IN CELEBRATION of its 86th year of continuing excellence, St. Theresa’s College of Cebu (STC) welcomed its 2019-2020 school year by announcing its zero plastic initiative.
The project prohibits the use of disposable plastic bags and plastic bottles in the school. It supports Pope Francis’s stand stated in his encyclical “Laudato Si (Praise Be To You),” which critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, laments environmental degradation and global warming, and calls all people of the world to take “swift and unified global action.”
The zero plastic initiative aims to not only reduce the garbage collected within campus grounds, but to also counteract the throwaway culture that is prevailing in modern times.
STC assistant directress Teresa Nilda Pinili said plastic has become the go-to by-product of consumerism. She said everyone buys and throws plastic without thinking of its consequences toward the environment.
“We are part of the whole entity. Everybody must be involved because we get what we give. So, we need to care for the environment and then development will sure follow,” Pinili said.
Like all implementation of policies that include a drastic change in lifestyle, the zero plastic initiative initially received mixed reactions from parents and students.
Before the school year began, the school administration had held orientations not only for the parents, but also for the school’s personnel and concessionaires. They were told about the school’s vision and mission in implementing the zero plastic initiative.
“At the end of the day, everyone was able to realize that the goal was for the welfare of the kids. That is why we, the teachers and parents, have to be the models whom the children could follow,” Pinili said.
Aside from the zero plastic initiative, STC has been practicing other environment-friendly initiatives like proper garbage segregation, recycling and composting.
The school also has its own version of Earth Hour. The campus turns off all its electricity for an hour: from 7:30 a.m until 8:30 a.m on Fridays.
STC also had an eco-walk on Sept. 2, 2019, where students and some members of the faculty roamed the streets of Cebu City, picking up trash that they encountered along the way.
The school’s maintenance personnel have seen a decrease in the total number of garbage bags that they collect in the campus every week, a trend that they hope would continue as the school year progresses.
After hearing about STC’s zero plastic initiative, convenience stores near the school have started using paper bags in transacting with students.
The taho vendor who frequents the school every afternoon asked students to bring their own containers.