The World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002: Reports from the Scottish Civic Delegation
Stephanie Wiseman, Age 11, Scottish Earth Champion, Lunnasting Primary School
Throughout the whole trip to Johannesburg the Earth Champions, Peter, Tim, Rhys and I, all met Tony Blair, Margaret Beckett, Jack McConnell, Robert Swan and Michael Meacher. We met Robert Swan at the Ubuntu Village where he gave a big speech about the "Mission Antarctica". We all found out that, a few years ago, he and some other people sailed over to Antarctica and cleared up all the rubbish and brought it back to the UK to be recycled. We also met Michael Meacher there. We interviewed him about what the government was doing about saving the planet. I asked him "what is the government doing about renewable energy in new houses?" I noticed that he didn't give me a straight answer and I never got a chance to ask again.
I think everything we saw was really interesting, especially the Water Dome which was all about different kinds of water pumps and ways for African people to get fresh, clean water to drink and wash themselves with. I liked the idea of the Hippo Project. It was a big tank that had a long handle so if a family needed some water that was quite a while away then, instead of the women and sometimes children carrying buckets on their heads, they would push the big tank along as if it were a pushchair. It carries up to about 90 litres of water in it. The best idea, I think, was the roundabout pump. Children sit on it and spin round like you would on a roundabout. At the same time, it pumps water up into a big water tower where it is stored until needed.
I hope that after the Summit, people throughout the world will have become more aware of environmental issues and start trying to help save the planet.
This is what I do to help make a difference:
I switch off any lights that aren't being used
I recycle everything that I can
I try to walk or cycle everywhere unless where I'm going is miles away
I don't litter
I've stopped most of my friends from littering
I take shorter showers than I used to because I figured out that it uses less water and less energy.
Anybody can use these ideas if they would also like to make a difference because every little thing helps.
My favourite experience was at the Eco School that Jack McConnell and I visited. The school had a massive garden with vegetables for making into school dinners, and plants for making into medicines. So if the children came to school ill and didn't have access to medical treatment at home, the school would be able to provide them with the correct medication. There were also flowers that the school could sell to local people to make a bit of money. They also recycled old tyres by making them into plant pots and hanging them outside. The people there were very friendly and laughed a lot. At the school, I got to experience my first African choir dance.
During my trip, I have learnt a lot about the ways of life in Africa. Like how the schools are different to ours. The fact that some people have to build their houses out of scraps of tin. And that families are so poor. In Soweto, which is a pretty modern and poor shanty town, a little boy came and begged me for 50 cents. I was pretty shocked by that.