On March 18, UWC Changshu organized a vibrant array of activities centered around this year's Earth Day theme, "Our Power, Our Planet." 

The event featured over 20 engaging workshops, 5 outdoor excursions, the Kuncheng Spark Expo, the Peace and Sustainability Conference, and the Spring Sonic Band Night. 

During the outdoor activities, students immersed themselves in nature while actively contributing to environmental conservation. 

They hiked along the Yushan trail, collecting litter along the way; kayaked across Kuncheng Lake to retrieve floating waste; visited wetland parks to observe birds and build nests; and explored eco-farms to learn about sustainable agricultural practices.

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Interdisciplinary Innovation: Igniting Creative Practices 

20+ Workshops: 

Exploring Sustainability from Multiple Perspectives 

Students combined their academic knowledge with personal passions to reimagine waste as a valuable resource. The workshops blended art, ecology, data science, and design thinking through hands-on projects, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Most of the workshops were led by students. They identified local environmental challenges, brainstormed innovative solutions, and engaged the community to integrate sustainable thinking into daily life. 

Workshop

Transforming Waste Glass into Wearable Jewelry

Glass shatters, lace frays, and the fabric wears thin. These materials, fragile and ephemeral, are often discarded once broken or worn. But in the workshop titled "Enamel Jewelry Crafted with Self-Extracted Pigments and Frayed Lace," participants learned to grind and crush discarded glass and ceramics into enamel pigments. These pigments were then combined with textile stencils to create enamel samples. Participants further embellished the samples with embroidery and stitching to craft wearable jewelry—such as earrings, rings, and necklaces—as well as practical items like coasters.

Julia, a DP2 student and the organizer of the workshop, shared, "This workshop is, at its core, reflects on the fragility of materials and the hidden power within that fragility. My experience working with diverse materials, from metal to textiles, has taught me that vulnerability is not a weakness but a strength to be embraced. I don't view Earth Day merely as an opportunity for recycling or reusing. It also invites a shift in our perspective—a move from an anthropocentric mindset to focusing on the world around us. It’s also a rare privilege to have my jewelry teachers visit our school for this workshop, allowing them to share their expertise and enrich this exploration." 

Workshop

Upcycle Your Wardrobe 

FP student Nicole regularly participates in campus performances and frequently uses theater dressing rooms. She has observed that many performance costumes are non-reusable. Her discussions on "consumerism" with her classmate Alice and her supervisor Nik in her "Future Foresight" class, combined with her passion for DIY and fashion design, inspired them to organize an "Upcycle Your Wardrobe" workshop. 

During the event, Nicole showcased various clothing upcycling ideas through diagrams and instructional videos, demonstrating how to transform old garments into scrunchies or small storage pouches. Participants could freely choose fabrics for repurposing. To cater to diverse interests, Nicole guided attendees in creating apple-shaped keychains, canvas tote bags, and even modifying jacket sleeves. She explained, "Our goal is to ignite creativity and highlight the impact of sustainable fashion, encouraging everyone to reduce waste and combat overconsumption." 

▲The workshop focused on teaching "CAD modeling and 3D printing", 

guiding participants to learn practical skills 

and explore ways to reuse broken items.

▲The creation of eco-friendly floating islands 

with reeds was launched in the lake, 

fostering wildlife habitats.

▲Creating simple, durable mosaic artworks 

from ceramic/glass pieces.

In addition to hands-on projects, other workshops delved into AI driven environmental data analysis to develop optimization strategies, examined the impact of soil health on food security, and focused on identifying manipulative tactics in advertising campaigns employed by "- friendly" companies. 

The event featured over 20 workshops and provided a wide range of opportunities for the community to learn about, understand, and engage with sustainability practices. 

Kuncheng Spark Expo: 

From Ideas to Prototypes 

Since December, Design Technology teacher Pranjal’s Kuncheng Spark initiative has inspired students to develop innovative solutions to real-world challenges. 

11 teams showcased their prototypes across a variety of fields, including AI technology for detecting forest fires, upcycled 3D printing filament made from PET bottles, a customizable portable water filter, bioremediation of toxic pesticides, a modular satellite deployment system, an anti-addiction app, and umbrellas designed for people with disabilities. 

Workshop

PET Bottle Recycling System

DP1 student Gary led the project focused on transforming PET bottles into 3D printing materials. As the student leader of "Robotics" Zhi Xing, his passion for design and engineering motivated him to reference online research and open-source projects to create a PET plastic bottle recycling system. This system aims to enhance the hands-on skills of novice members of the "Robotics" Zhi Xing while tackling the plastic waste issue in his hometown of East Timor. Due to poor water quality, East Timor relies heavily on plastic bottles for drinking water and lacks industrial recycling capabilities, resulting in significant plastic pollution. 

"The core functionality works, but automation needs improvement," Gary said. "Judges and mentors from various industries provided important help and valuable feedback. The materials, designs, and insights gained from this project can be applied to future initiatives within Robotics Zhi Xing. 

This experience has empowered me to turn my passion for design and engineering into meaningful action and reinforced my commitment to tackling real-world challenges like plastic pollution."

Peace and Sustainability Conference

The Peace Council and Sustainability Council, two Zhi Xing teams at UWC Changshu, jointly initiated the "In Synergy: Youth for Peace & Sustainability Conference," which attracted more than 20 students from CWA school, Duke Kunshan University, and Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. The conference focused on the critical global issue of climate migration and its intersection with peace and sustainability. 

The conference featured inspiring speakers who shared their experiences and expertise. Jordan Hattar, a refugee rights activist with experience in conflict zones such as South Sudan and Syria, is a co-founder of Help4Refugees.org. His humanitarian work has extended to Turkey and Egypt. He shared personal stories from his field experience, emphasizing the resilience of displaced people and the need for international solidarity. 

Mohamed, a Sudanese student at UWC Changshu, co-founded a non-governmental organization aimed at providing quality education for refugee students in Egypt. His team received a USD 2,000 "GoMakeADifference" grant for the "UWC STEM for Peace" project. His vision of using education to foster peace inspired those in attendance. 

Chloé ten Brink, a 2019 alumna of UWC Changshu and a program coordinator at the Beyond Climate Collaborative. With a background in disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, she discussed topics such as climate stressors in Kiribati and the lack of legal protections for climate migrants. She emphasized the importance of anticipatory planning and international cooperation to mitigate climate migration.