source of education

Video

Description

This is a project to create new value for society from the children’s perspective through “Made in Elementary School,” which was created by children based on materials they learned about plastic recycling by collecting and sorting into products themselves from teaching materials discarded after study in public education across the country.

Story

School materials are mostly plastic, and most of them are discarded by households after use. More than 3,000 tons are disposed of annually as they are manufactured to suit the number of children in the market, which has remained unchanged for decades. Japan is known as a plastic-rich country, and we have begun to address this issue because we feel that the global plastic challenge will become even greater in the future, and we are facing the challenge of education that leaves this problem behind. This is a project to share the issue with children together with local communities and social stakeholders, and to create “Made in Elementary School” in society from plastic teaching materials used by the children themselves at their school bases. We believe that it is important for children to learn about the collection, sorting, shredding, and commercialization of plastic materials, and to raise their awareness of the importance of reducing the generation of plastic materials and horizontal recycling through their involvement with the plastic materials produced by society. We believe that this project will have a great effect with the cooperation of local educational material dealers who have sales networks in schools throughout Japan. Although we have just started, we are moving forward with cooperation from universities, companies, and local governments.

Link

• https://www.manabinomoto.com

Images

Judge’s Comments

Yeliz Mert

Knowledge Sharing Coordinator at Global Landscapes Forum

Cultivating New Mindsets Prize

This is a wonderful project! In a world where citizens are reduced to become consumers, this project is offering a new way of consuming and producing. And not only that, they are teaching children both of these ways of engaging with life early on so they develop a healthy relationship to both of these. Besides, engaging with craftsmanship early on, raising materials awareness in children who are exposed to lots of screens and helping them understand consequences of their actions as human beings in this world are all so -very- valuable. When I see an intentional and purposeful project like this one, where children are being introduced to responsible consumption and production and sustainable ways of thinking, I can only get hopeful for a better world.