One Small Change Campaign goes to School
Collinstown Tidy Towns and Collinstown Action Group were represented by Mary Duffy in St. Mary's school this week. We introduced the pupils to the Collinstown One Small Change Campaign and asked them to think about the environment when they were buying things or when things were being bought for them.
Reuse trumps recycle
We talked a little about recycle and reuse and agreed that while recycling is good, reusing is better.The pupils got to see different reusable products that can replace disposable plastics. Bees wax wrap for food. Water bottles. Lunch boxes. We looked at sustainable products such as soap and bamboo toothbrushes.
What did the pupils think?
Following the conversation some of the students in Ms Lynams class agreed to try to make some small changes including
Buying big pots of yoghurts instead of small ones and bringing what they need for lunch in a reusable lunch box.
Buying a bamboo toothbrush the next time they need a toothbrush.
Using soap instead of shower gel in the shower.
Using reusable bees wax wrap instead of disposable cling film or tin foil.
They also suggest switching to an electric car.
My Heffernan's class looked at the difference between disposable and reusable drinks bottles and we looked at some really strong metal water bottles that really last for years and years.
Ms Barry's class suggested that growing food was a fantastic way to cut out plastics and I was really encouraged that over half the class said that they grow some vegetables at home.
We discussed plastic toys in Ms Barrys class. We decided that plastic toys such as glo sticks and other disposable, single use toys are a bad idea and really not worth it given the waste they create. Lego, on the other hand, while it is also made from plastic can be used for years and years and passed on through generations, so although it is plastic it has a long life, therefore is not really adding to the plastic waste issue in the same way.
Ms O'Donohoe's class were really interested in using bars of soap instead of bottles. The class promised to think "what will end up in the bin if I buy this" before buying something.
Ms. Sheridan's class were very interested in the options for packing lunches. We discussed having a few small lunch boxes in a lunch bag, one that fits sandwiches tightly and cuts out the need for cling film, and maybe another small lunch box for other snacks. Ms. Sheridan has decided to reduce her use of cling film in her home and is going to purchase some bees wax wrap.
In all classes we looked at school supplies and in particular colouring supplies. The majority of the children have twistables and when we looked at what would be left when a twistable was used up, versus what would be left when a crayon or pencil crayon was used up, they all seem interested in considering more sustainable options the next time they need to purchase some.
In all classes we looked at some personal care items. The bamboo toothbrush was a big hit. We looked at soap versus shower gel, soap disappears when it is used but with shower gel we are left with the bottle.
Throwing out what we already have, to then instead buy different more sustainable products, is not a good idea. Use what we have, use them to their full potential but when we need new things we suggest that sustainable, environmentally options be bought.
More Information
If you are interested in getting more ideas along this line can I suggest joining this Facebook group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/zerowasteireland/
There were a lot of questions as to where I bought the beeswax wrap. The one I brought in was from Nuts and Grains in Mullingar and I have also purchased some from littlegreenshop.ie.
Bamboo toothbrushes, metal reusable bottles and lunch boxes etc can also be purchased from both shops.
I hope your child found our little chat useful and if you got this far on this note thank you for reading.
Mary Duffy
