Global recycling day at Languages United

Did you know that Global Recycling Day is celebrated every year on March 18th? It’s a day dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of recycling and how small changes can make a big impact on our planet. At Languages United, we took this as an opportunity to tidy up, recycle, and rediscover hidden treasures!

Recycling revival at Languages United: tech treasures, origami penguins, and a digital comeback!

With Global Recycling Day just around the corner, we rolled up our sleeves and dived into a long-overdue tech and cable clearout—because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t have a mysterious box of tangled wires lurking somewhere?

Our sustainability champion, Dan Bryan, took charge, sorting through old cables and tech, working out what could be repurposed, and responsibly recycling the rest. It’s brilliant how much can accumulate over time, and we rarely take the time to sort through it! But amidst the old chargers and mystery wires, we stumbled upon a blast from the past—our little digital camera!

Once a staple on excursions with our group leaders, this trusty camera captured countless student adventures. And guess what? Digital cameras are back in trend! So, we’re dusting it off, giving it a full charge, and getting ready to snap some funky, nostalgic photos. Who needs a smartphone when you can bring back some classic point-and-shoot magic?

But our recycling efforts didn’t stop there. Our Enrolment Guru, Lily, had a fantastic idea to repurpose old maps that were destined for the bin. Instead of tossing them, she gathered us together for a fun origami session—creating an entire colony of adorable paper penguins! Since we’re a Quality English school, it seems only right that penguins should feel at home here. Did you know that a group of penguins can be called a colony, a huddle, or even—our favourite—a tuxedo? Our students loved learning this little fun fact while folding their penguins.

Now, our little tuxedoed friends will be decorating our classrooms, adding a quirky and creative touch to our school. Some students even took their paper penguins home as souvenirs, ready to teach their own families a thing or two about origami and upcycling.

And the creativity didn’t stop there! Over the weekend, we had a fantastic team-building workshop on making lampshades. The teacher brought in some beautiful fabric she no longer needed, and we got to work crafting gorgeous, unique lampshades. Didi, our student from China, was particularly successful—her lampshade looked absolutely fabulous! We also learned that we can use almost anything—paper, fabric, even old gin bottles—as lamp bases. When it comes to crafting, imagination is the only limit!

To round off our recycling efforts, our Director of Studies, Jayne Bowra, delivered a brilliant session on recycling and green issues at an online conference, sharing ideas with teachers from Croatia. It’s inspiring to see sustainability and language learning come together, sparking global conversations about how we can all contribute to a greener future.

This has been a wonderful reminder that recycling isn’t just about reducing waste—it’s about creativity, community, and giving things a second life. So, whether it’s rediscovering old tech, repurposing forgotten materials, or learning something new along the way, every small action counts.

Here’s to a more sustainable, creative, and penguin-filled future! ♻️🐧✨