Let’s get ECO! is an environmental educational project that takes place at the International School of Oradea between December 2021 and August 2022. This project is part of the Plantropolis program, funded by Russmedia Romania, with the support of VPK Packaging Salonta, Asociația Grund Community and locally implemented by Fundația Comunitară Oradea.

This project involves 56 children from two groups of pre-schoolers and two classes of primary school students. 6 teachers are actively involved in the implementation in the classroom of the following activities:

• Presentations on the importance of environmental protection and waste selective sorting;

• Waste selective sorting;

• Recycling. On weekly basis the kids will reshape reusable waste into practical or artistic objects;

• Making observation on how the nature changes, activity followed by the design and execution of posters.

Kindergarten and primary school students learned that the 5 selective collection fractions are paper and cardboard, plastic and metal, glass, biodegradable food waste and waste that cannot be recycled, such as ear sticks, diapers, worn-out and damaged shoes. Very soon, the children will participate in creating the urban garden and planting seeds in various containers, which will then be transplanted outside in the ground. Children will have the opportunity to plant and see how differently plants grow, from beans to onions, from basil to thyme, from gladiolus to daffodils. We can only imagine how surprised they would be when they see that little green seedlings are coming out of the ground!

Ms Cristina Scorțe, the coordinator of the project in our school, is underlying that ”ecological education must start at an early age and it has a crucial impact on how our students will become responsible adults. We got involved in the Plantropolis project with enthusiasm and with hope for what we will build together over the course of a year and beyond. By directly participating in the construction and in the maintenance of our small urban garden, our young students will observe and take part in how nature works and understand its fragility, as well as the importance of protecting it thus laying the foundations of their ecological education.”

 We are grateful to the initiators of this wonderful project!