This blog is from one of COBIS' Supporting Associates.

Written by Pierre de Mirman, Deputy Global CEO at Pacific Prime.

Sustainability is a practice that supports ecological, human, and economic vitality. Schools across the world are inculcating the practice of sustainable living, in an effort to teach kids the importance of sustainable living from a young age.

Sustainable initiatives and activities help students understand the importance of natural resources and protect the planet from environmental damage. Simple activities like recycling, planting trees and abiding plastic can go a long way. If your school is not sustainable-friendly yet, it is a good time to board the train of sustainable living.

Here are a few activities you can incorporate into students’ day-to-day schedules:

1. Reduce the use of resources 

This is perhaps the toughest of the three Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) to follow. Since school campuses consume a lot of natural resources on a daily basis, cutting down on some of these could be easy. For example, books are essential to school life, but the paper they're made out of is a product of deforestation.

Thanks to technology, the use of paper can be reduced with the help of smartphones, tablets and computers. The world is growing heavily dependent on soft copies and the internet by the day. Schools could start encouraging kids to work on computers and tablets for school work rather than in books.

Similarly, single-use plastic can be reduced or even completely banned from school premises. Not only will this rule make the campus eco-friendly, but it’ll also train the young individuals to not rely on plastic on a daily basis.

2. Reuse every possible resource

Classrooms can get creative with reusing different kinds of objects that were otherwise meant for the trash bin. Reusing or upcycling has been very common amongst arts and crafts teachers, who know how to transform an empty tissue box into a flower holder with a few simple tricks. Arts and crafts projects can be both educational and fun. Students get to be creative and make something useful out of unwanted pieces of trash. However, reusing or upcycling has to be actively followed up because it can get challenging to implement in an everyday schedule.

Another way you could improve the habit of reusing on school campus is by installing “reuse bins”. Making the bins accessible in the classroom or in every corridor could help students store/leave reusable items for anyone to use.

Once the idea of ‘reuse’ is embedded into the children’s lifestyle, every time they have to trash something, they would think twice before doing it.

3. Recycle everything you can 

Almost everything that is used on the school premises can be recycled. Start by installing accessible and separate trash bins both inside the campus and premises for different materials, such as plastic, glass, paper, cardboard, etc. By making them easily accessible, they become a reminder for students to separate their trash that could be recycled. You could also hang up posters around the school with slogans that remind students about the importance of sustainable living.

4. Install a school garden

The best way to learn sustainability is to get to the root of the concept, in a literal sense. One of the best and most practical ways to do this is to invest in a community garden or transform a corner of the school into a garden that students can cultivate and take care of.

Gardening will help students understand the process of producing their own food. They will also understand more about nutrition and the importance of not wasting fruits and vegetables.

5. Create an in-school compost bin

Schools that have their very own compost bin can collect all the useful waste on campus and turn it into compost. The compost can be used to nourish the school’s garden or help local farmers with their farming. A compost bin will help students understand the difference between good and bad waste.

They can also get a hands-on understanding of the materials that can easily decompose and those that do not. This exercise could encourage the younger generation to be careful about the products they use and their effect on the planet.

6. Get parents and the neighbourhood involved

While decorating classrooms or any part of the school premises, you could reach out to the community for help. Parents and residents might have something that can be upcycled for the school.  That way, the students get to engage with the community and help others understand the importance of sustainable living.

Learn more about different ways of securing the future with Pacific Prime

Pacific Prime embraces sustainability in many forms. From protecting your business to supporting your employees with tailor-made employee benefit programmes, Pacific Prime experts will be able to help with all of your requirements.

Contact Pacific Prime today!