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Kaluki Paul Mutuku

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kaluki Paul Mutuku
Born (1993-03-04) March 4, 1993 (age 31)
NationalityKenyan
Alma materUniversity of Nairobi
Occupation(s)Climate Activist and environmental defender
Known forEnvironmental activism

Kaluki Paul Mutuku (born March 4, 1993) is a Kenyan climate activist and environmentalist, working to improve youth participation in decision-making around climate justice.[1] He is the co-founder of Kenya Environmental Activists Network (KEAN), an NGO which provides a platform for connecting environmental activists.[2][3] He focuses on African environmental rejuvenation, afforestation, organic farming and youth leadership.[1][4][5]

Biography

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Kaluki Paul Mutuku grew up in a rural Kenyan community in a family of three brothers and a single mother.[6][7][6] He spent his childhood in Machakos, Ukambani zone in Eastern Kenya, where he developed his love for nature.[7][8][9] He witnessed water becoming more scarce as he grew up, and the challenges his family faced due to changing climatic conditions led him to activism.[6][10] He is a graduate of the Environmental Conservation and Natural Resources Management program at the University of Nairobi,[6][11] and is inspired by the work of the climate activist Wangari Maathai.[8]

Activism and work

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Mutuku has called for safe environmental practices and proper youth inclusion in Africa.[4][9] With forests occupying 10% of Kenya in 1963 and only 6% in 2009, Mutuku has concerns about the decreasing forest resources in Kenya.[12][5] He encourages campaigning against environment-degrading practices.[9] He was a member of an environmental awareness club during his college days, and since 2015, he has been part of the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change.[10]

Mutuku has previously worked as an environmental education officer at A Rocha Kenya, training students, farmers and communities about organic farming, biodiversity conservation, and the SDG goals.[1][11] He has worked as a communications lead at 350.org-Kenya team for the DeCOALonize campaign and at AYICC-Kenya under the Education for sustainable Development (ESD) project.[6][9][11] The deCOALonize campaign pushed for the use of renewable alternatives rather than fossil fuel.[9] He is also the Coordinator-Environmental Advocacy/ Partnerships & Networking lead for Youth Coalition for Environmental Advocacy & Renewable Energy.[13]

Mutuku is currently the regional director for Africa at Youth4Nature, a global initiative calling for youth led nature-based solutions.[1][11] He is also an ambassador for the Global EverGreening Alliance.[8] In September 2018 he signed a letter addressed to Secretary Ryan Keith Zinke opposing the lease of public land to oil and gas drilling in California.[14]

His organization, Green Treasures Farms is using organic farming, biodiversity conservation, tree growing, environmental education, and water harvesting to improve sustainable environment and income among rural Kenyan women and youth.[1][6][11][4] In 2016, the Green Treasures Farms initiative nearly died due to unavailability of land. In January 2017, the initiative's new approach of working with different families that owned land brought a turn to the project.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Kaluki Paul Mutuku". Global Landscapes Forum Events. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  2. ^ "Kenya Environmental Activists Network (KEAN) - Kimberly Gutzler". www.globalchildrenscampaign.org. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  3. ^ greenecodemocratcom. "Kaluki Paul Mutuku". Greene County Democrat. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  4. ^ a b c "Kenya has lost nearly half its forests – time for the young to act". The Africa Report.com. 2019-08-12. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  5. ^ a b "Kenya Must Move Fast to Reverse Deforestation - SDGs for All". www.sdgsforall.net. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "My Story". Green Treasures Farms. 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  7. ^ a b c "#BestofKindnessMatters: Education for Conservation". UNESCO MGIEP. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  8. ^ a b c "Meet Kaluki Paul Mutuku, the Global EverGreening Alliance's new ambassador". Global EverGreening Alliance. 2020-08-24. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Growing Youth Activism for Environmental Protection in Africa | Inter Press Service". www.ipsnews.net. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  10. ^ a b "It's not just Greta Thunberg: why are we ignoring the developing world's inspiring activists? | Chika Unigwe". the Guardian. 2019-10-05. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Kaluki". Youth4Nature. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  12. ^ "Affluent society blamed for speed up in removal of Kenyan forest". New Pittsburgh Courier. 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  13. ^ "Meet Our Team". Youth Coalition for Environmental Advocacy & Renewable Energy. 2020-04-29. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  14. ^ "Opposition to Leasing California's Public Lands and Mineral Estate for Fracking and Oil and Gas Drilling" (PDF). www.biologicaldiversity.org. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
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