CITIZENS COMPASS— Schools, non-governmental organisations, and individuals from across Nigeria took part in the fifth anniversary of CNN’s Call to Earth Day, taking collective action to protect and restore the natural world, with more participants joining this instalment than ever before.
As part of a day of global action to raise awareness of environmental issues and engage with conservation education, CNN celebrated Call to Earth Day with special multiplatform programming on November 6th. Over 650,000 people in more than 100 countries signed up to take part. This year’s theme focused on Guard Your Green Space with CNN using its international scope to celebrate efforts – large or small – that are making a difference.
In Nigeria, one of the participants, FABE International Foundation, reimagined its Upcycled Eco Garden at Teetop School, a project that perfectly embodies the theme of this year’s Call to Earth Day.
“At FABE International Foundation, our mission is to nurture a generation that lives sustainably, learns through nature, and leads with circular innovation. Since 2018, our Upcycled Eco Garden at Teetop School has served as a living classroom of sustainability, a zero-waste, circular, and healing space where waste tyres, wood chips, bottles, bamboo, and buckets are transformed into life. Inspired by @CNN #CallToEarthDay 2025 to #ProtectOurGreenSpaces, the garden, once a source of joy for students, staff, and parents but later overgrown, has now been restored to life, providing medicinal herbs, spices, and vegetables.” ,” said Temitope Okunnu, Founder of FABE International Foundation”.
She added, “We have reimagined the Upcycled Eco Garden to reflect everything we stand for: sustainability, circular economy, zero waste, and community in action. Every tree tells a story of healing, nourishing bodies, minds, and the planet. For us, it is hope restored, lessons renewed, and proof that when we care for nature, nature heals us back.”
SustyVibes, a previous participant, joined the Call To Earth celebration again this year. They hosted a virtual advocacy campaign highlighting how Nigerians protect and cherish their natural environments. The campaign featured a Vox Pop video titled “Voices from the Park,” filmed at Millennium Park, Abuja, capturing reflections from everyday people on why green spaces matter. Across Nigeria, SustyVibers also joined a Postcard Challenge, sharing digital postcards that showcased how they guarded their green spaces. Together, these activities raised awareness, inspired youth action, and connected local stories to the global conversation on caring for our planet.
Participants in Nigeria were part of a global initiative that saw a record number of participants registering. These organisations made a difference to their local communities by holding events including clean-ups, tree plantings, designing art projects, and making environmental awareness videos.
Other programming on CNN during the day included a special documentary featuring a conversation between CNN’s Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir and leading oceanographer and Rolex Testimonee Sylvia Earle. CNN Creators: The Intro also aired a special show dedicated to Call to Earth Day and CNN’s daily ten-minute student-focused news show, CNN10, aired a theme week in the lead up to Call to Earth Day. Bespoke digital content ran across CNN.com, including an interactive feature examining the impact of invasive fire ant species.
CNN correspondents visited schools around the world in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and both North and South America, showcasing environmental reporting on CNN International and CNN en Español’s TV networks, digital, and social media platforms as well as on CNN Arabic.
Call to Earth Day is part of Call to Earth, a major network initiative launched by CNN in 2019, in partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative, shining a light on those committed to safeguarding our planet for future generations. Over the last six years, this award-winning programming has told stories of changemakers, visionaries, and ground-breaking projects making a difference to the world around them.
