Over two days, UNAM Southern Campus turned dusty ground into new green spaces, as the Green Initiative Tree Planting initiative brought students, staff and management together to plant 43 trees across four sites on 09 and 10 July 2026.
The initiative was led by the Southern Campus Green Initiatives Committee. On 09 July, students and staff planted seedlings (a combination of fruit and shade trees) at three sites: 9 at Krönlein Campus, 17 at the Nursing Centre, and 8 at the Noordhoek Student Hostel.
On 10 July, the remaining 9 seedlings were planted at Noordhoek Campus during a short official programme held alongside Southern Campus Wellness Day activities, where each department planted its own tree on the Noordhoek campus grounds.
“We are not merely speaking about our commitment to sustainability, we are practising it,” Acting Director Dr Rauna Namukwambi told participants at Noordhoek Campus. “Strengthening sustainable green practices is a standing strategic objective of our Southern Campus Management Plan, and an annual tree planting day is one of its key activities,” she said.
“The turnout we saw is proof that this commitment is moving from paper into practice,” Dr Namukwambi added.
The initiative directly delivers on the Southern Campus Management Plan’s strategic objective to strengthen sustainable green practices, and advances Namibia’s Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) Pillar 3 on Environmental Sustainability.
It also reaches beyond the campus gates: of the 54 seedlings procured, 11 have been reserved for a third-year Environmental Education student project that will engage a local primary school this semester, extending the initiative’s roots into the local community and embedding Education for Sustainable Development principles into student learning.
With a watering and maintenance schedule now recommended for all four sites, the Green Initiatives Committee plans to continue coordinating greening activities across Southern Campus, proof that meaningful change, like a tree, starts small and grows.
Photo Caption: Members of the UNAM Southern Campus community plant trees at various sites as part of the Green Initiative Tree Planting Initiative, 09-10 July 2026.
