THE CHOICE IS YOURS, THE FUTURE IS OURS

As Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, within the scope of the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) on November 21–29, 2026, under the theme “Question Our Choices, Value Our Resources!”, a VR-supported interactive zero waste event titled “THE CHOICE IS YOURS, THE FUTURE IS OURS!” is planned to be organized to raise students’ awareness regarding the finite nature of natural resources, waste prevention, resource efficiency, and source separation of recyclable waste.

Within the scope of the event, in order to support the zero waste trainings—to be held on November 25–26 at Yeni Mahalle İmam Hatip Secondary School and Yeni Mahalle Primary and Secondary School in the Çayırova district—with innovative educational technologies alongside traditional teaching methods, an interactive film with a choice-based software plugin, viewable via virtual reality (VR) headsets produced by Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, will be utilized.

Through this interactive film focusing on waste in our daily lives, students will make choices regarding the proper sorting of the waste they encounter and experience the environmental impacts of their decisions. With this method, the aim is not only for students to acquire knowledge, but also to actively participate in decision-making processes, compare right and wrong practices, and grasp the importance of their everyday choices in conserving natural resources.

During the seminars, students will be informed about the limited nature of natural resources, conscious consumption, preventing wastefulness, reducing waste generation, reuse, and separate collection of recyclable waste at the source. Thus, the theoretical information conveyed is intended to be reinforced through visual and experiential learning methods.

Carried out in alignment with the European Week for Waste Reduction’s slogan, “Question Our Choices, Value Our Resources!”, the event is expected to contribute to students making more conscious choices in their daily lives and turning the zero waste approach into lasting behavior.