Earth Day Intermediate Assembly Presentation

Monday of this week saw an excellent online presentation made to all the students of the Intermediate section during their assembly. The presentation’s theme was sustainability, aligned with Earth Day 2021 on April 22nd, which also allowed for more insights into the burgeoning sustainability programme at school, other activities around Earth Day and the great efforts of student members of the Sustainability Committee. 

By Natalie A. IB2

With uncontrolled human activity posing a greater threat on our planet every year, and the deadline for preventing irreversible climate change approaching, it is more crucial than ever to educate the youth about the importance of sustainability. Through working with different students at BHS, as well as being on the World Oceans Day Youth Advisory Council, I have witnessed firsthand the potency of collective action, especially among the younger generation, which is one of hope, innovation, science, and determination. As my final year at BHS is coming to an end, I can only hope that the work I have done can spearhead a shift towards sustainability in the behavior and policy at BHS, Lebanon, and the world in general. This year, the BHS Sustainability Programme conducted several activities to both celebrate Earth Day and our love for the planet, as well as share resources and educate students about sustainable living. We launched several challenges, a screening of The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, and presentations by students of different ages: Christo N. (Grade 6), Tao N. (Grade 9), whose reflection on our presentation can be found below, and myself (Grade 12).

By Tao N. G9

My name is Tao, and Natalie and I gave a short presentation on Earth Day. We went over what it represents, why it is important, what can be done now and in the future, and how Brummana High School does its best to be as sustainable as possible. The presentation aimed at drawing our classmates attention on this major problem we face as a generation. I hope we highlighted the gravity of the matter we have at hand and passed on a sense of urgency to unite as one and to also do our best to tackle climate change. In countries with inefficient and crumbling infrastructure such as Lebanon, implementing environmentally friendly practices is becoming increasingly challenging, which is what enticed me to join the BHS sustainability committee. The committee is aimed at ensuring that the school takes into account the environmental impact of its actions. Being committed to sustainable practices is proving more difficult every day in a context of extreme economic crisis, and I found it very motivating that BHS still focuses on this matter despite the hardship the school faces. In this respect, I am proud of being a student of a school that does not shirk its social responsibility even at the worst of times.