As a Global Green Grant recipient studying abroad at Temple Japan in the Spring 2024 semester, I was motivated to learn more about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, which were created to promote sustainability efforts and to shed light on climate change, and I wanted to explore and promote the SDGs within the Japanese school system. The Global Green Grant, which provides financial support for student-run sustainability projects while abroad, gave me the wonderful opportunity to create and host several workshops to help teach local schoolchildren about sustainability and how they can get involved. With the help of my mentor in Temple’s Education Abroad Office and the staff at Temple Japan, we were able to set up events at Seicho Special Education School and Showa Elementary School, which are both in Temple Japan’s neighborhood of Setagaya.
I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to communicate with the students due to the language barrier, since I would be presenting in English. However, the feelings of trepidation slowly melted away after meeting with the teachers and discussing lesson plans. The teachers were very supportive of the initiative and spoke about both the Japanese curriculum and Japan’s interaction with the SDGs. It was interesting to learn about how the concepts of reusing, reducing, and recycling differ between the U.S. and Japan, since there is a noticeable lack of public trashcans in Japan, but there is an additional cost for plastic bags, and trendy thrift shops can be easily found. These meetings helped me to plan out my cross cultural-initiative, and I decided to center my workshops around a presentation, a game of Kahoot, and a DIY pen case decorating activity. I used the presentation to teach students about how plastic is made and to have a discussion about sustainability. With the game of Kahoot, I wanted to incorporate an American spin into the workshop to show the children a popular piece of American school life, and I was happy to find that the Japanese students enjoyed the mini-quiz in the sustainability presentation as well! To incorporate the re-using aspect of sustainability, we decorated pencil cases made of recycled canvas to commemorate the workshop, which also allowed the students to bring home a souvenir to remind them about sustainability and the SDGs.
One of the main goals of the workshop was not to eliminate plastic from student consumption, but rather to encourage the students to be more cognizant of their plastic use and to and opt for greener alternatives when possible. Additionally, because these workshops were conducted in English, students were also able to practice their language skills, which made the events an opportunity to learn about each other’s culture and language through the bridge of sustainability. As a great example of this, here is one pencil case where a student illustrated the two mascots of Seicho’s Special Needs Elementary School and Temple University high-fiving!
Being able to connect with Japan through Temple’s language and cultural exchange opportunities was an outstanding experience during my time abroad. Learning from these children and their interests inspired me try new things that are unique to Japan, such as amazake (a fermented sweet rice drink) and oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl), which expanded my horizons beyond typical tourist spots and cuisine. This opportunity also helped shape my identity, by instilling a desire to learn more about sustainability not only abroad, but in America as well. As I reflect back on my semester abroad, I find myself embracing sustainability even more at home, such as by recycling more and using tote bags during my shopping trips. I’m also grateful for the confidence, skills, and contacts I built as a Global Green Grant recipient abroad. Overall, I am so thankful that I was able to go to Japan with Temple University, and for the memories, experiences, and opportunities studying abroad gave me in Tokyo. To Japan, friends new and old, family, advisors, and more, I would like to say ありがとうございました! (Thank you!)
