To survive, we need to conserve our environment

Judy Mugambi, 28, is an environmental scientist specialising in environmental technologies for sustainable development. She is also a certified Associate Environmental Expert by the Kenyan National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA). Currently, she is working with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) as a consultant.

Judy went to Kenya High School, where she scored grade B- earning a place at the University of Nairobi in 2009 to study BSc in Environmental Conservation and Natural Resource Management.

In 2015 she got a scholarship for two-year masters’ programme jointly offered by the UNESCO-IHE Institute of Water Education, Netherlands and Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand.

How did your journey to becoming an environmental scientist begin?

Growing up, I had great concern for people and nature.

Becoming a doctor was my dream, however, I developed interest in nature and environment in high school because of my geography teacher.

She became my career mentor in Form Four, and tapping my love for biology and geography, she introduced me to environmental science as a career option.

That is how I ended up joining School of Biological Sciences to pursue a BSc in Environmental Conservation and Natural Resource Management. Later, I got a scholarship on Environmental Technologies for Sustainable Development (ETSuD) offered jointly in Thailand and the Netherlands.

How did you get the scholarship?

I desired to do my masters abroad, so I began to search for scholarship programmes related to my interest. I was referred to the UNESCO-IHE website (Currently IHE-Delft, Institute of Water Education) where I found that the programme was under the School of Environmental Engineering Management.

Your Masters’ thesis focused on Sustainability of Constructed Wetlands in Treatment of Wastewater. What does that entail?

It entails looking at what environmental, social and economic benefits could be derived from using constructed wetlands technology to treat wastewater as opposed to the conventional treatment systems.

An effective treatment system ensures that effluent is of good quality before being discharged into the environment and that it doesn’t cause pollution of the water ways which communities depend on for a livelihood.

As an environmentalist, which specialisation can you advise young people to take up for a career?

Environmental science and conservation is very broad. I would advise them to look for a niche within their interest and pursue it.

The more one exposes themselves to what’s out there through academic work, professional work and community interaction, the more you know what problem you really want to help solve or prevent.

You have worked on various projects under the Kenya Climate Justice Women’s Champions (KCJWC) and other organisations – what have you learnt?

I have also worked with Green Energy and Climate Change Unit on climate change mitigation and adaptation, the Green Energy Promotion projects and the Greening Kenya Initiative (GKI).

Kenya has so much untapped green energy which can reap sustainable energy deficit solutions especially for rural Kenya.

We have abandoned some good old age practices that helped conserve our environment, such as planting of drought resistant crops to adapt to climate change while ensuring food security and nutrition.

By involving Kenyans directly in adopting community forest management and young tree husbandry, they will start appreciating nature and conservation.

What is the major challenge that environmentalists encounter in their effort to conserve riparian land?

The public does not have much knowledge about how riparian lands keep a balance between human activities and nature.

Riparian land acts as a natural buffer against natural disasters such as floods and Tsunamis. They are breeding sites for aquatic life and are natural purifiers of water ways including rivers, which we use to get drinking water and fish.

Also, there is a general lack of respect for nature and inadequate law enforcement by the relevant authorities who either turn a blind eye or collaborate with law breakers.

You are working on a project in Naivasha and Nakuru Counties, whose aim is to identify potential re-use of products in organic waste streams. How is this important?

It is important since it brings together various categories of people to discuss responsible waste management.

These include the producer, collector, transporter, recycler and policy maker. You make them see the value in waste and economic benefits while ensuring that the environment will remain intact for posterity and natural beauty.

What do you think about our conservation behaviour, looking at it from an economic perspective?

In Kenya, conservation has been greatly hampered by shrewd capitalism where interest is immediate personal gain.

We don’t look at our decisions’ impact on us and future generations. This includes small things such as what we consume, where we source it from and how we can manage the by-product.

There are negative impacts in nature that money cannot fix.

You were involved in a study of mangoes for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) in various counties. What did you discover?

Kenya’s fruit production for food security remains largely unexploited especially in the arid and semi-arid areas and the Coast.

We need to apply agricultural technologies for sustainable agriculture and engage youth to pursue farming.

Traditional knowledge and practices used for years in control of pesticides are effective and sustainable. They include use of pesticide plants for pest control to complement conventional chemicals.

What is Resource Value Mapping (Revamp) and how does it help?

‘Revamp’ is a resource recovery planning tool that helps in calculating and visualising what resources can be recovered from different organic waste streams such as water, energy, nutrients and organic matter resources.

Governments, industries, companies and waste management groups can apply the ‘Revamp’ to view waste as a resource and in turn reduce dependency on natural resources.

What challenges are in this field and how can one overcome them?

They range from insufficient working tools and machinery for environmental monitoring, analysis and management to lack of passion by Kenyans to embrace environment conservation as part of survival.

Being a fairly new field, we don’t have adequate mentors locally, and the job market is still warming up to the reality of our times.

Currently, there are mushrooming spot-the-money fakes who’re tarnishing the field.

What do you do as a certified Associate Environmental Expert?

I carry out environmental impact assessment on a project deemed to have some impact on the environment. I work under a project lead expert.

Which areas offer one a job opportunity as an Environmental Scientist?

One can work at research centres, government ministries and parastatals, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), consultancy firms and industries. One can also start their own consultancy firm.

You enjoy teaching children on environmental education. Where do you normally interact with them?

Mostly at home and in church. During school holidays I host children in my neighbourhood to play together and seize the opportunity to mentor them on environmental matters. I believe children are the best way to impart generational change towards better environmental management.

At church I volunteer with the children ministry and teach them about Christian faith. I also incorporate environmental education and explain to them that caring for the environment is a primary duty of every Christian.