The project FoodTreasure works with educators, schools and pupils to encourage critical thinking, hands-on environmental education – starting with food waste- and encourages teachers and children to think for themselves, work cooperatively and develop problem solving skills to apply to the issues around them.
Rather than simply learning facts about the environment, FoodTreasure’s approach to education encourages engagement with the environment and emotional investment in the issues, which will lead to more environmentally conscious and active young citizens.
Through FoodTreasure, and among other activities, school competitions (approved by the Ministry of Education) have been held for 3 years (and have gained approval for 2023) engaging educators to work with children of all ages in creating fun, relevant, effective and innovative ideas for circular economy projects in schools. These competitions have supported teachers in getting young people enthusiastic about circularity issues and in thinking critically and working in teams to come up with small scale solutions. Some of the ideas put into practice by school children involve: creating a ‘clothes swap event together with educating each other about the environmental impacts of the garment industry; repurposing old desks into cupboards and coat hangers; creating a fun video of a ‘superhero’ who encourages reuse of materials, not just recycling, and more.