Earth Day: Embracing Sustainability
On 22 April, the UWC Changshu China community celebrated Earth Day. Sustainability is a core value of UWC. Earth Day is an opportunity for the whole community to raise awareness and act toward sustainability, as well as look at how different countries and cultures prioritize it. It is also a day to enjoy a closer connection with the natural environment.
On Earth Day, there were twenty-three vibrant activities, and students took part in workshops based on their interests, such as tree planting, village and shore cleaning up, hiking and collecting rubbish on Yushan, gardening composting, visiting a tea plantation and learning about the process of making tea.
One group of students learned about Blitz Invasive Species, another group made Artificial Crystal from sustainable materials to create jewellery. Some students crafted mythical picture books using recycled materials, and some others created tote bags with second-hand garments or fabric.
In the afternoon, Alice Huang, President of TES China, and Jerry Huang, Founder and CEO of Carbon Sense were invited as guest speakers at a panel discussion to talk about running a sustainability-oriented business and its benefits.
Dr. Andrew Lee, a PhD graduate from the University of Oxford was invited to give a thought-provoking talk on climate change and enhancing awareness and understanding of this critical issue.
He delved into essential sustainability competencies and explored how we can make a meaningful impact on our community. Community members who joined the discussion shared thoughts on key sustainability competencies such as Systems Thinking, Anticipatory, Normative, Strategic, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Self-awareness, and Integrated Problem-Solving. These competencies are vital for understanding and addressing the pressing environmental issues we face today.
DP1 student from Macedonian, Ilin Moskovski shared his thoughts on the topic of “Presently Achievable Sustainable Cities”. DP1 student Callista Brusson from France also gave a presentation centred around her work with her team members and explored the modern concept of sustainability through history and culture.
In the DT lab, students learned the different forms of renewable energy and how economical it would be to transition to using more sustainable forms of energy.
Community members also engaged in various hands-on activities such as raft-building challenge and photo frame-making.
In the evening community members turn lights off for an hour to raise awareness about sustainability and save the energy. Students organize Jam session to bring community together during.
In the heart of UWC Changshu China, sustainability isn’t just an Earth Day full of activities, it’s a mission woven into the daily lives of its community members.