{"id":24907,"date":"2024-04-04T14:56:50","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T12:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/?p=24907"},"modified":"2025-01-20T10:58:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T09:58:28","slug":"an-example-of-good-practice-elementary-school-students-from-pucisca-clean-the-coastline-harvest-olives-and-produce-ecological-soaps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/news\/an-example-of-good-practice-elementary-school-students-from-pucisca-clean-the-coastline-harvest-olives-and-produce-ecological-soaps\/","title":{"rendered":"An example of good practice: Elementary school students from Pu\u010di\u0161\u0107a clean the coastline, harvest olives, and produce ecological soaps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Marine litter<\/strong> is one of the main threats to our seas and coastlines, and the best evidence for that is the great amount of waste we accumulated during our numerous clean-up actions. Specifically, a total of two tons of various marine litter have been collected. However, in marine and coastal environments, the most abundant is plastic, of which we have collected 700 kilograms,<\/strong> or 21,153 <\/strong>pieces, by now. To raise awareness of this issue, we organized a workshop on the composition and quantity of marine litter for the students at Elementary School \u201cPu\u010di\u0161\u0107a\u201d <\/strong>as part of the Marine Litter Free Dalmatian Island<\/em><\/a><\/strong> project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students in Pu\u010di\u0161\u0107a want clean seas and coastline!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 While cleaning our coastline, we found a large amount of plastic, most of which were plastic caps, \u2013 said a student<\/strong> based on her previous clean-up action experiences within the school’s ecological group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is one of the students that are part of ecological groups at their school, so marine litter pollution is not entirely unfamiliar to her and her colleagues. They noticed significant amounts of marine litter on the outer shores of the island, especially during the summer. That\u2019s why participating in this project is extremely important to them, so they can contribute to the preservation of the sea and a cleaner future on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 We participated in beach clean-up actions in bays near Pu\u010di\u0161\u0107a with our teacher Ana Mar\u010di\u0107 and the school principal. External parts of the island of Bra\u010d were covered with various waste, \u2013 said a student<\/strong> who is part of the ecological group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Through the workshop on the composition and quantity of marine litter, students gained a deeper understanding of the harmful effects of marine litter, particularly plastic, on the sea and coastline. Besides recognizing the importance of environmental conservation, we identified ways to reduce the amount of waste ending up in the sea. With the support of the school, parents, and Sunce, students are now ready to reconsider their daily habits and act more responsibly towards the environment, which is a key strategy in the fight against waste pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 We are extremely pleased to participate in this project. I believe this experience is interesting for our students, \u2013 said Daniel \u0160anti\u0107<\/strong>, school pedagogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protocol for monitoring marine litter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What marine litter is, where it is most abundant, and what its impact is \u2013 these are just some of the questions we collectively answered. Educational activities resulted in strengthening knowledge about marine litter pollution, expanding understanding of microplastic impacts, and becoming familiar with the long-term degradation of certain items from the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After identifying a range of consequences of waste pollution, to further monitor the pollution status of our coast, we introduced students to the Protocol for monitoring marine litter<\/em><\/a>. Implementing the Protocol by various stakeholders establishes a system of continuous data collection on the quantity and composition of marine litter. To initiate monitoring of waste pollution status on the Pu\u010di\u0161\u0107a coast, students will diligently collect, sort, and list marine litter within the Protocol in each of their future clean-up actions. Elementary School \u201cPu\u010di\u0161\u0107a\u201d is now richer with new experience, new knowledge, and new skills. Any further inventory and counting of waste in Pu\u010di\u0161\u0107a will contribute to Sunce’s<\/strong> effort and dedication to clean seas and coastlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 The point is not just to constantly clean. A smaller amount of waste results in less waste in the sea and on the coast, \u2013 added Sini\u0161a Lu\u010di\u0107 Lav\u010devi\u0107<\/strong>, the school principal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to students\u2019 interest and engagement, teachers and school staff participated in a communication and advocacy workshop to accurately inform the public about their efforts and commitment to environmental protection. Elementary School \u201cPu\u010di\u0161\u0107a\u201d is an example of good practice, as evidenced by numerous school activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Elementary School “Pu\u010di\u0161\u0107a” as an example of good practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Environmental topics, in a broader and narrower sense, are an integral part of our school curriculum and international projects, as well as extracurricular activities. By exploring and studying the cultural and natural heritage of their homeland, students not only get to know and understand it better but also develop positive emotions and desirable value attitudes towards it. Therefore, cognitive and affective assumptions necessary for a positive and sustainable relationship with the environment in which we live are created, \u2013 says Daniel \u0160anti\u0107<\/strong>, school pedagogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By participating