PUBLISHED 15 November 2021
Last Friday, eight AKS Lytham students attended a Round Square international virtual event on sustainability. Students attended from Round Square schools in India, Pakistan, Canada, the USA, Tanzania, and Peru. It was hosted by Wyoming Seminary School in Pennsylvania and focused on students sharing experiences and ideas, arriving at a shared vision of an eco-friendly global environment.
The most recent United Nations Climate Change Report was used as a basis for discussion, and it was timed to coincide with COP26. It was an amazing event and our students really enjoyed participating.
Here are comments from some of our attendees:
Joe, Year 13- I found listening to different students' points of views and perspectives from around the globe really interesting. It allowed us to have a first-hand account of what's happening to waste in their country and how the weather is changing in the different parts of the world, but also the solutions their government or people have produced to try and help combat the effect of climate change and to become more sustainable. It also allowed for me to use or think of ideas to help AKS, in our eco committee, and myself personally, to improve how we dispose of waste and how much we can reduce our impact on climate change.
Zara, Year 11- I had a wonderful time attending the international sustainability Round Square conference, it was so interesting to learn how other countries and areas were tackling climate change and trying to make a difference in their communities. From using firecrackers instead of fireworks at Diwali to reusing single use plastics to build bricks, each country brought a different insight to the current issues at hand and are coming up with inventive ways to solve the issues.
Pippa, Year 11- In our breakout room discussions, we discussed ways to make individual changes include: supporting sustainable practices, being vegetarian/vegan, composting, buying locally, recycling, eliminating single-use plastics, sharing cars, and using public transport. An idea for raising awareness could be that the carbon footprint of various items should be made clearer, and thus inspire change; this could work for food, clothes, and any other items. We also learned that some countries have worked on banning fireworks/firecrackers and finding creative ways to still celebrate festivals. Other suggestions include upcycling of clothes, donating to charity shops, buying second-hand items. In addition, holding businesses accountable for their actions and the impact they have on the environment.