Children are young carefree and free to think and speak without the shackles of adulthood and all that comes with it. Often, you hear some of the most candid and simple explanations come out of their mouths. It is easy to sit and marvel at the clarity of thought that they can display in their reasoning, untainted from the burdens of adult thought process.

And so, some of the points put forward by young children during the Ekoskola parliamentary session perfectly echo the above.

Schoolchildren from 38 schools yesterday presented a motion in parliament seeking to improve their quality of life, especially in terms of environmental awareness and action. They also made another brazen call, which the general public would do well to emulate, in calling on the country’s leaders to take heed of their suggestions and support them by taking concrete action in their quest to better their quality of life in their respective school communities.

It is amazing that they can put it so simply. They argued for more awareness campaigns to promote cleaner energy methods while also pointing out that street lights should be placed further apart from each other as to reduce consumption and replaced with ‘intelligent’ lighting systems. Adults have put this suggestion forward, but it has always fallen on deaf ears. It is also a matter of worry to think that children can come up with such an obvious suggestion, yet it would never occur to most people.

Another student suggested that more recycling bins  be provided to schools while bring in sites should be made more accessible to persons with a disability by building ramps close to the sites, while another said that the government should reward those who are separating waste. Noble words indeed. And why not? Why should people not be given a reprieve for recycling waste? If one were to truly take stock of the situation, one might also suggest that there be a charge for rubbish collection. If people recycle, they should not have to pay it. It’s simple and it is a way forward. The money collected could be funneled into regenerating our environment, protecting it and recycling.

Noise pollution was another issue which was raised, including noise emitted from vehicles and swearing in public. We always say that it is the younger generation that shapes our future. But although we are moving ahead in terms of protecting the environment through awareness, we still lag behind, as does the rest of the world. Our resources are finite. The climate is changing and the seas are rising. Pollinators are being poisoned by pesticides and we are stretching everything to breaking point. It is time to listen to our children.