On May 24, 2025, a committed group of students from our school took a hands-on approach to environmental conservation by organizing a cleanup event at Kasai Rinkai Park, one of Tokyo’s largest waterfront parks. This meaningful activity was led by Earth Keepers, a student-initiated group of three DP1 students—Olivia Lily Swarts, Serina Kondo, and Ryo Takagi—who formed the group as part of their CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) project. Their mission is simple yet powerful: to inspire peers to become active stewards of the Earth through direct action and awareness.

The cleanup saw the participation of four enthusiastic Grade 9 students—Mohishka Dossii, Mihika Bhalerao, Saradha Radhakrishnan, and Akshath Anoop Babu—alongside teacher Ms. Nisha S. Raj, who supported the activity on the ground. The event began with a short briefing where Earth Keepers explained the purpose of the cleanup, safety precautions, and how to identify and sort waste. Equipped with gloves and trash bags, the team spent two hours combing the park for litter, showing tremendous teamwork and dedication.

By the end of the session, participants had collected five full bags of trash, including plastic bottles, cigarette butts, glass shards, plastic bags, food packaging, and even microplastics hidden in the park’s natural surroundings. While no external organization was involved, the initiative demonstrated the capability and initiative of student-led projects in driving sustainability efforts from the ground up.

This cleanup effort aligns with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – by maintaining clean, safe, and inclusive public spaces.

• SDG 14: Life Below Water – as removing plastic waste from parks near coastal areas prevents it from reaching rivers and oceans, thus protecting marine ecosystems.

Beyond the cleanup, Earth Keepers are already planning follow-up outreach activities to share their learnings with the school community and encourage broader student participation. These may include awareness sessions, visual storytelling, or student-led campaigns on waste reduction and responsible consumption.

This project not only created immediate impact by restoring a beloved public space but also offered an experiential learning opportunity that reinforced key sustainability values. It empowered students to take ownership of environmental problems and demonstrated how local action can contribute meaningfully to global solutions.