Every beginning of the school year represents for us an opportunity to bring the message of selective collection and recycling closer to children and teenagers in Romania. For almost 12 years, “Baterel” is more than an ecological education program – a slow but sure step by which we participate directly in the change for the better. We can not talk about a better and cleaner future in the absence of young people who understand and apply the principles we need to evolve as a society: responsibility, respect, involvement. If those who represent the future – the children – do not learn from early ages essential notions about environmental protection, it will be more difficult to create that generation that we want and expect.
Baterel’s story begins in 2011 as a pilot project of raising awareness among students from dozens of schools. With each edition, the number of schools and students participating in the campaign has increased, so that, almost 10 years after its launch, the Baterel community counts over 175,000 students from 2500 schools, kindergartens and high schools across the country. In 2021 alone, we collected over 30 tons of electrical waste and used batteries from schools participating in the campaign.