Torquay pupils ask “why” to save the environment

TWO grade 3 pupils at Torquay College have asked a simple question as their possible solution to reduce marine plastic pollution as part of the Quiksilver Sustainability Challenge.

Boyd Studer and James Gray thought of all the rubbish they saw laying around their home towns of Torquay and Jan Juc, and wondered why people thought it was okay to spoil their natural environment in that way.

They did not know the answer to that question, but thought that maybe if they asked it, people would start to think about what they were doing.

The pair’s first job was to prepare the big signs asking the question “WHY”, while the second was to find public places where they could collect rubbish and to tie that rubbish to a fence, with their sign, so that people could see the problem and the question.

Unfortunately, it was not hard for the boys to find places with plenty of rubbish. They chose the area around the Elephant Walk playground in Torquay, the roundabout near Jan Juc Beach and Grossmans Road outside Torquay College.

They quickly collected all sorts of litter from both locations, with bottles, lid, cans, wrappers, coffee cups,and plastic bags being common.

The boys were surprised and disappointed in how easy it was to find so much litter in relatively small areas, but were proud to not only do the clean up of these areas, but also to try to make people aware and change behaviour.