WaGIN is a project created to reduce the carbon emissions produced by TCS 8th Graders during their trip to La Guajira in  February.

Students are changing and modifying various aspects of the trip to ensure that their visit to La Guajira is cleaner and eco-friendly.

In order to limit the amount of waste, students will not consume water from plastic bottles. Instead, they will carry water jugs to fill their thermos containers. Most water will come from clean sources in La Guajira, however, students will also drink from lakes and streams. This water will be filtered with Life Straws; a type of portable water filter each student will carry.

“This straw was invented by an engineer and it basically filters water, making it sanitized instantly. The life cycle of this straw is of a year so our plan is to leave them there so that the Wayuu community can use it once we leave,” Luz Miryam Arango, WaGIN director said.

The systems of sanitary refill in La Guajira don’t function well. Meaning that trash is not able to decompose properly. Therefore, it is crucial to take the trash produced during the trip back to Medellín. Students will create eco-containers as they generate waste and bring them back as luggage.

“If we leave the trash there it would end up either in  the desert or in the sea, which is not ideal. We  also have an activity  planned in which students will clean up the beaches and deserts,” Arango said.

WaGIN is using media to show its social initiative to the world. It has active accounts in platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, where they post their ideas. Students are making a website in which they will be able to connect with people from all over the world.

“Our goal is for people to tell us new ideas to reduce the carbon footprint of the trip through the website,” Santiago Restrepo, WaGIN member said.

The team, which primarily consists of middle school students, meets up on a weekly basis to discuss ideas for the project. At the beginning of the year, the team came together with high schoolers to discuss the major contaminating factors of the trip.

“That gave us a foundation to start working for solutions regarding the problems that they encountered before,” Restrepo said.

The project seems to be very popular among eighth graders. They are willing to make an effort in order to reduce the carbon footprint of the trip.

“It will help us demonstrate that our school has good intentions and step by step make the world a better place,” Martín Rico, Eighth grade student said.

Luz Miryam, WaGIN director has shown her visible happiness and gratitude towards The Columbus School for allowing her to develop this project.

“I feel like I am transforming students minds. We are getting places, we are making sustainable ideas and most of it is coming from the students. It is an incredible feeling, am truly happy and privileged by teaching what I like,” Arango said.