From April 24th – 27th, BISP held the school’s first Eco Week called ‘BISP Eco Week: Your Choices Matter!’, an initiative dreamt up by the parents, students and teachers of the Eco@BISP group. The focus was on individual choice, and encouraging all members of the school community to make better choices that help to preserve the environment.
Tuesday saw the introduction of a detailed display at the school entrance showcasing the main environmental culprit on the island: plastic waste. Parents and students were able to see the impact of excessive amounts of plastic on the environment and see alternatives they can use to reduce their own plastic waste. For example, saying ‘no’ to plastic straws.
Wednesday was vegetarian day, during which the refectory served vegetarian dishes for lunch. The production of livestock for consumption is one of the largest influencers in global warming and reducing your meat consumption, even one day a week, can have a positive effect on the environment, as well as on your health. The overall reaction from the students was positive – and delicious!
On Thursday, the school removed all single-use cups from the water fountains and students had to bring their own water bottles. Carrying your own water bottle at school and outside will greatly decrease the amount of waste, particularly plastic waste from water bottles, that makes its way into our oceans and on to our beaches.
On Friday we invited vendors based in Phuket to sell their eco-alternative products. Generation Water, Young Living, SuperBee Wraps, Balanced Naturally, MonoSun and Pa’s Organic showed us what is available to help us make better environmental choices, such as using bamboo or stainless steel straws instead of plastic straws or reusable wax wrap instead of cling wrap.
The week was a great success with students from all years embracing the themes and events. We hope it has planted the seed for everyone to make better environmental choices going forward. Remember ‘Your Choices Matter!’
If you would like to join Eco@BISP please contact Jacqui Brelsford (jbrelsford@bisphuket.ac.th). You can also follow the blog.