ACS’s Ecology Club students decided to create a school wide celebration that the entire school could be involved in creating and participating in to honor International Mother Earth Day. The celebration also was one of the first of its kind for the city of Sofia, as it invited outside NGOs to come and share with students opportunities available in Bulgaria for service. Rather than simply focusing efforts on promoting recycling, which the Ecology Club already does on a school-wide basis, the students made a massive effort to demonstrate the importance of re-using as a fundamental method of reducing one’s carbon footprint. Months before the event the club created sub-committees focused on different areas of consumption and waste and each committee created ways to educate students about how they could cut down on buying and wasting. Here is a list of some of the larger committees and their projects:

Recycled Notebooks and Art Competition: All year teachers have been collecting one-sided used computer paper in their classrooms. This paper was then used to make spiral bound notebooks for students to use in class and they were sold at the Celebration as part of the fundraising. To get more students involved, however, there was a school wide cover design competition weeks before the event using cereal boxes, which then became the covers of the books. There were over 60 entries and the books raised over 200 leva for the Club, while also using paper from the classroom.

Book Swap: Students brought in Bulgarian and English books and received a coupon. On the day of the event they used their coupon to pick out different books, thus reducing the need to buy new books, which is often necessary given the limited English books available in the library. The Committee encouraged exchange as the first method of acquisition, rather than immediate;y buying new goods.

Gently Worn Clothing Sale: Students collected old clothes weeks before the Celebration and then sold the clothes for a minimal price. All unsold clothes were later donated to a charitable organization in need. Facts were on display revealing how much energy goes into new clothing, demonstrating another area for redistribution of goods rather than production.

Reusable shopping bags and travel coffee mug sale: using money earned from numerous bake sales throughout the year, the committee was able to sell cotton shopping bags with a student Eco design, along with travel coffee mugs. Students presented facts on plastic bags and paper coffee cups while raising money from the sales.

Trash Art: everything from bottle top earrings to wallets made out of milk cartons, this committee worked on creating amazing items to sale simply from Trash. Their endeavors also will continue at the school’s Arts Fest. The goods they used for making these items were collected from students throughout the entire school, getting everyone involved, and other clubs helped out, including the school’s Art Club and Jewelry Making Club.

Plant Sale: This committee started growing seeds in February in yogurt containers brought in by students. At the celebration they sold flowers, herbs, and even tomato plants.

 The committees combined sold over 1200 leva worth of goods, which they then plan to use towards the Ecology Club's brand new school compost, the ultimate recyling plant, unveiled at the Celebration!