What kids have to say about going green

By Sapeer Mayron 22 September 2018, 12:00AM

Six schools across Samoa beautified their schools this term, competing in BSP’s Go Green campaign competition.

For the children, making the school attractive was only the beginning. They also spent the term learning about gardening, taking care of plants, recycling and pollution.

Year five teacher at Samoa Primary School, Mataleua Pasiue said the project was a good way to address the problem of climate change head on.

In planting and nurturing cabbages, tomatoes, pineapples and more, children learned about the importance of replanting, and how waste like plastic bottles and tins can actually be used to improve the garden.

Samoa Primary student Zephan said he learned how to keep the environment clean and healthy.

“By beautifying the environment, other countries will come to Samoa and say it’s pretty and then it will be famous,” another student, Therese said.

Many children said the best part about their garden project was learning how to plant and care for the vegetables they grew.

It wasn’t always easy – the children said picking up rubbish around the school in the heat was often tough.

Samoa Primary won first place in the gardening and landscaping category, winning $2400 tala.

At Peace Chapel Primary School, the children spent all term collecting materials from home that previously they thought was rubbish.

Sialei said it was cool to make rubbish useful.

“We can reuse the rubbish to make decorations for any project,” she said.

Peace Chapel won first place and $2400 tala in the recycled material arts and crafts category.

The children said they saw how rubbish was everywhere for them to collect – the beach, around the house, behind the schools, on their fields and under their fales and in the ditch. 

Peace Chapel student Yetmoe said her school was setting an example to the families and other people in Samoa.

“We are helping our school to get clean!” said Fetuliaina.

Harmony summed up the project with just one sentence.

“Recycling is good, instead of just throwing rubbish around.”

By Sapeer Mayron 22 September 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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