PHILIPSBURG--The Seventh-Day Adventist and the St. Maarten Academy schools officially joined the In-School Sustainable Waste Management initiative on Monday, June 5.
This initiative was also in celebration of UNESCO’s International World Environmental Day Celebration 2023 with the Theme: BeatPlasticPollution.
These two schools also joins the Methodist Agogic Center (MAC) schools and Hill Christian schools and the St. Maarten Academy PSVE in this initiative.
The initiative was created and is spearheaded by Claude Javois in June of 2018 to promote waste management within the school system. In his address to both schools he noted that it was a celebration of two momentous occasions. He said the in-school waste management initiative marks the significant steps towards a cleaner and more sustainable future for the schools as well as the island. “I stand before you with a sense of pride and excitement as we embark on this transformative journey.”
He noted that the goal is to create an environment where waste is manage responsibly, promoting recycling, reducing land waste and forging a culture of sustainability. He said that it is our duty to reserve this trend to protect our island’s fragile ecosystem and to secure a better future for our generation.
Marcellia Henry Secretary General of UNESCO for St. Maarten also addressed both schools. In her address said that this is just one of the many projects that UNESCO has been in support of on St. Maarten. She noted that with the addition of these two schools, there are now five total schools that have joined this initiative. This project started in 2018 with the MAC schools. “Enabling you to be a part of the group of young people on St. Maarten who have been helping to ensure that our environment is kept clean,” she added. Henry congratulated school management for joining in the initiative.
At both schools, select students gave a small demonstration on how to use the recyclable bins.
Both schools expressed their profound gratitude to Javois for introducing and allowing students to take on this initiative for the betterment of St. Maarten.
The waste management project is designed to promote the principles of recycling, waste reduction, and sustainable practices.
One of the key features of the project was the introduction of an extensive recycling system throughout the school premises. Dedicated recycling bins have been strategically placed on the school grounds making it convenient for students and staff to separate recyclable materials such as plastic, glass, and aluminium.
