Global warming has become one of the most pressing issues of our time, with temperatures rising every year. The Earth is getting hotter, and it is being filled with plastic. Humans generate 2.1 billion tonnes of rubbish, with at least 33% not being managed in an environmentally safe manner.

That is why two 2nd Bachillerato students have decided to clean up the school grounds. The two students, Anna Lázaro and Alejandra Fernández, were profoundly appalled at the sight of plastic packaging roaming the playground, and decided it was up to them to make sure that said plastic would be recycled. With the complete support of the school, they began to pick up rubbish at break time.

Anna and Alejandra scour the grounds at least twice a week, often accompanied by more volunteers. They are given bin bags and gloves by the staff, and then they fulfill their duties. They go behind the buildings and search for anything that can be recycled. Among the most interesting finds there have been: a whiteboard, half a door, a large battery, a metal wheel, an instant cement bag, and diving goggles.

Both students are very conscious of climate change, and as such, they hope to change the way recycling is done at Ayalde. They are particularly interested in implementing more environmentally-friendly practices at the school, as well as promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 13, and 15. SDG 13, Climate Action, and SDG 15, Life on Land, are crucial to the healing of Earth.

 

Written by Anna Lázaro, 2 Bach