AS the environmentalists marked the World Environment Day (WED), last week, the Lagos State Government and Nestle Nigeria Plc have called for food, water and energy preservation.

The call, according to Lagos State Government became necessary in view of a report that predicts food scarcity as a result of effects of climate change on the planet earth.

At the 2013 World Environment Day (WED), organised by the Lagos Government last week, officials who spoke on: “Think, Eat, Save”, harped on the need for Africa in general and Nigeria, in particular, to heed the report carried our few years ago that African farmers would face hotter seasons than they had ever experienced.

According to the report, the situation would be so grim that it would affect food yield such as maize, millet and sorghum, as well as exacerbate the hardship currently experienced as far as food security is concerned.

Lagos Governor, Babatunde Fahola, represented by his Deputy, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulure, said methane gas is the most harmful greenhouse gases that contributes to climate change, adding, it has been established beyond doubt that climate change will affect agriculture, particularly food production.

According to Fashola, the significance of food to earthly people is amplified by the saying that if every single human being on this planet had enough food, it would change the societies. It would stop wars, put an end to suffering and even change the course of human history.

The Governor noted, however, that on a global scale, the staggering amount of food being wasted is wholly unacceptable and a huge drain on nation’s precious recourse, adding that: “We must make informed choices in buying and consuming food. Food wastage occurs because many producers, retailers and consumers discard food that is still fit for consumption.

In his address, Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, said this year’s event was geared towards influencing the people to change the increasing culture of food waste.

In Ibadan, Chairman, Nigerian Environmental Study Action Team (NEST), Prof David Okali, said the group chose to focus on keeping the environment clean and green, and saving/protecting the environment.

He emphasized strongly that “each and every one of us can play his or her own part in maintaining the environment – keeping it clean and using its resources wisely. It is the aggregation of our individual efforts that ends up making a significant mark on the environment.”

Prof Okali noted that “one of the commonest environmental eyesores in this country is garbage that dots our urban space - from paper, polythene bags, cans, bottles, food wastes, any disused matter, accentuated these days most strikingly by litter from ‘pure water’ bags. The ‘pure water’ polythene bags that litter the streets are usually not dumped there in basket- or lorry-loads. No, they have been dropped one by one as people use them and thoughtlessly drop them in the street.

“If each person using a bag spared a thought for the environment and withheld dropping his/her used bag in the street. The collective effect will be streets free of litter bags.

“Consider the use of firewood or charcoal for cooking. If we spare a thought for the environment and insist on using efficient stoves for burning firewood or charcoal, we would reduce the need for cutting wood from the forest, thus reducing deforestation, ecosystem disruption, biodiversity loss, and loss of ecosystem services.

In a facility tour to mark the WED, the Managing Director, Nestle Plc, Mr. Dharnesh Gordon, said the goal of his company is to be the most efficient water user among food manufacturers in Nigeria.

He explained that the company has embedded sustainable water management into its business decisions adding that “At our Agbara factory we have increased water reuse, reduced water withdrawal and discharges and returning clean water to the environment among others”.

The firm also launched various processes including, a tri-generation plant, CIP station and a new malt plant which allows the company save as much as 50 per cent of its water and energy needs.

Safety Health and Environment Manager, Mr. John Adeniji, explained that the construction of a combined Tri-generation plant, which produces electricity, hot water and chilled water, has helped the company reduce energy generation costs, CO2 carbon footprints and increase efficiency.

Adeniji stated that, with a generation capacity of 7.6 megawatts the Tri-generation plant has been able to increase efficiency by 74 per cent while its CO 2 has been reduced to 5000 tCO2 per year.

He added that the Agbara factory has its own wastewater treatment facility, which achieves the legal limits of COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) of 50 mg per litre for treated effluents returning to the environment. We always ensure that treated water is clean enough to sustain marine life.