Seeing, writing, asking

IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE FROM PERSONAL EFFORTS TO STATE-WIDE INITATIVES

PERSONAL REFLECITONS

The students of the eighth grade at Primary School Anton Martin Slomšek Vrhnika, aged 13 or 14, thought about things that are good for both health and the environment. We wrote about habits and how we can improve them. An important part of our compositions was shopping and how it influences our health and the environment. We thought about reducing, reusing, recycling, and our responsibility to make good choices. We put our compositions on the school website and presented a poem about the environment at a public performance. We think it is important that shopping and the environment are part of our curriculum and that we understand their connection to health.

Shopping is central in our lives because we live in a consumer society. Many people cannot or do not want to produce their own goods. Even those who grow their own vegetables and fruit cannot produce everything they need. Shopping also creates many jobs.

We must understand that our actions matter. Many people believe they cannot change the world, but that is just an excuse. If everyone thought like that, nothing would ever change.

As teenagers, we know that buying locally and choosing natural products supports small farmers and reduces CO2 emissions from transport. We can also grow our own food, even if it is just some strawberries on the balcony.

There is a strong connection between health and the environment. Food that is better for our health, like less processed food, is also better for the environment. However, naturally produced food is more expensive.

Clothing is another problem. Many people buy cheap, low-quality clothes that do not last long and end up in landfills. If we can afford it, we should buy better-quality clothes. When we outgrow them or stop wearing them, we can pass them on to siblings, donate them, or swap them.

We can also buy eco-friendly cleaners, but many are not very effective.

Electricity is important too. We should turn off lights, TVs, and computers when we do not need them. Solar panels and electric cars are big topics. We need to explore them if we want progress. We have not reached the goal yet, but we are moving in the right direction.

We also wrote to the editors of our school book. We asked if they could make their texts and dialogues about shopping more eco-friendly. They said they would consider it for the next edition.

Shopping, the environment, and health are three important parts of our lives, and they are all connected. We think people should not focus too much on shopping. If we care about health and the environment, our shopping habits will change too. As a generation, we believe we can and should live a simpler life. This will affect our health, the environment, and the way we shop. But being completely self-sufficient is impossible for us. We cannot and do not want to do it.

FROM SCHOOL TO MINISTRY

In February and March 2025, we made interviews in our school and some shops and companies. With the help of a student’s parent, we were also able to contact the Ministry of Environment, Climate, and Energy in Slovenia. We did all this to see how, as a society, we address environmental issues.

School

We have involved students in eco-projects such as Plastic Pirates, rubbish sorting, eco-reading, and cleaning the school surroundings.

From time to time, the school organizes workshops on environmental topics. Students work in the school garden and take care of compost for fertilizing. The school also offers courses on beekeeping. We participate in activities such as weighing food waste. Additionally, the school contributes to clothing exchange projects, where children bring their used clothes to be given to children in need.

The school uses digital materials to reduce paper and ink consumption.

Shops

We found that stores already implement sustainable practices such as donating food, selling biodegradable bags and packaging, collaborating with local producers, separating waste, and using reusable packaging. Shops also donate a lot of food and goods to charities such as the Red Cross. They encourage people to minimize waste by bringing their own bags and returning bottles.

However, there is still room for improvement. For example, shops offer items that can be used, but customers do not necessarily need them. We also found that not all shops implement all the activities mentioned above.

Companies

Companies try to reduce waste as much as possible. They mostly use reusable materials in their business models. They also monitor the amount of waste they produce and try to decrease it.

Most companies attempt to reuse everything they produce, especially in food production, so that nothing is thrown away. Companies also try to use recycled materials to simplify the production process and reduce waste. They collaborate with other companies to reuse materials and improve efficiency. Companies send toxic substances (like batteries) to recycling centers.

Additionally, companies offer warranties to their customers, encouraging them to repair goods instead of throwing them away.

Ministry

The Ministry of Environment, Climate, and Energy of Slovenia follows the Sustainable Development Goals and includes them in its development strategy. The ministry focuses on reducing food waste at home since about 45% of food waste occurs there.

Slovenia has a project called CARE4CLIMATE, which educates people about food waste and ways to reduce it.

Conclusion

Through this project, we have learned about environmental protection and how we can all contribute to a more sustainable way of living.

written by Brigita Kočevar and Maj Golob Frank, class 8 C

OPAZUJEMO, PIŠEMO, SPRAŠUJEMO

KAKO IZBOLJŠATI KVALITETO ŽIVLJENJA OD OSEBNIH PRIZADEVANJ DO SPODBUD DRŽAVE    

Prvi del: OSEBNA OPAŽANJA

Učenci osmega razreda osnovne šole Antona Martina Slomška Vrhnika, stari od 13 do 14 let, smo razmišljali o stvareh, ki so dobre za okolje in zdravje. Pisali smo o naših navadah in kako bi jih lahko izboljšali. Pomemben del naših spisov je nakupovanje in njegov vpliv na zdravje in okolje. Razmišljali smo o zmanjšanju odpadkov, ponovni uporabi, recikliranju in naši odgovornosti, da sprejmemo dobre odločitve. Naše spise smo objavili na spletni strani šole in predstavili pesem o okolju na javni prireditvi. Mislimo, da je pomembno, da sta nakupovanje in okolje del našega učnega načrta. Prav tako je pomembno, da razumemo njuno povezavo z zdravjem.

Nakupovanje je v središču našega življenja, ker smo potrošniška družba. Veliko ljudi ne more ali noče pridelovati svoje hrane. Celo tisti, ki pridelujejo svoje sadje in zelenjavo, ne morejo pridelati vsega, kar potrebujejo. V prodajnem sektorju je tudi veliko zaposlitvenih mest.

