MINA concludes conservation program with student presentations

Reporter

From left, Dandan Middle School students Althea Sogurilon, Ezdiane Jacolbe and John Alberto display recycled products they made with plastics collected at their school. DMS has a 3-in-1 recycling machine which allows users to create the bowls and rulers pictured below. The clock was created with a custom mold fabricated by students.

Saipan International School students discuss their research findings during a Schools for Environmental Conservation presentation on Friday.

THREE private middle schools and one public middle school presented the environmental activities they accomplished under the Schools for Environmental Conservation or SFEC program on Friday, June 2.

SFEC is a longtime program under the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance or MINA.

The participating schools were Mount Carmel School, Saipan International School, Saipan Community School, and Dandan Middle School. Students made their presentation before MINA staff, board members, partners and their teachers at the Pacific Islands Club.

MINA Project Manager Jolly Ann Cruz said throughout the school year, her organization partnered with the schools to address a locally relevant environmental issue. This year's theme was "Learning About, Interacting With, and Actively Addressing Plastic Pollution in the CNMI."

DMS students presented a range of activities, with one of them being the recycled products they were able to make from plastic materials collected on their campus.

James Montenegro, advisor of the DMS Student Environmental Alliance, said his students used a panini press and toaster oven in conjunction with a student-made plastic mold to create a clock and restroom passes.

They also used the 3-in-1 Upcycling Machine provided by MINA to create bowls and rulers.

According to Variety files, the 3-in-1 Upcycling Machine has three components: a shredder, an injection component, and an extruder. The plastic goes into the shredder, and then is melted either in the injection component, or in the extruder, depending on the intended final product. The plastic can be shaped in a mold attached to the injection component or assembled into a new product as it comes out of the extruder.

For their part, the SIS students conducted research that showed middle and high school students utilizing up to 71 pounds of plastic in one week, which will eventually be discarded into a landfill.

Their research led them to seek reusable plastic food trays to reduce the schools’ reliance on single use plastic for food service. They said this project is ongoing because they have to first find food trays that meet portion guidelines.

As for the SCS students, they hosted a hydroflask drive and a beach cleanup while gaining experience with the use of the 3-in-1 recycling machine.

MCS students said they "upcycled" various plastic products into pencil holders and created environmental awareness posters for display around campus.

Reporter

Andrew Roberto was raised his whole life on Saipan. He graduated from Saipan Southern High School, holds a degree from Northern Marianas College, and a BA in English from the University of Guam. He once worked for KUAM, UNO Magazine, and the Guam Daily Post.

(This is not a scientific poll.)

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