Environmentalist, lawyer and entrepreneur Uyi Effiom’s energy is palpable and infectious. On first listen, it’s obvious the Mandela Washington Fellow is ready to fulfill the project’s goal: empower the next generation of entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa.

Effiom was one of 25 fellows this summer at UC Davis within Global Affairs, and part of a nationwide cohort of 700 Mandela Washington Fellows at 27 educational institutions.

Effiom joins Chancellor Gary S. May for the latest episode of Face to Face. The two discuss her work at the Nigeria-based nongovernmental organization, Stand Out For Environment Restoration, and how the organization’s Fishing Net Gains projects brings to life Effiom’s “waste-to-wealth” solutions.

“My voice is to amplify the fact that we need to create awareness for environmental change,” Effiom told the chancellor. “This climate action is a step.”

Watch and learn more about Effiom’s Fishing Net Gains Project, which collects discarded fishing nets from the ocean and, through a loom, generates components to make “fishing gear fabric” for shoes, bags and more.

Read the original article published by UC Davis News