GROWING up in Newlands, Durban, Yantur Singh, developed a passion for soccer that would one day lead him to his second passion, the environment.
Singh, 27, would play tournaments at various local communities’ sports fields where he noticed something most of these areas had in common - litter.
“The litter around the grounds always bothered me to the extent that I would even go around picking it up. I would always think about how far spread the problem was, if there were often community events with no one cleaning up after. Back then already I knew I wanted to make a difference,” he said.
After matriculating, Singh studied towards a degree in Environmental Science at the University of KZN, where he met like minded individuals, including his friend, Ashin Ellan.
The two friends started the Greenbuddies Environmental Club in 2015/16.
“We started it back when we were still studying on campus for students of Environmental Science to gain some sort of experience, to create a space where students who were in the field could get involved practically. But the club was not limited to only people who were studying environmental studies, it was opened up to all students who had an interest lending a hand towards helping the environment. There are lots of people out there who may not have studied environmental science but they are still passionate about taking care of our environment,” said Singh.
Over the years the club has been involved in many different community clean ups, beach clean ups, and community service projects in Redhill, Effingham, Durban North, central Durban and other areas.
“There are quite a variety of projects we’ve been involved in since inception. We always welcome new members. To find out more, people can follow, The Greenbuddies Environmental Club, on Facebook and Instagram. Or for more information they can email us at [email protected],” said Singh, who is also the Vice Chairman of the Club.