Multiplication table on a nature trip, weighing waste food - the circular economy is a natural part of schoolchildren's everyday life

The fifth graders of Lasitehtaa school present their school's Viherveikot activities. The classes take part in it every other week during recess with the strength of four students by collecting garbage from around the school.

"The circular economy can be seen at school in that we take care of cleanliness together. Our class cleans in Viherveikkai about once a month. Sometimes we clean together with first-graders, who are always happy to join in," Jenna Himmelroos and Wilma Ritola say.

"Viherveikot is a really useful and nice activity. You can see well when the yard is cleaned," Hugo Esselström continues.

Their teacher, the principal of Glass Factory School Maija Kojo describes the circular economy in the school as everyday life like Viherveikki and practical environmental education for the students.

"In every case, we think about the most ecological option. It is also a circular economy, that textbooks are recycled from one class to another. In my class, we invest especially in nature education. Vitos has two hours a week of optional studies, and we have it with a large number of camping trips."

The circular economy is strongly linked to valuing nature. In the local nature, we learn camping skills together and observe the environment.

"The best thing about children is when we bike to the forest, study there and eat snacks. Disposable containers are not used, but everyone has their own mugs and drinking bottles with them."

Kojo praises the Epranoja nature reserve, which is a natural streamside grove on the headwaters of the Vantaanjoki. During May Day, the anemones and blue anemones bloom magnificently there.

"It's a great place where children can jump from rock to rock in rapids. We listen to the song of finches and deal with environmental issues. I've also taken a multiplication table test in nature! We hike litter-free, and after the hikes, the sites are left in a neat condition when we pick up other people's messes as well."

Near the school is Lasimetsä, an experimental area for the city's continuous education. Upon request, wood was left there after the forest work so that school children can build huts there.

"The importance of protecting the environment opens up through a personal relationship with nature. When students feel that the local nature is important, they want to protect it."

Nature education is an important part of circular economy education at Riihimäki. In order to make it as easy as possible to go to the nearby nature during the teaching holidays, circular economy managers have prepared a file for schools with tips for trips to 18 nearby nature sites in Riihimäki.

"The teachers share everyday wisdom with each other about what can be done at the destination and where, for example, to park bicycles."

Students evaluate food waste

The circular economy is one of the top projects of the city of Riihimäki, alongside robotics and theater arts, as the city's goal is to be emission-free and waste-free in 2030. The circular economy was already included in the school curriculum in 2019. Since then, all schools have had a teacher responsible for the circular economy. The circular economy education touches about 3 children and young people in Riihimäki every year, as well as their parents.

Riihimäki's circular economy teaching was awarded an honorable mention in the Municipalities' best circular economy actions competition in 2022.

"We definitely got the award last year thanks to the eco-audit, i.e. environmental review, organized in every school during the circular economy week. We are really proud of it. Each school carried out the environmental survey in a way that suited them. For example, we have two representatives from each class in the school's student council. They did an environmental survey in their own classes. The smallest representatives of the student union carried out the survey in their classes with the help of their teachers."

Circular economy acts were evaluated using a jointly prepared checklist, and it was considered whether the claims were realized. I turn off the water tap after washing my hands. I don't produce food waste. I can look for my own clothes in thrift stores. I know where I deliver bio, metal, glass and battery waste.

"We gave everyday examples to the little students, but more difficult ones to the middle schoolers. Together, we evaluate, for example, avoiding unnecessary consumption, the sustainability of purchases, the realization of sorting and the utilization of the local nature," says Kojo.

Last spring, during the audit, one of the students of Lasitehtaa school made an important observation that the foundry box is so high on the hat shelf that only an adult can reach it.

"Now it is so low that even a small child can reach it to touch it. There are so many bargains year after year! In the fall and spring, we have a foundry exhibition in the hall, where the classes visit with the teacher. Parents are also sent a message about the exhibition. The parents' association's Facebook pages sometimes have pictures of found items."

Glass factory school celebrates food waste week in the spring. Then the student council measures and weighs the amount of food waste.

"When the grams are converted into doses, the students can see how many doses went into bio-waste. The staff can buy leftover food."

Kojo summarizes the goal of the circular economy in the school is to save natural resources and use materials efficiently.

"We recommend sharing, renting and recycling instead of buying new stuff. In this way, the materials are not destroyed, but new products are created from them over and over again."

This is how the circular economy works in Riihimäki schools

• Circular economy managers at schools cooperate a lot and share practical tips with each other.
• The children of the Harjunrinne school tasted new types of sustainable school food, such as roach tortillas. Favorites were adapted into tasting portions for the whole school.
• At the southern school, children get to weigh the amount of food waste Four times a year, and the competition between classes is exciting.
• Water consumption can be made concrete with mathematics. It was a wild thing about the children that washing their hands saves 8 liters of water if the faucet is not running during the entire wash.
• Circular economy topics are taken from children's everyday life. With the students, we investigated how plastic consumption decreased when the school switched from butter sticks to boxes.
• Elementary school students got to know the operations of the Green Disposal company. They unpacked keyboards and electronic scrap and saw gold, tin and silver bars made from recycled materials.
• There are a lot of bargains. In some schools, locker guards check the hallways at the end of the day, there are clothing naming talks and swap markets, and videos of found items are sent to children's homes.
• The local waste company organizes a recycling-themed competition for fourth-graders, Kiertokapula's waste survivors.
• The teachers have developed a circular economy walk or cycle, where destinations on Riihimäki are, for example, recycling points, flea markets, the city depot and the library.

Reija Ypyä