At just ten years old, Karen Wanjiru Kimani has planted more than 30,000 trees and cleared tons of plastic pollution from her local environment.
ADVERTISEMENTKaren felt the need to act when she saw adults wreaking havoc on the environment. She founded a tree nursery, hoping to replace those that were being destroyed and create a place where nature enthusiasts could grow seedlings.
"Trees are important for our environment," Karen Wanjiru Kimani tells SCENES. I feel happy when I step into my tree nursery, seeing the trees growing and seeing people plant trees."
Karen's environmental work has not gone unnoticed. She was elected the Cabinet Secretary for the Environment at school and invited to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP27, in Eygpt. Karen was the youngest delegate at the conference and had the opportunity to speak with world leaders.
"I met the president of Kenya. I told him about me, and we discussed the environment," recalls Karen.
On the weekends, Karen leads a plastic recycling club and cleans up her community with her friends.
The young eco-warrior has many ambitions for the future and dreams of opening a plastic recycling factory one day.
"I would like to do more for the environment. It makes me feel so happy and the environment happy," says Karen.
Karen's dream of a greener future in Kenya has taken root and is flourishing. Her initiatives demonstrate that even the tiniest seed can grow and make a real impact.
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