Kgosatsana Mabalane is one of five students who’ve been chosen to take in the matrics in Antarctica initiative.
FILE: The 18 year-old has been doing her part to clean up her neighborhood through a Carpool Recycling initiative. Picture: 123rf.com
MAURITIUS – A teenager from a Free State wants less talk and more action by government when it comes down to protecting the environment.
Kgosatsana Moabalane is one the five students who have been selected to take part in the matrics Antarctica initiative.
The group is in Mauritius this week, ahead of a planned trip to Antarctica later in this year.
These trips are designed to encourage school leavers and other students to think about sustainability and make a difference in their local communities.
Mabalane, a first year medical student, was born in Bloemfontein, Fauna.
The 18-year-old has been doing her part to clean up her neighborhood through a Carpool Recycling initiative.
We would create a schedule so that each household would sort their recyclable materials correctly and place them in plastic bags. Then, we would take it to the recycling plants.
Mabalanes’ long-term goal is to empower vulnerable residents, not just clean up the environment.
I wanted to drop it at homeless shelters and food kitchens so they could make an income. It is important to me that my project doesn’t only focus on the biophysical. It’s important for me to address its economic, social, and eventually political aspects.
The teenager wants more from the government.
I am a South African citizen and I worry that legislation will not change. It doesn’t become something you can see in your local community. My greatest fear as a global citizen is that the world will be destroyed and plummet to the point that there is no life on Earth in 100 years.
