Page 27 - CKA 2025 Yearbook Final Edition

A CRISIS IN PLAIN SIGHT

With an ever-increasing and burgeoning population, an inevitable crisis looms large beyond
our backyard. Every day, tons of waste—especially plastic waste—are dumped into landfills,
waterways, and even the open environment. These materials do not just disappear. Plastic
can take hundreds of years to degrade, and even then, it breaks into micro plastics that
contaminate our soil, poison our water, and infiltrate our food chain. Is this not a risk enough
poking us in the face?
Over 8 million tons of plastic enter the oceans every year. Marine life—from tiny plankton to
whales—is dying from plastic ingestion or entanglement. Plastics leach toxic chemicals into
the environment, harming plants, animals, and even humans. And it is not just nature that
pays the price. Waste pollution leads to clogged drains, contributing to urban flooding, open
burning of waste, releasing toxic fumes that worsen respiratory diseases, and unsightly and
unsanitary public spaces that reduce the quality of life.
Why do we need real solutions now than ever before? Are contemporary solutions not
enough? We are standing at a tipping point if current trends continue. There could be more
plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050. This is not just an environmental issue—it's a health
issue, more than a threat, an economic issue, and a justice issue. The strongest barriers we
thus face here, are the bricks of our own making.
More than ever before, we need:
- sustainable innovation that transforms waste into resources.
- public awareness that drives behavioral change
- policy shifts that prioritize circular economies and ban harmful practices
And most importantly, we need education and youth engagement—which brings us back to
your students' incredible efforts.
Student Changemakers: Waste Warriors in the Making
Our students are not waiting for the future—they’re building it. The students participated in
an innovative challenge -the CONRAD challenge. They tackled some of the biggest challenges
concerning key areas in human endeavors and waste-related challenges were confronted
with bold ideas. A team of four reinvented rotating solar panels to generate more power,
reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Another team decided to turn Styrofoam and sawdust—two
major waste streams—into eco-friendly tiles for construction. The last team was keen on food
security and innovative agriculture. They developed yam seeds from yam vines, turning the
regular leafy vines into seed-producing resources, minimizing food waste.
Further on that, some young enthusiasts, our students made a trip to a tyre recycling factory
which exposed them to a powerful truth: waste is not the end of a product’s life—it can be the
beginning of a new one.
These experiences did not just teach them science; they sparked a fire. And that fire, if fanned
across classrooms and communities, can ignite a revolution in how we see and solve waste
challenges.
The planet needs innovators, dreamers, and doers. Through experimentation and exposure,
we are inspiring creativity, leadership, and the development of solution-based thinking— we
are planting the seeds of a cleaner, smarter, more sustainable world. Waste is not just a
problem to be managed. It’s a challenge to be conquered—with knowledge, creativity, and
relentless hope.
See a waste, see a way!

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Mr. Uchenna John Educator