Recycling and the environment were top of mind this weekend as learners from five local primary schools participated in the Blue Route Mall’s Sustainable Trendsetters event.
The community, school-based recycling “buildathon”, held on Saturday 23 April, saw five schools Kirstenhof Primary, Muizenberg Primary, Lourier Primary, Zwaanswyk Academy and Bay Primary compete.
Entrants were briefed to collect their own recyclable items which they then used to create their structural design entered into the competition.
Each school, consisting of a seven-person team (one teacher and up to six learners) was required to build on-site for at least four hours within a seven-hour time frame.
The build started at 10:00 and ended at 16:00. Team members were allowed to swap out during the day in the form of a relay.
Blue Route Mall provided the platform and basic items needed to create the “upcycled” design which needed to be between 1 to 1,5 m wide and 1 to 1,8 m high.
Clare Larkin, senior art teacher at Kirstenhof primary, says the event was an amazing experience for their learners.
“They loved it. They just got stuck in. I’ve just been here to supervise, they have really done it themselves.”
Larkin says their design, a tree entirely made out of plastic, ties in with the school’s theme, “Evergreen, ever-growing”.
“At Kirstenhof Primary, we have done quite a bit on educating the children about single-use plastics so that is why we focussed on mostly using plastic items for our tree. A lot of these kids who are helping today are part of our eco club and they make eco-bricks at home. All of the kids helping today, they all belong to our senior art club and they came up with the idea,” she says.
Shirna Britten, a Grade 4 teacher at Muizenberg primary, who is also part of the gardening club at the school, says she is interested in reusing things that can be recycled.
“It is important to pay that idea forward to our learners,” says Britten.
As to the inspiration behind their design, Britten says the learners wanted to come up with something different.
“So we decided on a screen divider that you can use inside and outside and also to incorporate living things. So the succulents (which can be hung) within the divider.”
Stephanie Rodgers, a Grade 5 teacher at Lourier primary in Cafda Village, says the school has been wanting to tackle a project focused on the environment for some time now and the event was a great opportunity to do so.
The school is in the process of collecting waste, including 2F plastic bottles, to make eco-bricks. Rodgers says for the competition they decided to make a bench using the plastic bottles they already have.
“We have seen the importance of keeping our environment clean and this competition is one of the ways that we can show that we are an environmentally friendly school.”
Rodgers adds the event is also about giving their learners new experiences.
“They don’t necessarily experience the same things that other children experience because of the area that we come from and also to see that they can compete against any other school irrespective of where you come from,” she says.
Jade Rodgers, an art teacher at Zwaanswyk in Retreat, believes events like these are important because it teaches kids that trash can be turned into treasure.
“Using everything around us, picking up rubbish, can be utilised to make something that is valuable, something that is useful for the next generation.”
The design entered by the school, a raft, is based on the book, The Legend of Captain Fanplastic. Rodgers says Captain Fanplastic, a primary school programme that strives to contribute to the UN’s SDG Goal 14: “Reduce pollution in our oceans”, visited their school last year and left quite an impression on their learners.
“They taught us a bit about Captain Fanplastic and his five R’s: Refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle plastic.”
Victoria Burnett, an art teacher at Bay primary, shares their school based in Fish Hoek has been an eco-school for over 10 years.
“Environmental activism and awareness is a massive part of coming to Bay and so a lot of what we do at school is around sustainability and recycling.”
Burnett says they asked the whole school to help out with preparing for the event.
“All the learners have been handing in tetra paks and looking for fishing lines over the holidays. So this is not just these kids here today, it is the whole school that has been involved.”
The school’s design is a triptych (a work of art divided into three sections) depicting the gradual degradation of the ocean. Burnett says they wanted to create something that not only looks good but that will also last. She says the hanging artwork will eventually be mounted in the hall at their school.
According to Bronwyn Rabie, Marketing Manager for the mall, the decision to host the event flowed from its ongoing commitment to sustainability and community upliftment.
“We’ve made many important changes in the way we operate our property these past few years; from working towards being a plastic-free mall to notable improvements to our building and operating procedures.
“The mall manages to recycle on average 85% of the waste including glass, tin, plastic and cardboard. Hazardous waste is disposed of within the regulations and with the required certification” says Rabie.
She adds consumers are making more thoughtful purchasing decisions, aligning their values with where they shop and what brands they choose.
“As a place of social gathering and a hub of the local community, we recognise the role we play in this and continue to develop our environmental, social and governance (ESG) programmes accordingly, adopting new practices that will continue to deliver positive outcomes for our community,” Rabie concludes.
The learners’ masterpieces will remain on display at the shopping centre until Tuesday 3 May. The winning entry, which will be announced on Friday 29 April, will earn R10 000 for their school.
