Conservation

I have been noticing how many of my community members are natural environmentalists. Not only is Namibia a leader in the environmental conservation movement with numerous nature conservancies, many inhabitants practice a very green lifestyle.

For example, in my current homestay, we recycle everything that we can. Any fruit and vegetable scraps are fed to the chickens or other livestock. Apple seeds are kept so that they can be planted and hopefully grown into a tree. Any bath water is saved and used to water the trees and plants. The tap outside also collects water used from washing and is used to water the garden.

This really brings to light how wasteful I was back in the U.S. – with long showers and baths and throwing away a lot of unused food. Living a different way helps to make you think about resources in a different light. It may be poverty that is driving many Namibians to use their resources carefully, but all of us can learn from their conservation techniques and green lifestyle.