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Welcome to the latest edition of Eco Africa

May 3, 2019

On this week's Eco Africa, we learn about a new nontoxic shoe polish in Kenya, see how solar-powered taxis can help reduce pollution in cities and find out about how prisoners are helping their environment in Cameroon.

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This week's Eco Africa show  is full of innovative solutions to some of today's most challenging environmental problems in Africa and beyond. 

First up we head to the Ivory Coast. In this country around 80 percent of vehicles are imported which produces large amounts of pollution. But is a change in sight? Marc Togbe is working on three-wheeled solar-powered taxis that are clean and comfortable. 

Next up we head to meet the indigenous San people in southern Africa. The group are conserving their history and passing along their knowledge of nature and plant life to visitors and future generations at a heritage center in South Africa. 

This week's Doing Your Bit feature is fascinating. Ogoti Peter, a university lecturer in Kenya, has invented a unique way of making nontoxic shoe polish. It was an accidental discovery he made as a student and he now wants to turn it into a sustainable business.

Can poetry save the planet? A group of students at the University of Lagos thinks it can certainly help! They've set up the Parliament of Poets initiative, using poetry to educate people about the environment.

Then we head to Europe to discover how frequent rockslides in the Alps are endangering whole towns in Austria. Climate change is to blame. In late 2017, the Austrian village of Vals narrowly escaped disaster when tons of rock and rubble slid off a nearby mountain.

And finally, we head to Cameroon where inmates have found an innovative way to stay busy during their time in prison — they are making environmental friendly flip-flops from used tires. This way they help recycle and can earn some money. 

Check out the show and let us know what you think at ecoafrica@dw.com