II. osnovna škola Čakovec sudjelovala je na natječaju 2013 International Schools Essay Competition and Debate.

Cilj ovog međunarodnog natječaja pod motom Who is responsible… are we ready to responsibility for the future of our planet?  bio je potaknuti djecu da u obliku eseja na engleskom jeziku izraze svoja stajališta o pravima i odgovornostima ljudi širom svijeta u stvaranju održive budućnosti.

Eseje za ovaj vrijedan natječaj su vrlo uspješno napisale učenice 8.a razreda Antonija Mrla, Mirna Došen, Klara Jurišić i Dina Posedi uz mentorstvo učiteljice engleskog jezika Branke Lamza, a na poticaj učiteljice Marte Novak, voditeljice eko grupe „Sunce“ i pokretačice projekta Međunarodne eko škole u našoj školi.

Pobjednici su proglašeni na dvije svečanosti 27. lipnja u centru The Living Rainforest u Londonu i 1. srpnja 2013. u botaničkom vrtu Victoria na Sejšelima. U konkurenciji 831 eseja iz 65 zemalja među esejima nagrađenima priznanjem kao jedini iz Hrvatske našao se i rad naše učenice Antonije Mrla.

Čestitamo Antoniji!

HEAL THE PLANET – HEAL THE PEOPLE

            Nowadays the rising topics on the news are the global warming and the environmental issues.  Ecologists are trying to make people aware of the big problem whose aftermath could affect us all.

            The problem is big: rivers are full of litter, the Amazon rainforest is being disrupted due to the uncontrolled logging, floods are everywhere, and the climate change is worrying. Besides, the number of endangered species has been increasing.

            On the other hand, factories were there before and the pollution problem was as big as it is now, maybe even worse because people didn't know anything about it.  So, thirty years ago nobody knew about the global warming, and today, trees are here, as well as drinkable water, but not for long. The time is limited.

            The most important thing that must not be forgotten is:  each of us can participate in saving our planet. Whether by throwing garbage on the right places, recycling or giving advice to uninformed people, the change will be noticeable.

            Personally, I think that if people are united, they can do anything together - and that is the greatest power the humanity has. But we have to help heal people too. Because, if we heal our planet, and not the people, what's the point of it if there won't be anybody to enjoy love and peace on it?

Antonija Mrla

Who is responsible…are we ready to take responsibility for the future of our planet?

            The problem in the whole world is that too much people actually don't care about Earth. People just do things that are not good for our planet: they throw garbage on meadows, they cut trees… The ozone layer is damaged because of the pollution. The point is that we must save our planet before of its total destruction.

            Today everyone is talking about the global warming.  Global warming is the name for increased of the average temperature of Earth and the oceans. The cause of the global warming is increased amount of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. That causes melting glaciers and rises in the sea ​​level. The surface of the glaciers is getting smaller and this is worrying.

             This is really important problem for all of us because we live on Earth and our aim should be to protect Earth of bad things. Each of us can do something, for example we can save drinking water while we brush our teeth. Furthermore, we can ride bicycles instead of using cars and the factories should use the environment-friendly technology.

               My opinion is that we can still save our planet but we must take this problem seriously. Maybe it seems pointless trying something as an individual but usually little things can make a difference. The most important thing is that each of us starts doing something right now - at his own home, in his own garden.

Dina Posedi

EVERY LITTLE THING CAN HELP

              Global warming is a significant problem on Earth. It is manifested as a rise in the average temperature on our planet. It's affecting people, animals and plants. More and more people are becoming aware of the pollution and are trying to warn others.

              It is mostly caused by factories, electrical pollution and people. Ice caps are disappearing and the water level is rising.  We pollute the air by watching TV, turning on the light, using a hair dryer, playing video games… All of it affects the environment and we are mostly not aware of it.

              Global warming is linked to acid rain.  We know acid rain is very dangerous.  It destroys everything it touches. Global warming is one of the causes of forest fires, because global warming makes Earth very hot. Beside the fires, people are endangering Earth as much as everything else by throwing garbage in the rivers and other areas of vital importance for the lives of plants, animals and us – humans.

              Oceans are endangered too. Warm water harms and kills the algae in the ocean. And algae are the food for most creatures in the ocean. Fewer algae mean less food for us and many animals in the sea. It could be a break in the food chain.

               I personally think that this is a serious problem. It's not that big of a problem now but imagine people in 50 years. What will their lives be like? We can make it better for them, and us. In conclusion, we can help. Turning off the lights for a couple of hours, throwing the litter in the trash can not the grass, driving a bike to school or carpooling.  Instead of watching TV and playing computer games we can go and play outside. Every little thing can help, everyone can help.

Mirna Došen

«Earth does not belong to man, man belongs to Earth.»

              The human kind rapidly progresses in many fields of science and technology: information technology, medicine, food industry. Many factories which produce chemical compounds and technological aids in order to speed the rapid progress discharge chemical waste in the atmosphere, water and ground, which affects the global warming of our planet.

              It causes rapid melting of the ice shelves of both of Earth's poles and rises of the level and the temperature of the oceans. All that can have an unfavourable effect on the balance of the eco-system of the planet. How to enable the technological progress of the man, who needs technological progress for an easier and a healthier life, without permanently endangering the health of the planet he lives on?

              This is an important question which should preoccupy all the people, countries and governments of the world, but also every individual.  A person needs to be aware of it and try to change one's way of living in favour of the health of the planet on which we all live on, which means the health and safety of the lives of all people.

              Likewise, each one of us should be aware of how our way of life affects global warming. We can contribute to reduction of global warming by replacing regular bulbs with LED bulbs,  setting isolation indoors in order to reduce the amount of energy requirements for heating and cooling, avoid driving a car, recycling and other similar small, but important things.

             Chief Seattle said: «Earth does not belong to man, man belongs to Earth.» Taking this into account, we - the people need to comprehend that we aren't the only kind that lives on Earth, but that we're the only ones who are able to change something and correct our mistakes. Our relationship with nature affects its survival and the survival of all living beings on Earth. It's time for us to change our way of thinking, way of thinking and the attitude towards life and Earth that was given to us.

Klara Jurišić