shopping bags. Their company, called ‘Eco-struction,’ would ‘build stuff out of what other people think is waste. We will use donated clothes to create eco-bags,' the girls said. ‘We will sell them and use the money to buy a ‘Precious Plastic’ machine to make bowls out of bottle caps. We can sell these too’ they went on. ‘The eco-bags will also help reduce the use of plastic bags at the same time,’ Mneme added. The girls’ scheme shows a clear understanding of what the day was about. It is now the work of the teachers and adults in their lives to guide them towards making their ambitious plans a reality. Ultimately, creating real change makers for the future. Connecting with business Socially conscious businesses also ran workshops. Luke James runs a company called ‘Bambew,’ which manufactures bamboo straws creating employment in an economically disadvantaged rural part of Vietnam. The straws are then exported around the world. James’ workshop focused on the length of time single-use plastic products will remain on our earth, and tips for how to curb personal use of plastic. Each child received their own, specially branded EcoBEASTs bamboo straw. Parental support Interested parents also attended: Yuka Hart, mother of two daughters aged 7 and 11 was enthusiastic about the importance of the event: ‘many children around the world already know the world is suffering. We shouldn’t ignore their small voices. They should learn and take actions for their own future,’ she said. ‘Parents are hugely interested in this area. It was parents who first pushed us to implement a school wide recycling system at St. Andrews,’ recalled headteacher Schofield, ‘we’re putting the money raised from selling the materials collected aside to create a fund to support our maids and 90
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gardeners with school fees and medical bills,’ he added. Plans for the future After the workshops the pupils were asked to write action plans to take back to their schools. The room buzzed with ideas. St Andrews’ pupils Mneme, Shana, Sophie and Rio were inspired by a workshop about turning old clothes into