World Water Day, March 22nd Clean Water for Everyone!

Students from Materna, Primary and Secondary are coming together on March 22^nd to raise awareness of the damage micro-plastics are doing to our global water and food systems.

This Tuesday the whole school community should bring refillable water bottles to their lunch at the Mensa. Our school is deeply committed to action on sustainability, and as part of Building the Future we Want strategy they installed seven new water fountains around the school grounds. Inside the Mensa we have fresh, filtered, purified still and sparkling water available every day from the fountain.

What happens when we throw away a plastic water bottle?

The most careful recyclers amongst us ensure our plastic waste goes into the yellow bin. Varese town council is working hard to recycle these plastics, but no council has achieved 100%. If we imagine the recycling rate is more like 50%, then we are left with 50% of all our household plastic waste going to an incinerator or being shipped abroad for treatment in a less developed country. Incinerating plastic contributes to the air pollution we suffer from in Lombardy, leading to greater rates of illness and mortality from chest infections. And the sad truth about poorer countries who advertise recycling services is that they often don’t have the resources to manage the task, meaning our trash ends up in their landfill. Plastics in landfill break down into microplastics which are then washed into the oceans, poisoning marine life; or seep into the soil, poisoning the land.

The best way to combat health-threatening pollution from microplastics is to reduce and try to cut out your purchases of single use plastics. Every plastic bottle you DON’T buy, contributes to the increased health of the planet. Environmental scientists are clear that every single action genuinely helps.

If everyone gets behind our World Water Day action, we will ‘save’ around 750 single use plastic water bottles going into the bin and potentially contaminating our global water and food system. Currently we use around 3000 plastic water bottles every week at the Mensa.

Any parents concerned about their children forgetting to bring their refillable bottles need not worry. Their child will be provided for. Please remind them of our World Water Day celebration on Tuesday morning.

 

Together we can be part of the change we want to see in the world!

 

With all good wishes & thanks for your support from

The Parents Association (AGSEV) Sustainability Team

The Co-operativa Mensa

The Primary students Council

The Secondary students Environmental Team

The Green School Team

European School of Varese Management team

European School of Varese Teachers.