Last semester, the Student Council Green & CARE Committee invited the wider community to donate their old, worn-out shoes.
Many of these shoes had outlived their purpose but that did not mean they had to end up in the trash. Thanks to the Student Council’s participation in the “Old Shoes, New Future” campaign, many of these shoes could be put to a great use!
Wondering what became of them? Katharina Pfaff, the Head of the Green & CARE committee, who also headed this project will tell you all about it.
Tell us a bit about yourself!
My name is Katharina Pfaff and I am in Grade 11. This is my first year in the Student Council and currently, I am the Head of the Green & CARE committee!
Can you tell us about the shoe collection initiative? What is it for? Who does it benefit?
The shoe collection project started from a campaign – “Old Shoes, New Future” – initiated by Sport Singapore and Dow, a materials science company. The gist of the initiative is to use old sports shoes that are torn or beyond use and produce rubber granules from their soles using a grinding process.
The rubber granules are then used to build jogging tracks, fitness corners and playgrounds around Singapore.
GESS’ participation in this project involved the collection of used shoes. We really wanted to support this campaign that promotes a sustainable way of living by recycling old shoes.
What motivated the Student Council to take on this project?
We heard about this project from our principal Mr Martin who brought it up to the Student Council. As our committee is always searching for new ways to create a more sustainable environment it was not a tough decision for us to take on this project. The whole Student Council was eager to help and as we are the Green & CARE committee, we decided it would be fitting for us to take this on.
How has the experience of collecting the shoes been? What were some challenges you faced and how did you overcome the challenges?
The collection went very smoothly. We did not, however, expect to collect so many shoes and therefore, struggled a little with the storage and delivery. Luckily for us though, we could contact the organiser and they were willing to pick up the shoes from us. That worked out successfully.
What has been the response from the students? What will happen to the shoes next?
Students reacted very positively – many were eager to bring their old shoes to school and contribute them towards this project.
The shoes will now be brought to a grinding facility where the soles will be used to produce rubber granules which will then be used to build playgrounds and running tracks.
Any parting words or thoughts?
We would like to thank everyone who participated in this event. We could not have thought of a better outcome and we are excited to see the playgrounds and running tracks which will be made out of your shoes!
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After the successful collection drive, GESS had the change to host Dow Country Manager, Paul Fong, who was one of the masterminds behind the nationwide project. Paul met Katharina and Otis from the Student Council to personally share his vision behind the “Old Shoe, New Future” campaign. We were delighted to be able to make this happen for the students and elevate their entire experience of participating in this drive!
