Hands-on learning isn’t just for subjects like sewing or painting. It is also a useful part of sustainability education. Through being hands-on, people carry out physical activities instead of listening to a lecture. They can gain a good understanding of sustainability concepts by ‘doing’ and ‘experimenting’. This is why the Campus Sustainability Office arranged some interesting hands-on workshops during the PolyU Campus Sustainability Weeks in March 2019.
On 8 March, participants who were PolyU students and staff gathered at the FJ Podium Wing for an inspiring experience of sea glass waste to accessories upcycling workshop. They got to know the story behind glass waste found in the seas of Hong Kong. They also made their accessories by drawing on the glass pieces with their own hands. On 12 March, another group of staff and students showed up in the snack bag to coin purse upcycling workshop. They were given the opportunity to upcycle and reuse snack wrappers, and also a lesson on how to turn unwanted materials such as snack wrappers into something useful instead of getting them to the waste bin. On 13 March, the used car tire to luggage tag upcycling workshop welcomed our staff and students with sustainability concepts and a hands-on lesson to produce individualized luggage tags.
These workshops were engaging and fun-filled. They encouraged all participating students and staff members to experience unbounded creativity and learning of sustainability concepts outside classrooms and offices. These workshops will then bring up a process of reflection as the participants were willingly motivated to review their daily habits and their attitudes towards the reuse of resources and sustainable ways of living. Apart from bringing home the handcrafted items, the participants also gained a unique lesson on treasuring all the resources around us.
