25Awareness and FairnessSophie’s master’s degree research focused on public awareness and participation in waste management. She explained that the com-bination of improper waste management and periodic flooding in Cameroon is causing the degradation of river water quality. Some roads on the outskirts of cities are not accessible to garbage trucks, leaving residents with no alternative to disposing their waste in their backyards and in the rivers behind their houses.Sophie Ebot AgborabangMabel Sarpong-Kusidevelop an appropriate mindset, with accurate information about the environment that will allow them to make proper choices,” she said. Masautso Joseph Chimombo, a Malawian scholar, taught at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) in his home country before coming to Japan. His aim was to pursue his research on the environment while finding ways to further enhance the capacity of his department that fo-cuses on agricultural extension and rural development. He believed that a holistic view would be essential to achieving those goals. “In our department, we have professors specializing in various fields but not in environmental studies. My earning a Ph.D. in environ-mental studies in Japan would complete the circle,” he said. Samuel Donkoh Aidoo is an employee of the government of Ghana whose job includes conducting environmental audits en-tailing both the assessment and analysis of a project’s environ-mental compliance and the formulation of policy recommenda-tions based on audit results. “A Sophia professor wrote on the university website that many of the problems the world faces today require knowledge from multiple disciplines. Seeing that prompted me to come to Sophia University,” he said. He added that it is extremely helpful for foreign students that many GENV classes are taught in English. The accumulation of waste contaminates the water and, moreover, has the potential to pollute wider areas when water overflows due to flooding. “My research revealed that while people are aware of the environmental impact of their actions, they have no other choice. Additionally, there is cultural pressure to follow the ma-jority,” she said. For her Ph.D. research, Sophie initiated a study to identify po-tential solutions to the problem. “I began to examine the infor-mal sector’s role in waste management and ways to empower the people, mostly women, in this sector,” she said. She reviewed case studies in various countries including Brazil, India, and Egypt where the informal sector has been playing a vital role in increas-ing waste collection rates and recycling. “There are currently no recycling schemes in place in Cameroon,” she said. “Separating and recycling waste is important in conserving resources, and someone has to act if state-led initiatives are not sufficient.” She explained that the working conditions for people engaged in waste clearance have been improving in countries like Brazil, result-ing in increased income and enhanced safety for the workers. “The improved process enables collection of recyclable materials before they are mixed in with hazardous wastes. The community’s percep-tion of such workers is also changing. I am investigating these prac-tices for their potential application in our country,” she said. Samuel is engaged in workplace water and electricity conserva-tion research. “My research addresses how to realize the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 12) by increas-ing personal awareness of workers and establishing stronger sus-tainable water and electricity behaviors in organizations,” he said. He added that because workers do not pay for workplace water and electricity, they tend to not conserve them. Some may con-sider letting tap water flow, for example, as trivial, or they may neglect turning off lights. The cumulative impact is substantial.He explained that electricity from non-renewable sources often produces greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, floods, drought, etc. Further, water supplied to workplaces and
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