City Council Member to Discuss "Plastic Soup" with Elementary School Students
On Thursday, January 20, students at the Fortgens School attended a lesson on “plastic soup” led by beachcomber Thijs and Councilwoman Erika Spil. This marked the start of a series of lessons in 2022 for elementary school students in Voorschoten. The students learn about the environmental impacts of litter in a playful way and will also go out to look for litter themselves in the area around their school.
Councilwoman Erika Spil (Sustainability, Environment, and Energy): “You can’t start early enough when it comes to raising children’s environmental awareness. I think it’s valuable that schools are taking up this issue, and I wholeheartedly support the work of Jutter Thijs and We Are Nature. I hope the students keep beachcombing. And if they can each convince two other people to give it a try, we’ll keep that ripple effect going.”
Head, Hands, and Heart
The educational program is led by Jutter Thijs in collaboration with the We Are Nature entrepreneurs’ collective. During the lesson, Jutter Thijs shares with the students his love for the sea, as well as the problems we cause, such as litter that contributes to the plastic soup. Students are engaged with their minds, hands, and hearts throughout the day. Mind, by teaching them more about the problem and giving them insight into what they can do themselves. Heart, by showing them the beauty of nature and the impact that plastic waste has on marine life—and on us as humans. And hands, by inviting them to take action as ambassadors of the solution and letting them experience that they can make a difference themselves.
Laminated Sea Shanties
Today, as is often the case during Jutter Thijs’s classes, the group sang laminated sea shanties together. They also went beachcombing together, which yielded a lot of plastic. They collected many cans from the beach, as well as a soccer ball, gloves, and even a traffic sign.
The students responded very enthusiastically to the lesson. Floris (10): “I’d never picked up litter before, but I think I’m going to do it more often now! I didn’t know there would be so much litter in the park!” The children also came up with their own ideas for combating litter. Renske (10): “We should have an open-air museum where you can see what it looks like when a lot of litter is thrown away but not cleaned up, so people can see the impact of their actions. We’d then urge them to pick up their trash with the slogan: ‘Do something to stop this!’”
Want to go beachcombing, too?
On March 5, all residents of Voorschoten will have the opportunity to go beachcombing; the municipality will provide beachcombing tongs and is calling on all residents to join in. To participate, please contact the municipality’s customer service center at 14071.