what possible solution exists.
7. Invite your Forestry Officer to come and speak. Tell him the problems that you have found out. Ask him to tell you any other problems that he knows of. Ask him to tell you what the solutions to these problems are.

PROJECT 5: Awareness Raising

STEP 1. What are the main problems that you have found through your research?

1. Ask your club what environmental problems they found in their research.
2. Ask them where they found the worst problems and what are the causes of the problems.

STEP 2. What solutions can you suggest?

1. Ask your club if they can suggest any solutions to the problems that they found. If they are unable to suggest any solutions, you may want to consult the Wildlife Division, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or Forestry Commission.

STEP 3. Who do you think should be aware of these problems?

1. Ask your club who should be aware of the environmental problems in your community?

• Who is responsible for the problems?
• Who can take action to solve the problems?
• Who has the power to make sure that action is taken?

2. Make a list with your club of all the people that you need to reach with your awareness raising. These people are the audience .

STEP 4. Plan and prepare your awareness raising event.

Once you have decided who you need to raise awareness with and what your message is, decide what is the best way to get your message to them. You can use posters, drama, songs, marches, letters or pamphlets. Choose the method that suits your budget and the audience that you are trying to reach.

STEP 5. Do your awareness raising event.

If you have planned to do a march, advise the police beforehand.

PROJECT 6: Tree Planting

To successfully plant trees you will need to undertake the six steps listed below. This may take many months to complete and will require commitment on the part of your club and yourself as a leader. The basic steps include:

1. Site selection and demarcation
2. Choice of species to match site
3. Seed collection
4. Raising of seedlings
5. Planting out
6. Maintenance

STEP 1. Select a site to plant your trees.

Appropriate planting areas are highways and roadsides, open spaces in towns and villages, banks of streams and rivers, school compounds and farms.

STEP. 2. Choice of species to match site.

This will depend primarily on the needs of the area. For example, some species are better at providing shade, some are better for fuel wood and some are best for timber. Decide first, what the purpose of planting trees is. Will they be used for shade, timber, or fuel wood? In general, the best multi-purpose species is the cassia species. It is a fast growing species and is often selected for tree planting projects. You should seek the advice of someone who is knowledgeable about trees and plants. Your Agricultural Science teacher, forestry officer or your regional coordinator can help you in species selection. Always look at the species that are already growing in your area.

STEP 3. Seed collection.

Your forestry seeds can be collected from fully matured fruits or seeds. The seeds should be cleaned and stored in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight until they are planted.

STEP 4. Raising of seedlings.

You may not need to begin with a nursery. First visit your District Forestry Office to find out if seedlings are available there. If seedlings are not available, you will need a tree nursery. Start by first choosing a site for the nursery. A nursery is any suitable well laid out area where tree seedlings can be raised for planting in the field. Normally, the most suitable soil for a nursery is one that is loamy with good drainage. Soils that contain a great deal of clay must be avoided. The areas for the nursery must be accessible, be level or gently sloping and have a source of water.

STEP 5. Planting out.

Tree planting should be planned to coincide with the rainy season (about mid-May to the end of June in the Southern zone of the country) so that the young plants can take advantage of the rains. In planting, all the roots should be covered with soil up to the collar. Where containerised plants are used, care must be taken to remove the containers especially where they are made of synthetic material like polythene which is normally impervious, and the balled plants should be placed into holes dug large enough to accommodate the soil around the roots.

STEP 6. Maintenance

Trees need protection from fire and animals. A fire belt may be constructed around tree plots such as woodlots to protect them from fire. The fire belt is about 3 meters wide and is weeded very close to the ground at the end of the rainy season. Individual trees should be protected by wooden crates, mud or stonewalls. Weeds must be removed as they compete with the young trees for nutrients. Generally, weeding and protecting trees from fire allows trees to quickly grow tall beyond the reach of animals, weeding must be done every week.

During the dry season, young trees must be watered regularly. A wall of mud of stones around each sapling will help to stop water from running away.

PROJECT 7: Snail Farming

It is recommended to breed Giant African Snails (Achatina and Archachatina) that are indigenous to West Africa. These species mature in two years when well fed and are capable of laying 100 to 300 eggs once or twice in a growing season. Giant African snails often reach an enormous size: 20cm long and 10cm wide shells with a weight up to half a kg. A small snail pen measuring 5m by 5m could contain 25 Giant African snails. A small pen can be constructed at a cost of between 350 000 and 500 000 cedis. If the snails are fed on kitchen scraps the running costs of a farm can be minimal. It is recommended that only snails of the same type (species) are kept in a pen together and only snails that have reproduced be harvested.

A "Snail Farming" video, produced by the Technology for Livelihoods (TFL) programme, (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) / Ghana Television (GTV)) is available. For a copy of this video, please contact the production manager at: CSIR, P.O. Box M32, Accra, Tel: 021-777651 or 021-777654.

Further information is available on snail rearing from the University of Cape Coast. They can be contacted at the following address: University of Cape Coast, Agriculture Extension and Economics Department, School of Agriculture, Cape Coast, Tel: 042-34246

The mushroom department of the Food Research Institute (FRI) is currently running a snail rearing programme, and may be contacted for advice: Food Research Institute (FRI), Accra, Tel: 021-777330

Snail farming in practice can be observed at The Abokobi Agriculture Project (40km outside of Accra, 8km north of Madina). The project consists of a number of small-scale farming activities. Your club can organise a field trip before starting a farm. You could also visit The University of Cape Coast and the Food Research Institute to see their projects at work. It is recommended that you contact them in advance.

PROJECT 8: Grasscutter or Cane Rat Rearing

Housing for grasscutters are easy to build. You can buy materials and build a cage big enough for 15 animals for 500 000 cedis. Information from the various institutions listed below will help you to build a cheap and efficient grasscutter house.

Grasscutter eat all kinds of grasses like elephant grass, guinea grass and spear grass. They also eat cassava, maize, sugar cane and kitchen waste. In the dry season, they need feed that is high in nutritional value.

A grasscutter for breeding will cost about 60 000 cedis. You will need at least one male and four females. If you start with 15 breeding animals it is possible to make a profit of up to ¢3,000,000.00 (three million) cedis in one year.

STEP 1. Contact one of the following organizations and request information and guidance on starting a grasscutter farm.

• Animal Research Institute, CS1R, PO Box AH 20, Achimota, Accra. Tel: 021 401846 email: [email protected]
• Centre for Biodiversity Utilisation and Development, IRNR, PO Box UP 1106, Kumasi. Tel: 051 60382 email: [email protected]
• Friends of the National Zoo, P.O. Box 925, Kaneshie, Accra. Tel: 021 231765
• Nungua Livestock Breeding Station, MOFA, Along the Accra-Tema Motorway, Accra. Tel: 022 208921
• Technology Village, University of Cape Coast, Agriculture Extension and Economics Department, School of Agriculture, Cape Coast, Tel: 042-34246

Additional Projects