Moramo vedeti,  da naša dejanja štejejo. Veliko ljudi verjame, da ne morejo spremeniti sveta, kar je le izgovor.  Če bi vsi razmišljali tako, ne bi nikoli ničesar spremenili.

Kot mladostniki vemo, da  kupovanje v lokalnih trgovinah in izbira naravnih produktov podpira manjše kmetije in zmanjša izpuste CO2 med transportom. Hrano lahko pridelamo tudi sami, četudi le jagode  na balkonu.

Med zdravjem in okoljem  je močna povezava. Stvari, ki so boljše za naše zdravje, so običajno boljše tudi za okolje. Vendar pa je naravno pridelana hrana dražja.

Moda je še en problem v poskusih zmanjšanja onesnaženja. Veliko ljudi kupi cenena oblačila slabe kakovosti, ki hitro končajo na smetiščih. Če si le lahko privoščimo, je bolje kupovati oblačila z visoko kakovostjo. Ko jih prerastemo ali nehamo nositi, jih lahko podarimo mlajšim sorojencem, dobrodelni organizaciji ali jih zamenjamo.

Kupujemo lahko tudi ekološka čistila, a veliko je neučinkovitih.

Elektrika je tudi pomemben del onesnaženja. Luči, televizije in računalnike moramo ugašati, ko jih ne potrebujemo. Sončne celice in električni avtomobili so pomemben del naših prizadevanj za zmanjšanje izpustov CO2 v ozračje. Pomembno je, da raziskujemo, če želimo napredek. Nismo še dosegli cilja, vendar se premikamo v pravo smer.

V sklopu ozaveščanja o okolju smo pisali tudi na uredništvo našega učbenika. Vprašali smo jih, če bi besedila o nakupovanju naredili bolj okolju prijazna. Odločili so se, da bodo to upoštevali pri naslednji izdaji.

Nakupovanje, okolje in zdravje so pomembni deli našega življenja, ki so tudi zelo povezani. Mislimo, da se ljudje preveč osredotočamo na nakupovanje. Če bomo nekaj spremenili na odnosu do okolja in zdravja, se bodo spremenile tudi naše nakupovalne navade. Verjamemo, da lahko živimo preprostejše življenje, vendar popolne samooskrbe ne moremo več doseči. Tega ne zmoremo in nočemo.

Drugi del: OD ŠOLE DO MINISTRSTVA

Februarja in marca 2025 smo opravili intervjuje na naši šoli ter v nekaterih trgovinah in podjetjih. S pomočjo starša enega od učencev smo uspeli stopiti v stik tudi z Ministrstvom za okolje, podnebje in energijo Republike Slovenije. Vse to smo storili, da bi ugotovili, kako se kot družba soočamo z okoljskimi vprašanji.

Šola

Učence vključujemo v eko-projekte, kot so Pirati plastike, ločevanje odpadkov, eko-branje in čiščenje okolice šole. Občasno organiziramo delavnice na okoljske teme. Učenci delajo v šolskem vrtu in skrbijo za kompost za gnojenje. Šola ponuja tudi izbirni predmet čebelarstvo. Sodelujemo v aktivnostih, kot je tehtanje odpadne hrane. Prav tako prispevamo k projektu izmenjave oblačil, kjer učenci prinesejo rabljena oblačila, ki jih podarimo otrokom v stiski.

Za zmanjšanje porabe papirja in črnila uporabljamo digitalna gradiva.

Trgovine

Ugotovili smo, da trgovine že izvajajo trajnostne prakse, kot so doniranje hrane, prodaja biorazgradljivih vrečk in embalaže, sodelovanje z lokalnimi proizvajalci, ločevanje odpadkov in uporaba embalaže za večkratno uporabo. Trgovine darujejo veliko hrane in izdelkov dobrodelnim organizacijam, kot je Rdeči križ. Kupce spodbujajo k zmanjševanju odpadkov s prinašanjem lastnih vrečk in vračanjem steklenic.

Kljub temu so izboljšave še mogoče. Na primer, trgovine ponujajo izdelke, ki jih kupci lahko uporabijo, vendar jih nujno ne potrebujejo. Prav tako vse trgovine ne izvajajo vse omenjene trajnostne prakse.

Podjetja

Podjetja si prizadevajo čim bolj zmanjšati odpadke. Večinoma uporabljajo materiale za večkratno uporabo. Spremljajo količino proizvedenih odpadkov in jo poskušajo zmanjšati.

Večina podjetij skuša ponovno uporabiti vse, kar proizvedejo, še posebej v prehrambni industriji, tako da se nič ne zavrže. Prav tako uporabljajo reciklirane materiale za poenostavitev proizvodnega procesa in zmanjšanje odpadkov. Sodelujejo z drugimi podjetji pri ponovni uporabi materialov in izboljšanju učinkovitosti. Strupene snovi (kot so baterije) pošiljajo v reciklažne centre.

Poleg tega podjetja ponujajo garancije svojim strankam, s čimer jih spodbujajo k popravilu izdelkov, namesto da bi jih zavrgli.

Ministrstvo

Ministrstvo za okolje, podnebje in energijo Republike Slovenije sledi ciljem trajnostnega razvoja in jih vključuje v svojo razvojno strategijo. Ministrstvo se osredotoča na zmanjšanje količine zavržene hrane v gospodinjstvih, saj tam nastane približno 45 % vse odpadne hrane.

Slovenija izvaja projekt CARE4CLIMATE, ki izobražuje ljudi o problematiki odpadne hrane in načinih njenega zmanjšanja.

Zaključek

S tem projektom smo se veliko naučili o varovanju okolja in kako lahko vsi prispevamo k bolj trajnostnemu načinu življenja.

napisala Brigita Kočevar in Maj Golob Frank, 8.c