MILAN - More than 160 primary school children across Palermo will get together to clean and restore beauty to the Vergine Maria beach. This is the target that A Scuola di Acqua , an educational project promoted by Sanpellegrino Group with Nestlé Vera, wants to achieve in Palermo through Plogging Day, unique combination of jogging and cleaning up the environment which engages the children in a special experience they can enjoy together. The initiative, sponsored by the Municipality of Palermo, the Italian Representative of the European Commission and RAP S.p.A. (Resources Environment Palermo), is one of Italy's contributions to European Week for waste reduction and is part of the Let's Clean Up Europe , a European campaign designed to draw attention to the damage caused by the disposing waste in nature.
The day
The children, equipped with vests, hats, gloves and bags, and in total safety, are assisted by volunteers and their teachers in cleaning up the Vergine Maria beach. A race where everyone is a winner, where they all share the same passion and intention of restoring the beach to a place of beauty and where the children can learn about the importance of respecting the environment. The Vergine Maria beach also houses two areas for educational activities: Where the little ones can learn about the importance of recycling , thanks to an experiential workshop that involves creating little objects using plastic bottles, developing the theme of marine currents, winds and of all the elements that involve the sea; the Sportzone is, instead, devoted to two ecological challenges to take on in teams ,these include the " crushed waste " challenge that shows participants how to correctly crush a plastic bottle before you throw it in a recycling container.
The importance of recycling for families and children
The first Plogging Day is one of the initiatives promoted by the Sanpellegrino Group and Nestle Vera aimed at widening knowledge, and promoting the use and respect of water resources in all stages of its life cycle. In the same way, the Group promotes the education of families and their children about recycling, a fundamental aspect of combating plastic pollution. The Group has clear and concrete goals with regards to the use of recycled PET (R-PET), committing themselves to using 35% recycled bottles by 2025, and to contributing to the recovery and recycling of all plastic used for the bottles. These results can only be achieved through the involvement of all citizens, starting with children.
di Prisca Peroni
