The challenge of ecological education requires the synergy of partnership. With every right behavior that we teach our youngsters, be it about waste recycling, tree planting, resource saving or respect of natural habits, we are building a civilized and responsible society. Cooperation is the key word of our messages that encourage children and youngsters to take attitude and become involved.
An example in this sense is the partnership between the Recycling Patrol, an environmental education program of the Romanian Recycling Association focused on collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and the campaign for ecological and environmental education carried out by InfoMediu Europe Magazine, in partnership with the National Agency for Environment Protection and the National Environment Guard.
The EcoAttitude and Recycling Patrol bring together students and teachers from schools in Bucharest (districts 5 and 6) and the counties Ilfov, Prahova, Argeș, Olt, Vrancea, Buzău, Brăila and Tulcea. The schools participating in EcoAttitude join the 700 educational units in Bucharest and other 29 counties that take part in the current edition of the Recycling Patrol. The mission of the students registered for the two projects will be to collect paper, metal, plastic, glass, electronic appliances, lamps and batteries, helping in this way the communities to adopt a responsible behavior when disposing of all types of domestic waste.
The Ecology class, from information to action
At the launch of the partnership in every county, InfoMediu Europe and RoRec Association organized the “Ecology class”. The students watched educational movies about separate collection and recycling of plastic, glass, paper, metal and electrical and electronic equipment. They were also presented the two programs and the prizes they can win according to the results of their information, awareness raising and collection projects.
You are the pioneers of this change. Once you become agents of the Recycling Patrol, your mission is to ensure that none of your family members, neighbors, friends or schoolmates throws at hazard the waste that has to be recycled in order to protect the environment and recover valuable raw materials. All your endeavors, more or less successful, are the beginning of a very important change for all of us. In a few years, when you will see people voluntarily bringing broken appliances to collection centers, when there will be no fridge thrown in the field, I hope that you will look back with pride and remember that you were the generation who started this phenomenon, the youngsters were encouraged by Ada Lungu, representative of the Recycling Patrol.
The Ecology class included a quiz that helped children revise what they found out about pollution sources and the right management of waste. By a team effort, the children answered all questions. They proved that they understood how to collect all waste separately and how important this fact is for the nature.
Ecological solidarity puts down roots
At the end of the Ecology class, every team planted a tree in the schoolyard, a symbolic gesture completing the circle of our responsibility against the nature. Responsibility starts with the care not to pollute and reaches a climax with the concern to help nature regenerate.
The students were thrilled to register for the Recycling Patrol and they immediately took action in the school, by informing the others about what they found out and how useful they can be in the WEEE collection actions, said Mirela Mareș, recycling patrol coordinator teacher of School no 2 in Dragomiresti Deal (Ilfov county).
By the 15th of May, when the Recycling Patrol 2013 edition comes to an end, the participating schools will compete to collect the largest amount of e-waste, to carry out the most genuine educational and public information project in order to win one of the national or local prizes offered by the organizers.
The Recycling Patrol of our school managed to draw together all students for the program „ECOATITTUDE”, by creating competition among the children who are aware that every gesture, no matter how small, counts. Every day they bring WEEE to the collection kits. It is the living proof of responsibility assumed within this program against the schoolmates, the citizens of the district they live in, against the environment around them! The two trees planted in the schoolyard have already taken roots, the same as the separate collection actions have taken roots in school. The childrens’ example was followed by their families and neighbors. A true ecological solidarity brought together all of them, young and old!
The witness of Elena Cojanu, coordinator teacher of the Recycling Patrol in School „Saint Andrew” in Buzău proves that the level of involvement and efficiency entailed by this partnership transcends mathematical rules. In this case, 1+1 is more than 2.
To find out more about the evolution of the project, we invite you to visit www.infomediu.eu, www.ecoatitudine.eu, www.rorec.ro and the Recycling Patrol account www.facebook.com/patruladereciclare.
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WE
PRESERVE,
DEFEND,
RESPECT
THE TERRA!
WE ADMIRE
A
LAKE!
ELECTRICAL
WASTE,
WE RECYCLE!
STUDENTS,
CO-CITIZENS
WE GET INVOLVED!
WE COLLECT
RESPECT,
EDUCATE![i]
By the members of the Recycling Patrol in School „Saint Andrew”, Buzău.
Project coordinator – teacher Cojanu Elena
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[i] In the Romanian version, the initial of each row corresponds to each letter composing the name of the project “Recycling Patrol”