BMW Ireland has lent its support to the environment-focused organisation VOICE - the Voice of Irish Concern for the Environment. The plan is for VOICE and BMW to bring a major litter-picking scheme to Irish primary schools.
Environmental stewardship
The Picker Pals initiative is designed to remove waste from local communities and foster 'environmental stewardship' and ideas of the circular economy in primary school children. It's hoped that the alliance with BMW will see an extra 12,000kg of litter removed from various towns and villages across the country.
The plan is for 2,400 children in 100 classrooms across the country to take part in what is hoped will be a 'fun, engaging and educational programme.' Each classroom will get a 'Picker Pack' which comes with resources for teachers to help them get the kids to engage.
The idea is that each child will get to take home the 'Picker Pack' every week and lead their family on a 'litter picking adventure' around the local community. The child then reports back to the classroom the following Monday morning, telling how much litter was collected. There's also a Picker Pals TV show and many online resources to get families to join in.
"It's not just about learning about litter. It's not just about becoming aware of litter. It's about actually getting out there and picking up litter. Picker Pals gets children onto the first rung of the environmental ladder. Thanks to BMW Ireland's generous corporate partnership, we will now be able to grow the programme significantly and reach more children and schools around the country," said Patrick Jackson, Picker Pals Founder.
A leader in sustainable business practices
Kevin Davidson, Managing Director, BMW Group Ireland, said, "We aim to be a leader in sustainable business practices, and this ambition reflects the work we are doing in all relevant aspects from our supply chain to the production of our cars and through to being a corporate citizen and doing good for our local community.
"This clever initiative motivates and equips children to understand the challenges we all face in our local environment on a daily basis. We are proud to support a programme that will foster greater environmental awareness and action in our children."
12,000kgs of litter
Picker Pals was conceived less than three years ago and has grown to include 1,060 schools and almost 1,300 classrooms all across the country (see map below). On any given weekend in Ireland, there could be over 1,000 children out litter-picking with their families and with BMW Ireland's support, an additional 12,000kgs of litter will be removed from communities. The programme's growth is set to continue throughout 2023 with support from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and local authorities. The programme is actively looking for more corporate partners.
Litter-picking has many benefits besides the impact on the local environment. "Litter-picking can have a really positive impact on our mental health and wellbeing, getting people out of the house, relieving stress and anxiety and giving a great sense of achievement and empowerment," said Picker Pals Project Manager Angela Kenny.