Nursery Tree beds: This Phase includes Setting up of Nursery beds for the trees, as well as sensitisation about important environmental aspects. As the seeds are being planted and are maturing (they get be ready in two to four months), we sensitise and teach people of different ages about making the beds. Examples of trees include avocado, mangoes, jackfruit, African cherry, mutuba tree, etc.

Tree planting: We go home to home, schools, churches, mosques and many other places planting fruit trees and timber trees after they are ready in the nursery beds. We train households in proper tree planting, looking after the trees to mature, and tree protection. We sensitise house holds about the dangers of destroying trees, importance of trees, and how to protect them.

Training, sensitisation and awareness creation: We use seminars, field extensions, schools, churches/mosques, public gatherings &village meetings, and door to door sensitisations and during sports activities. Sensitisation shall also take place at our demonstration and training centre when completed.

Soil- for-life campaigns: We point out how the importance of the soil, how it has been degraded, and dangers of soil degradation. We teach the people about soil protection, such as to farmers about soil friendly practices like mulching, agro-forestry, inter-cropping, cover cropping, fallowing, crop-rotation, non-bush burning, and organic farming among others. We also train farmers about horticulture, market gardening, fruit tree growing to help the soil and supplement income. Creating awareness about the proper disposal and littering of wastes. We teach the people to separate the bio-degradable (decomposable) materials such as leaves, plantain left over from non-decomposable items like rubber, metal, plastics, polythene. We shall ask them to get dust bins, such that the latter are taken for recycling and re-use.

Picking non-decomposable materials: We sensitise the households about the dangers of poor disposal of non-decomposable waste materials such as polythene, plastics, metals and rubbers to the soil, health, atmosphere and environment. We sensitise the people about separating the decomposable waste such as food leftovers, leaves and others from non-decomposable waste. We personally pickup all these materials from people’s homes, soil and farm gardens, and take them on our vehicle to collection centres in Kiteezi, where recyclers can find them.

Wetlands and water protection campaigns: We create awareness about the dangers of construction and brick making, clay and sand mining in wetland areas, and advise households about proper construction. We reach out to all wetland areas in every parish, and mobilise small meetings to sensitise the people. We work with the local authorities to reduce the over harvesting of papyrus and other wetland vegetation plus over mining of clay and sand. Sensitising of farmers about wetland friendly crops like yams, sugarcane, paddy rice, etc., and discouraging water draining eucalyptus and pine trees. We teach mulching, cover cropping, crop rotation, and creating proper water channels by farmers. We sensitise the people about the dangers of dumping wastes in wetlands. We hold meetings in with the local leaders at all levels to assess our activities, and make requests about more partnership with them, and enforcing laws on trees, wetlands, sand mining, construction, etc.

Environment Education in Schools: We also work in schools to emphasise environmental education. We sensitise students about the importance of the environment, the current environmental situation, causes of degradation, effects, and ways to combat and solve climate change. We give students flyers, handouts, notes, we plant with them trees in schools and in the community, and we train trainers in schools, use students in advocacy and capacity building. In most of our environmental activities, students are at the forefront.

We also use school and community sports in spreading the gospel of environmental protection.

Energy and wood-saving cheap technologies: Firewood-saving home rocket stoves and Firewood- saving institutional rocket stoves. LUCOF-HESSO builds small home wood saving rocket stoves free of charge in poor families. The poor homes will be selected basing on those headed by poor widows, the aged and orphans. We also build Firewood- saving institutional rocket stoves for poor public and private schools for free, since these are the largest contributors of deforestation. These are used for demonstration for other schools to copy. The expert extension trainers, and trained youth build these stoves.

Briquettes and charcoal-saving stoves: We make briquettes out of charcoal pieces, dry grass, dry and waste wood. These has helped save trees foe charcoal by a big percentage. We have also made partnerships with local innovators in making charcoal saving stoves. We supply these to poor families freely and sell them cheaply to others. We have trained youth, women and other volunteers in making briquettes and stoves

Paper bags project: One of the major contributors to environmental pollution and degeneration in our communities is inarguably the poor disposal of polythene and plastics. This is because polythene is used widely in shopping and carrying goods. HESSO has initiated the making of eco-friendly paper bags to reduce the use of polythene, and also increase people’s incomes.

Crafts for environmental protection: we are also teaching communities to make crafts and art pieces out of waste, so as to reduce soil and water pollution. These include mats from straw, necklaces and ear rings from hard paper among others.

Environmental-friendly agriculture: The field extension trainers, with the help of the heads of department head, and other experts, local leaders and volunteers will execute this. We teach the people about soil protection, such as to farmers about soil friendly practices like mulching, agro-forestry, inter-cropping, cover cropping, fallowing, crop-rotation, non-bush burning, and organic farming among others. We also train farmers about horticulture, market gardening, fruit tree growing to help the soil and supplement income. We sensitise farmers in wetlands to use the land appropriately with respect. We also sensitise brick makers, stone miners and constructors to respect agricultural land.

Bio-gas facility: We seek to set up a Bio gas facility, which will be used for community sensitisation and the people get to adopt it, such that trees are not over exploited for wood and charcoal. It will also help households divert from expensive hydro power and petroleum. We also seek to set up small bio-gas installations in households with animals

Solar-facility: We seek to install a reasonably cheap Solar system to be used as demonstration, save wooden bio mass and help the households from expensive hydro power and petroleum. Training at the centre will be done by our trainers, committee members, trained youth and women etc.

We also seek to set up small sola installations in rural schools and rural poor homes since they have no power

Green mobility and eco transport: We are planning to expand our project of supplying bicycles to school going children and youth, as well as to volunteers, community leaders and other community members. This helps reduce the negative impact of fuels on the eco-system, and helps reduce climate change