Shane English School Shanghai Launches RE:FORM on Singles Day
Shane English School spreads awareness of one of China’s biggest waste and environmental problems to their students, teachers and parents by participating in Green Initiatives’ RE :FORM .
Green Initiatives launched RE:FORM in December 2016 to raise awareness on the growing textile consumption and waste issue, highlight the environmental impact of the textiles, and encourage conscious consumption. The program brings in logistics expert, Crown Relocations , and the prominent community service organization, Community Center Shanghai as collaborators.
Shane English School deliberately planned their project launch on 11 November 2017 to offset consumer overconsumption that happens in China each year as part of Singles Day (11.11). On November 11, a day to “celebrate” singlehood in China, massive amounts of goods of all kinds are purchased through online shopping channels. Very few people consider the environmental consequences of such habits – many do not even have any awareness that their actions are leading to waste or other adverse environmental conditions.
In 2017, $25 billion of goods were purchased within 24 hours, setting a new world record.
For this strong reason, Shane English decided to launch RE:FORM on 11.11, and they did so at their Qingpu school. The School wanted to bring to light the issue of overconsumption with their kids, parents, and the entire Shane English School community and be part of the solution. The project launch at Shane English School exemplifies RE:FORM ’s project goals, especially by promoting the three Rs: Reduce (buying), Reuse (as practicably possible), and Recycle (the last resort).
Staff and teachers organized various “do-it-yourself (DIY)” activities to show people how to upcycle clothing and household items and students and parents were encouraged to bring unwanted clothing in to reuse & recycle through RE:FORM.
Shane English School has over 300 schools worldwide with the first Shanghai location established in 2000, serving students between the ages of 3 and 18 with special courses specifically designed for adults. Students engage in fun activities that motivate them to learn and speak English. At Shane English School, the motto and philosophy, has always been ‘More Than English’.
Shane English School expressed, “We strive to teach our students morals and values, and as part of our ongoing Global Citizenship Program , we are proud to be working with Green Initiatives to launch RE:FORM in our Shanghai Qingpu School.”
China produces nearly 70,000 tons of textile waste per day, according to data from the China Association of Circular Economy . As per another report by Greenpeace , three fourths of the over 80 billion pieces of clothing items produced worldwide each year end up in landfills after only a few uses! RE:FORM was launched by Green Initiatives to raise awareness on this problem, encourage conscious consumption and bring in reuse and transparent recycling processes with respect to textiles.
For more information about RE:FORM visit www.greeninitiatives.cn/reform or write to info@greeninitiatives.cn
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