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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
ARIS Bans Single-Use Plastic
Climate change and plastic pollution are among the most perilous issues of our time. Al-Rayan International School in Ghana is looking to make a difference. By Oorna Mukherjee 02-Nov-18
Al-Rayan International School (ARIS) in Ghana has been known for not turning a blind eye to pressing and persistent social issues. From gender inequality to modern-day slavery (during CNN’s #MyFreedomDay Campaign), from alcoholism and addiction to racism, and now from religious conflicts to plastic eradication and environmental issues, our students have demonstrated that young minds have the power to make a large impact. In the IB Programme, through the IB Learner Profiles and the value of international mindedness, students are trained to be global citizens and encouraged to care about making an impact within the holistic community. At ARIS, this effort shines bright thanks to our very own social initiative, ARIS Cares, through which students give back to our ever-growing community. As the school gears up to celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2019, we have made ARIS Cares the theme for this entire year. Climate change and plastic pollution are among the most perilous issues of our time. With development defined by the undercurrents of environmental harm, it is time that we reconsider our actions as a society and as individuals and start being proactive in protecting our environment. ARIS has joined the march. Our students and staff took part in the second annual Earth Day Accra. ARIS put a creative spin on this year’s Global Earth Day theme—Eradicating Plastic Pollution—by dedicating an entire DIY desk to DIY décor, games, and interactive sessions for an audience, looking to spread awareness about ways to reduce plastic waste. Additionally, our students took part in beach clean ups, and one of them presented a talk on how we can reduce our plastic consumption. As a community, we took the lessons learned through our participation in Earth Day and have initiated a more ambitious project with the aim of having a long-term impact. Our annual science fair this year adopted the theme “Better Design for Sustainability,” encouraging young people to design a future in which the exhaustion of natural resources is but a distant nightmare. Our students came together to find sustainable solutions to such challenges as gas emissions, water purification, and composting. One team even proposed a method for turning natural waste into cosmetics. What came out of the event was the realization that we, as a growing community, have a larger impact than we think. How do we go forward then? Plastic being the most widely used and disposed of material today, our first course of action is to implement the ARIS Plastic Ban. Our movement to eradicate single-use plastic within the ARIS community is now underway and will be in effect next year. Today, ARIS. Tomorrow, other communities. Let’s take our stand and save the environment now, shall we? Oorna Mukherjee is the Admission and Communication Assistant at Al-Rayan International School.
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Comments
11/02/2018 - Andy
Thanks to Oorna, and we at Aris can not agree more than what she has presented. Indeed this is the future and gradually from every corner voices will start rising to the common call.
