In honor of World Environment Day, elementary students of the Adventist School of Porto Feliz,in the interior of São Paulo, held a sustainability fair in the town square. They wanted to raise awareness of the importance of caring for the environment and conscious discarding.

Service started early and residents lined up to dispose of plastic bottles, used batteries, aluminum cans and other recyclables. After disposing of them, each visitor received a voucher that was exchanged for organic products such as lettuce, almeirão (similar to chicory), parsley, fertilizers, seasonings and seeds. All this material was grown by the students themselves in the school garden. Fertilizers with organic residues were prepared by means of a domestic compost.

Jefferson Chimittel, the father of one of the students, took a cherry tomato plant. "I found the project very interesting because it is necessary to give more value to nature. I'm going to plant my little tomato foot and hope to produce good fruit, " he said. Resident Fabiana de Gouveia Astrath took plenty of vegetables home. "I like everything that is natural and I found the students' initiative to produce organic products very good and we could change," he said.

Samuel Moreli, a fifth-grader, actively participated in the school garden. "I thought it was cool because I helped produce the fertilizer that will help the environment a lot," he said.

Ecological Awareness: 

According to the Brazilian Association of Public Cleaning and Special Waste Companies (Abrelpe), we currently produce 1.4 billion tons of garbage per year worldwide. This means that each of the planet's seven billion people is responsible for producing more than one pound of garbage per day.

Jean Ribeiro, director of the Adventist School of Porto Feliz, shares that the institution has used this date to make students, parents and society aware of the need to recycle and protect nature. "We realize that the subject of sustainability is of great importance. This fair is an answer that it is possible to change and make a better world when we become relevant in society," he said.