Because every day is Earth Day at WCIH
There is no planet B. We have to take care of the one we have.
—Sir Richard Branson
Just as Hangzhou City has remained committed to hosting a green 2023 Asian Games, we at Wellington College International Hangzhou are proudly committed to environmental sustainability, and Earth Day continues to be recognised for its significance to all our futures. With responsibility, respect, kindness, integrity and courage being key Wellington values and in the essence of Earth Day, we need to act boldly, innovate broadly, and implement equitably. Find out below how our school supports Earth Day and how, together, we can keep our Earth clean and green… because a green future is a prosperous future.
Origin of Earth Day
Earth Day is the largest environmental movement on Earth. An annual event held every April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection that aims to raise public awareness of environmental issues and encourage people to protect the environment by leading a green and low-carbon life. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG involving over 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. The official theme for 2023 is ‘Invest in our Planet’.
Wellington Earth Day event
At Wellington College Hangzhou, we believe that environmental protection is extremely important, and in the efforts to help spread awareness and improve sustainability, Wellington College felt it was appropriate to host Earth Day in school and involve pupils of all ages with this issue. Even our youngest pupils were inspired by the words of Greta Thunberg, "You are never too small to make a difference."
Earth Day activities at Wellington
At school, the teachers and pupils participated in a range of events for Earth Day, including the following.
The Big Switch Off
All lights and electronic devices were switched off during ‘the big switch off’ hour, helping to lessen the use of energy across the campus. Inspired by Earth Hour, it is an iconic action to ‘switch off’ the lights. As a symbol of unity and a symbol of hope, it is a demonstration of the power of collective action for our future and the planet's.
FACT
Famous landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, Sydney's Opera House, the Empire State Building, The Great Pyramids, the Burj Khalifa, Big Ben, and the Colosseum have all turned off their lights for this epic energy saving event!
Brodie, Year 6: It felt nice to help save the environment.
Big Clean Up
The pupils in Primary School explored the local community roads and picked up litter as part of ‘The Great Global Clean Up’ initiative – a worldwide campaign to reduce waste and plastic pollution, improving habitats and preventing harm to wildlife and humans.
FACT
Worldwide, more than 650,000 marine mammals are caught or seriously injured by fishing gear annually.
Prince, Year 6: Litter always ends up in the ocean and it endangers the sea life, so it is important that we recycle and use less plastic.
Poster Competition
A poster competition run by Wellington Primary school council encouraged the pupils to spread awareness about littering and disposing of rubbish properly to help the environment and reduce plastic waste. Pupils used their creativity and critical thinking skills to create eye-catching posters inspiring others into action. The activity also helped pupils develop a deeper understanding of the impacts of climate change and the actions they can take to reduce their carbon footprint.
FACT
Each year, enough Bubble Wrap is created globally to cover the distance between the earth and the moon.
Deva, Year 6: Recycle plastic, reduce plastic consumption and re-use plastic.
Earth Day Themed Lunch
A foodprint measures the environmental impacts associated with the growing, producing, transporting, and storing of our food— from the natural resources consumed to the pollution produced to the greenhouse gases emitted. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that the meat industry generates nearly 20% of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions accelerating climate change worldwide – more than the entire transportation sector!
Our catering service promotes healthy eating, environmental protection and other related issues. In honour of Earth Day, we introduced – ‘Zrou’ – a new trending ‘plant-based’ style for lunch.
What is Zrou?
Zrou is a plant-based reinterpretation of ground meat made from pure natural ingredients: non-GMO soybeans, konjac, coconut oil, and shiitake mushrooms. Zrou is cholesterol-free, and lower in calories and fat while being a quality source of protein, dietary fibre and nutrients.
Therefore, every meat dish served on our Earth Day menu was, in fact, plant-based, for example, “sweet and sour chicken”, “beef wellington” etc., all produced using Zrou.
The children enjoyed learning about sustainability linked to plant-based food and especially enjoyed tasting the delicious healthy zrou dishes. In addition, some of our vegetarian teachers delighted in their first ever taste of ‘ zrou beef wellington’.
Brad Smith, President, Microsoft, once said, “I strongly support including climate education in the educational curricula of all nations.” Wellington’s many learning activities inspired by Earth Day, helped our pupils to reflect on the world around them. They explored the future of the planet whilst developing key global perspective skills. We are preparing our young Wellingtonians as part of their holistic education to engage in nurture nature philosophy and become future stewards of the environment.
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