Dingli Primary School and Kindergarten went through significant changes during one school year in the We Eat Responsibly project. Children started to think critically about their food choices, promoted responsible food and drink choices and began composting and growing their own food in the school garden. Furthermore, they informed the local community about the importance of local food.
A survey was carried out by the Eco-School Committee (a team of teachers and pupils that works with responsible food consumption topics) at the beginning of the school year. It clearly showed that the school community should buy more local and seasonal food and compost food leftovers. The goal set by the Committee was to raise awareness and to deepen critical thinking about the impact of our personal decisions and behaviours on ourselves, our neighbourhood and our planet. Another goal was to achieve visible changes in responsible consumption in the school.
During special morning assemblies, the staff and pupils have been critically thinking about their values and attitudes, talking about global issues, discussing how the school can address them and making decisions. Issues such as seasonal and local produce as well as composting were researched and debated.
Children at morning assembly.
Teachers included the theme of eating seasonally and locally in the curriculum through multiple activities. For example, children visited the large fields of a local farmer, a supermarket and the farmer’s market. At the farmer’s market, kindergarten pupils bought fresh vegetables, and upon returning to school, they prepared vegetable soup, which they eagerly ate together. Moreover, a local organisation was invited to talk about waste management and composting.
At the farmer’s market.
A new school garden was established to support the idea of local and seasonal food. In the garden the pupils planted their own vegetables and herbs for the school kitchen. As water is scarce in Malta, a local NGO sponsored the construction of two water tanks and a new irrigation system that was opened during a public event that highlighted the importance of water conservation.
The children were also engaged in creating visual displays, presentations and a short video using Moviemaker on the topic of local and seasonal food. Parents were invited to attend these informative presentations, which helped to raise their awareness of the global impact of our everyday choices. Parents were informed about and even directly involved in the preparation of food activities.
These presentations and activities at the school led to a school-wide shift towards making responsible food and drink choices. All events related to food, drink and waste management in the school became strictly sustainable and environmentally friendly. Moreover, the school website has been broadly used to provide information and to share ideas such as healthy recipes with seasonal food and nutritional information.
To share knowledge about the importance of local and seasonal food, children explained the school food code (a set of rules for the school and community to be more sustainable) to two local restaurant owners and displayed information inside their businesses.
Explaining the food code at a local restaurant.
When it comes to food waste, its reduction should be of paramount importance. When food waste is produced, however, it is smart to convert it into something very useful – a natural fertilizer. That is why composting has become part and parcel of the school’s daily routine.
Planting vegetable and composting.
Assistant Head of School Anne Marie Camilleri described the changes at the Dingli Primary School and Kindergarten as follows:
“It is encouraging and inspiring to see what the school community has achieved so far. The Eco-School Committee has been a driving force in making changes in the school and in the local community and has promoted participation, optimism, reflection and action.”
