Shanghai – With the successful closing of the Expo 2010 Shanghai, public interest on what has happened to the pavilions has continued. Recently, YK Pao School has teamed up with green NGOs and Expo pavilions to launch the YK Pao Green School Showcase – EXPO Materials Re-use Project. Materials donated from a number of Expo pavilions will be re-used in YK Pao School’s new Secondary School boarding campus.
The Green School Showcase – EXPO Materials Re-use Project, an initiative by the YK Pao School, aims to recycle and re-use construction materials and furniture donated by pavilions in its new campus in order to promote education on sustainability. The idea for the project originated from John Timms, a student from China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), and quickly garnered support from several NGO’s and organizations such as Joint US-China Collaboration on Clean Energy (JUCCCE), Green Ideas Green Actions (GIGA), S.H.E Advisory (SHE), and Parsons Brinckerhoff.
Expo Pavilions that have agreed to donate materials include national, city and corporate pavilions: Cyprus, London ZED, Cisco, New Zealand, Swiss Cities, India Pondicherry, UK, Portugal and Alsace Pavilions. The Pavilions are generously donating a diverse range of materials that will be re-used across all areas of the campus’ construction. Everything from curtains, carpet tiles, neon lights to stainless steel railings, plate glass and sinks will begin a new chapter at YK Pao School.
“This is a wonderful way for our students to practice what they are learning about REUSE in our environmental curriculum; it is a very realistic application to everyday life. The success of Expo 2010 Shanghai is becoming more and more apparent, as the seeds of the Green Expo values have been planted in our hearts and grow a little bit every day,” says Mr. Philip Sohmen, Co-Founder and Deputy Chairman of Governors of YK Pao School.
According to the organizers’ update, over 300 items of 50 different types have been donated by participant pavilions. All of these materials will be removed, packed up, transported and then re-used in the construction and fit-out of the new campus. The sustainability spirit of Shanghai Expo 2010 will be seeded everywhere across the schools’ 40,000 square meters of space from classrooms to dormitories, library, offices and outdoor garden areas. Certain areas will specifically showcase Expo materials, leaving a lasting legacy of Expo 2010 and a physical demonstration of reuse in practice for students.