THE WOMEN (and men) BEHIND THE BUSINESSES

Starting and running a business or getting into activism for s o cial change, is pe ople would rather have an offic e job, while others ements by getting their hands dirty in the field. Out there, o typical care ers like owning a nurs ery s cho ol, b eing an eing an activist. Our big sister SKY Girl sat with four young lo cal iduals to find out ab out their care er choic es and how they run e Ka y intent and what I or mys elf

Ke Shapo Ka

• Unsupp ortive friends and family

• Pe ople who I can’t learn anything from

• Climate Change e have the Botswana Environment Assessment Practitioners sociation, which I’m the chair of right now We’re an association of activists and we want to encourage young people to come join to drive the environmental climate change mandate You don’t need a special kground to join. Visit our page on Facebook for more details.

. Why is it important for us to protect the environment and use oducts that don’t harm it?

So that we live in a nice, clean place and save the earth for future enerations. When we protect water streams from being polluted it means that animals are not harmed and we’re not eating a cow that has swallowed plastic.

. How can SKY girls participate in climate change activism?

. What would you say to a young ambitious girl looking to start a business focused on environmental conversation and sustainability, or a girl interested in climate action??

I’m an environmentalist by profession. I deal a lot with what impacts the sustainability of the environment, and ESG is a factor that contributes to that. ESG stands for Environmental Social Governance, a tool used by corporates to show how their processes are affecting the environment. We are people that make sure that all the corporates in all industries carry out their practices in an eco-friendly way

In everything we do, and how we operate as a company, we use green practices; we recycle mayonnaise bottles for water, we pack lunch, w don’t use black plastic bags, we use recycled white plastic bags, and encourage carpooling meaning we drop each other off after work. Our packaging is biodegradable and you can use it rather than plastic. If it ends up in a landfill, it will dissolve in about 3 months.

Q. How easy has it been to shift the mindset of Botswana to switch to more sustainable and environmentally friendly products?

It’s still difficult because people consider what we do and our products, ‘western’, we’re selling something totally new, but it’s getting better, a few corporates are buying our packaging and using them for gifting everything you do with intent and be focused. My main advice is that you should be an employee before you become an employer. You can also get some experience and improve your knowledge by volunteering at climate action organizations and participating in local organized activities.

Global Climate Activists that inspire us

Greta one is too small to make a difference’.

“Your actions matter. No action or voice is too small to make a difference”

“Leaders become great, not because of their power but because of their ability to empower others”

“Once we start, hope is everywhere so instead of looking for hope, look for action. Then, and only then, hope will come”