P4-P7 pupils in the Ross High School cluster have completed a six week programme designed to introduce pupils to the benefits and principles of the Circular Economy.
Pupils are asked to design a 'circular' product or service where everything has value, and nothing is wasted. They are then given the opportunity to present their ideas to a judging panel of experts.
Jennifer Lothian, East Lothian Council’s Sustainable Energy & Climate Change Officer, said: “The concept of a circular economy is to consider how to minimise waste, reduce pollution and reuse products or seek ways in which the life of products can be extended. The idea is to break the established way of creating products by ‘take, make and dispose’ methods of production and to consider ways in which we can conserve resources.
“During the programme the pupils were encouraged to develop ideas for a more sustainable world and have set up their own company to create a product or service which they then pitched to real life businesses at a ‘Dragon’s Den style event in the Challenge Final held at Sanderson’s Wynd Primary."
The winners were:
- Innovation Award - Ormiston Primary - ‘The Compostable Trio’
- Commercial Award-Elphinstone Primary - ‘Water Bottle Workers’
- Overall Business Idea- Ormiston Primary - ‘The Plastic Quitters’
Michelle Fenwick, Programme Director, DYW Edinburgh, Midlothian & East Lothian added: “The opportunity to work alongside real-life businesses who support the circular economy model is a vital part to the challenge. The key feedback from those who have been involved in the challenge to date is that pupils have developed enterprising and employability skills which will be of use to them in the future, no matter what path they take.”
The programme has been delivered in partnership between Young Enterprise Scotland and Developing the Young Workforce Edinburgh, Midlothian & East Lothian and the schools who took part were Humbie, Ormiston, Saltoun, Elphinstone and Sanderson's Wynd Primaries.