On 24 October 2023, together with the classmates of some secondary classes of the Istituto Comprensivo Corrado Melone in Ladispoli, we took part in a Plastic Blitz, i.e. an initiative to collect and remove plastic from the beach.
Around 08:30, armed with spirit of initiative and enthusiasm, we went with our teachers to the Regina Elena promenade. Our teachers handed out gloves and rubbish bags and instructed us to collect only plastic objects. Working in pairs, we collected around 20 bags of small bottles, bags, containers, glasses, fishing line, caps, Q-tips, a ball, plates, some plastic 'for sale' signs and lots of straws.
Initially, we took this outing as a day of rest and recreation, away from the desks, but then, when we arrived at the beach, we began to understand the importance of it and we felt a sense of participation and responsibility in the care of our territory. In fact, in just a few hours we managed to do our 'little miracle': filling more than ten bags and cleaning up a stretch of beach that, every summer, hosts us silently and patiently, putting up with the neglect of bathers. Thinking about it, we are guests for our entire existence of a Planet that, instead of loving and respecting, we are only destroying with our selfishness and lack of respect, not thinking that we are doing evil to ourselves and to future generations. Around 12 noon, after taking some group photos, we returned to school and in the Theatre Hall the teachers thanked us for our participation and the seriousness with which we had carried out this project and gave us a certificate of participation of the activity.
Once back in class, we discussed this 'special' school morning and collected the comments and reflections of the students involved. Daniele (class 2D) says: "The people who pollute our Planet are selfish and indifferent and for this reason, we, young people must act as soon as possible so as not to pay the consequences in a few years' time." For him, "it was a fun experience" but he realized how even small objects can damage the health of our environment.
According to Tommaso (class 2D), "Abandoning waste is a sign of incivility and lack of respect for the environment around us. If we want our planet to be a home for future generations, we have to start taking responsibility by dealing with waste disposal in the right way. During the collection, I felt proud to be able to contribute to preserving the health of nature."
This initiative was a lot of fun, but also tiring: we did four hours of 'active and responsible citizenship' lessons outdoors, working to collect plastic on the beach. We were certainly very pleased with how the activity went and with the results. We realized that small gestures, such as picking up a plastic cap, hold great deeds, and we are proud to have made our contribution to activating sustainable change for our territory, for ourselves and for future generations. It would be important to involve more citizens and repeat these experiences more often.
We can say that we, the students of Corrado Melone, are ready!
Students class 2D
Daniele Tucciariello
Filippo Satta
Pennica Sergio
Opmerkingen