MAKE A DIFFERENCE: HELP THE ENVIRONMENT
GREEN LEVEL | PRIMARY 5 STUDENTS
Campaign by: Adrian, Andrew, Enoch, Evangeline, Isabelle, Jake, Kyle, and Sen
WHO WE ARE
We are students who attend JEMS Character Academy and we are in Green Level. This year, we have been learning to grow in our empathy and compassion for the environment, especially in our community.
We hope you will enjoy our website, and grow in your compassion towards the beauty of our very surroundings!
The more we understand, the more we can be compassionate!
From: Adrian, Andrew, Enoch, Evangeline, Isabelle, Jake, Kyle, and Sen
WHAT WE LEARNT
This year we learnt about climate change,
sustainability, and how humans affect the environment. Climate Change happens when too many greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere, causing worldwide weather patterns to change.
Sustainability means to live in a way that doesn't use up Earth's resources too fast. One way we can measure sustainability is with our carbon footprint. Our carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide we release into the atmosphere.
"I learned that although greenhouse gases such as water vapour are essential in keeping us warm, too much of them cause climate change and would ruin the world. For example, higher temperatures would cause sea levels to rise, which would mean that there would be less land available to grow crops and to live in. This would mean that only people with money can afford to buy food, and this could lead to war between richer and poorer countries."
-Andrew
"I learned that sustainability is when you have enough resources to pass onto future generations. This is related to climate change because if humans get too greedy, then that is not sustainable. For example, if we want more transportation like cars and planes, it will create carbon emissions, which cause climate change because greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide trap too much heat in the atmosphere."
-Sen
OUR LOCAL ENVIRONMENT
Hong Kong is home to many different types of landscapes, such as mountains, countryside, and islands. While Hong Kong is only approximately 1000 sq. km., it is home to over 2500 species of plants, 450 species of birds, 80 species of butterflies, and more. Species such as the pink dolphin and the green turtle represent the unique diversity of Hong Kong's local environment!
"Some may know Hong Kong as a bustling city with tall buildings and a staggering population, but Hong Kong also has many different kinds of landscapes species too! However, they are threatened by air pollution, the wall effect (tall buildings trapping heat), and water pollution.
The pink dolphin is one animal found in our local environment. They live along the southern Chinese coast, and while they are an endangered species protected by law, their habitats are not. They are threatened by coastal development, marine traffic, water pollution, and fishing, and their numbers have dwindled from 143 in 2004, to 32 in 2018.
Another example is the green turtle, which is a highly endangered species that live in tropical waters across the world. They are threatened by water pollution, fishing, and destruction to breeding grounds. Currently there is only one green turtle nesting site in Hong Kong, located on Lamma Island. Luckily, the government restricts access to this beach during nesting season, and conducts conservation management to remove any marine or man-made garbage that would interfere with nesting activities.
All in all, Hong Kong is surely a place that we must preserve in order to enjoy!"
-Evangeline
WHY WE CARE
Currently, humanity's carbon footprint is too large - in other words, we are living an unsustainable lifestyle. Because of this, the environment suffers as we are using up too much of the Earth's resources, too fast.
Hong Kong also faces some environmental challenges too. Factories, cars, ships, and construction etc., produce air pollution and water pollution, which affects the local wildlife through habitat destruction, and causes health problems for humans.
We only have one planet, and Earth is our home! We must do our part to care for it as best as we can. Even the smallest action, such as turning off the AC, or eating less meat (especially beef and lamb), can have a big impact!
From our students:
OUR SOLUTION
Solving climate change and being sustainable is a complex problem, but it can start with individual action. For example, we could choose to take public transportation, use re-usable bags, use less electricity at home, buy sustainably sourced products, and eat less meat. Small actions, if done collectively, can have a big impact!
HOW YOU CAN HELP
1
Get Informed
Learn more about the environment by reading through our website, and understand the challenges it faces.
2
Explore
Look around your local community, explore the natural beauty and challenges in your neighbourhood, and identify changes that you can make to your lifestyle to be more sustainable.
3
Share What You Have
Donate money and/or time towards projects that really focus on helping the local environment , like Plastic Free Seas (see below).
4
Inform Others
Help us get the word out and inform more people about the local environmental challenges, how to be more sustainable, and help us put compassion into action!
MEETING OUR GUEST SPEAKER
We had an amazing opportunity to interact with, learn from and ask our own questions to Ms. Mimi who works in the charity we are fundraising for, Plastic Free Seas in Hong Kong.
From this memorable experience, we gained a deeper understanding of what is plastic pollution, how do plastics impact our local environment, and how to grow in compassion for our community.
FUNDRAISING: PLASTIC FREE SEAS
JEMS Character Academy is partnering with Plastic Free Seas to teach children to have more empathy and compassion towards the environment. Plastic Free Sea's mission is to change the way we all view and use plastics in society today, through organising student conferences, launching education and action initiatives, and social media campaigns.
We want to raise $10,000 HKD to support Plastic Free Seas in their work in protecting our local environment. Go to https://www.simplygiving.com/jems-p5-2021 to help us fundraise!
