2nd Planet Earth Day at the BG/BRG Judenburg

2nd Planet Earth Day, July 4th, 2023

Activity 1: Collection  and selection of plastic bottles

Students from the BG/BRG Judenburg had collected plastic bottles for several months in the bin in form of a huge whale. On the 2^nd Planet Earth Day the teacher Bernd Fiechtl had a workshop with a group of students from the 4^th grade in which students discussed the amount of plastic bottles that had been collected at school and also the danger of plastic for the environment in general. 

 

On that day the students opened the plastic trash bin and separated the plastic bottles from the caps. Then the plastic bottles where also analysed according to their material. The plastic caps were also collected in an extra container for recycling.

After the analysis and separation of the different types of plastic bottles they were brought to the schools trash point and put into the correct plastic trash bin.

Activity 2: Collection of plastic bottle caps

On that day, the same group added the collected plastic bottle caps to another amount of about 300 kg of plastic bottle caps that had been collected by other students from February to April 2023. The aim of this plastic bottle caps collection was that the quality and the material of these caps is much higher than the material of the plastic bottles itself. That is why the material of these caps is used for special products i.e. orthopaedic prothesis.  

The students were introduced to the charity association “Helfen statt Wegwerfen”, which is an association that collects plastic caps all over Austria. The plastic caps were then donated to the association "Helfen statt wegwerfen" (Helping instead of throwing away) https://www.helfenstattwegwerfen.at. This is a non-profit organisation that supports sick children 1:1 with the proceeds from the plastic caps sold. The money was then used to pay for therapies and therapy equipment, as well as to finance support for longer hospital stays and for affected parents.

Activity 3: Collection of plastic trash at school

The last activity of the 2^nd Planet Earth Day was the collection of plastic trash at school. The students from the 4^th grade were asked to have a walk through the school and empty all bins with plastic trash they found.

After 30 minutes they had collected an amount of approx. 3,3 kg of plastic trash.