“Green is the new swag”- A Project 90 club youth member
P90 *Two Oceans Wind Turbine
So what happens when you bring high school students together from around the city of Cape Town to the Two Oceans Aquarium?
Well….conversation, laughter and hopefully the beginning of a few new friendships.
This weekend work took me to the Two Oceans Aquarium, where Project 90 by 2030 (referred to as Project 90 from here on), invited students to gather, listen, and explore green energy for an short half-day Club Conference.
Well, so first what’s a club, right?
Project 90 by 2030 has been forming clubs in schools and organization since 2008, whereas it assists students and adults in creating carbon footprint reduction projects. This weekend, Project 90 gathered around 40 students from five local high schools and took the students to the aquarium where they had a chance to not only learn more about an array of Project 90 renewable projects happening all across the city (including the aquarium), but also gave the students a chance to look behind the scenes of the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town.
Settled in one of the premier aquarium conference rooms students discussed the projects they are conducting at their school, such as recycling programs. They also learned more about Project 90’s phase one projects which included creation of a solar system for a rural school, a hydro-system, solar-golf carts, fences and biogas digester at the Tygerberg Zoo.
It was great to see the collection of excited faces from students across Cape Town. The students were not only enthusiastic about getting the chance to see the aquarium par gratis, they were also eager to share and discuss the range of projects they had initiated at their individual schools with other students. There was a buzz in the room as the day began and as Daniel (the club coordinator) began to talk about the environment and people’s crucial part in it.
The great walking fish!
After Daniel wrapped up about Project 90 and the various renewable projects we are putting into action around the city, students were given a guided tour around and behind the scenes for the aquarium and were also left with free time to explore on their own. Which is awesome, when you realize that the Two Oceans Aqaurium holds over 3000 living sea animals, including sharks, stingrays, turtles, penguins, and a fish with legs (which I found the most enthralling! OMG it walks!!).
After the tour of the aquarium, the students, Project 90 staff, and others were once again pulled into the Aquarium conference room for the second half of the event. Which started with three students battling for prizes using only their sharp memories to recall facts about a range of renewable energy projects. Then we were all taken outside, where we learned more about the green initiatives that happened on site. In specific, Robert (a Project 90 engineer) gave us a detailed talk about the vertical wind turbines and solar panels at the Two Oceans Aquarium, which Project 90 helped put into place.
In all the day was a full and happy one that reminded me how important it the task is of involving youth in building their world. And I too was a happy camper since I got to explore the great Cape Town Aquarium with great people for a great cause.
For more news showing how “the kids are allright” check out: http://philanthropy.com/article/75-of-Young-Adults-Gave-to/132217/
And to check out more on how NGO’s are connecting to possible volunteers and more, check out: http://themillennialimpact.com/millennial-report/key-findings/
