‘Holden’ on, big things are coming
Durban North resident, Kate Holden, has started her own non profit organisation, G.E.E.K2, focussing on environmental and conservation issues.
BEING a geek used to be a bad thing, but thanks to Kate Holden, being a geek in this day and age is being environmentally knowledgeable.
This is all thanks to Kate’s launch of her non-profit organisation (NPO), Green Education Equals Knowledge and Know How (G.E.E.K2).
The Durban North resident, who lived overseas for 12 years, returned to South Africa almost a year and a half ago, hoping to make a difference in conservation and take on environmental issues.
The retired dancer, who was mainly based in the UK, said it was when she visited Thailand and Indonesia that she decided to become a conservationist.
“In Thailand and Indonesia I saw horrible things being done to animals, mainly due to a lack of education,” Kate said.
So, with a passion for conservation, Kate returned to the UK where she studied a masters degree in conservation and bio-diversity at the University of Exester.
“Through my studies I dealt a lot with media studies, blogging, tagging animals, ringing birds and decided to do my thesis on sharks,” she said.
Her journey then took her to volunteering work for experience in the Philippines where she was chosen as the first candidate in the world to embark on an environmental programme, titled Green Fins, with the United Nations.
Green Fins is comprehensive programme that encourages dive centres and snorkel operators to work together to reduce their environmental impacts on coral reefs by adopting the Green Fins Code of Conduct.
Green Fins dives even deeper as it creates a network through which dive centres, local and national governments and communities can work together to tackle local environmental threats to protect livelihoods and food security.
As an added perk, Kate was allowed to do a sub-project and decided she would visit schools on islands in the area to educate them about sharks and superstitions about animals.
“Today these islands I visited have been dubbed shark sanctuaries,” she said.
It was then that the African sun beckoned Kate to return.
“I thought of Africa and how beautiful it is and felt we really needed to do more environmental and conservation work, specially when it come to education.”
And from this need to make a difference, G.E.E.K2 was born.
The NPO’s main focus is to educate children about recycling, re-using and reducing. Kate also hopes to distribute environmental calendars to schools and also teach child-headed households how to grow sustainable vegetable gardens.
“The NPO has a very broad spectram. We hope to talk at schools about superstitions regarding snakes, cats, owls and so on, as well as start up dog and cat projects.
“My aim is to not only educate children about conservation and environmentalism, but also to teach them how not to approach roaming animals in townships, and so on,” she added.
Having just been registered as an NPO, Kate appealed to residents for donations, which will be used to pay guest speakers (experts in their fields), fuel costs and admin costs of running the NPO.
Contact Kate on 076 916 0218 or email kateholden101@hotmail.com