in international projects such as MED-EDUC and CLI.C.K FOR SCHOOLS, Erasmus+ projects, Elementary School \u201cPu\u010di\u0161\u0107a\u201d developed partnerships with institutions from various Mediterranean countries. Such projects enable the exchange of good practices and the application of innovative methods in environmental education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The school has two groups primarily dedicated to environmental topics: Eco-Activists<\/strong> and Eco-Producers<\/strong>. These groups of older students are led by geography and biology\/chemistry\/nature teachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 The goals of these two groups are to educate students in the spirit of a positive attitude towards natural resources, that is, to introduce them to important environmental issues at the local and global levels, and to raise awareness of the need for environmental protection among students and in the local community, \u2013 said Ana Mar\u010di\u0107<\/strong>, history and geography teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When not in the field, these groups educate students about environmental topics and involve them in various activities that emphasize the importance of recycling, reusing items, and generating less waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eco-Producers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Among other things, Eco-Producers have been producing ecological soaps<\/strong> for several years now. The two main ingredients of these soaps are olive and lavender oils. Driven by the desire for quality products and comprehensive production control, they decided to independently secure the necessary main ingredients<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accompanied by their teacher leaders, the principal, and the school caretaker, students that are part of ecological groups went to an organically grown olive harvest <\/strong>last autumn. After the harvest, in a modern facility in Pu\u010di\u0161\u0107a, the olives were processed using cold pressing, following agronomic recommendations. Part of the olives was used for preservation, while the rest was used to make homemade soap from olive oil, with the addition of their fragrant local lavender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2013 We are trying to independently secure resources for lavender oil<\/strong> as well. In the surroundings of Gornji Humac, branches were cut from old indigenous lavender bushes and prepared for the rooting process. The prepared branches in the classroom were placed in a mixture of soil and humus, and the required amount of moisture was provided. We prepared 274 individuals, which will be planted at two locations, the main school and the branch school, so we can monitor and potentially determine differences in seedling development. This will cultivate the desired lavender species, and students will become more familiar with the process and the plant, \u2013 said Simona \u0160irkovi\u0107 Martini\u0107<\/strong>, biology and chemistry teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the rooting process unfolds in the coming weeks, group members will prepare the soil for future plantings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eco-Activists<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Eco-Activists, as the name suggests, are more focused on environmental actions in the local community. Last year, this group started beach clean-up actions in bays near Pu\u010di\u0161\u0107a. Under the guidance of teacher Ana Mar\u010di\u0107, and with the assistance of Principal Sini\u0161a Lu\u010di\u0107 Lav\u010devi\u0107 and his boat, students cleaned Third harbor, bays of St. Stjepan, Sladiola, and Lozna. Since Lozna was covered with a large amount of garbage, it was decided that this year’s actions would begin with a return to this beautiful but polluted bay. Once again, diligent students\u2019 hands filled the boat with waste from the bay, mostly plastic. At that point, it became clear how much plastic pollutes the environment and how important it is to remove it from nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2013 Additionally, we participated in a large underwater clean-up action in the Pu\u010di\u0161\u0107a Bay in October last year, which was organized by the Tourist Board of the Municipality of Pu\u010di\u0161\u0107a and involved about ten divers, firefighters, and numerous volunteers. Our students helped with the extraction and sorting of waste, and one of our students even dived accompanied by his father, a diver. We continue with environmental actions to free our bays from waste. Those kinds of activities go very well with our cooperation with Sunce, \u2013 concluded the school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With the knowledge gained from the Marine Litter-Free Dalmatian Island project<\/em>, the school got the opportunity to continue actively encourage its residents to behave environmentally responsibly, as well as local or national decision-makers to establish a more quality waste management system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After education on marine litter, a large clean-up action awaits us in May. Through clean-up actions, we will contribute to the removal of waste from the environment, raising awareness among the local community, and encouraging environmentally responsible behavior among residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos provided by Elementary School \u201cPu\u010di\u0161\u0107a\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the support of the school, parents and Sunce, students are now ready to act more responsibly towards the environment, which is a key strategy in the fight against waste pollution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":24892,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1079,1250,5],"tags":[1172,814,1052],"class_list":["post-24907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marine-litter-free-dalmatian-island","category-waste-from-the-sea","category-news","tag-clean-up-action-2","tag-education","tag-marine-litter"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24907"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29716,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24907\/revisions\/29716"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}