Winter Edition 2019/2020
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Hullarious Winter Edition 2019/2020 Hullarious Winter Edition 2019/2020 “There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” ― Aldous Huxley -Jessica Bernatschek, editor -Brenda Greene, layout and design Hullarious Contents Winter 2019/2020 ‘Taking Responsibility’ by Caroline Plichta Page 3 ‘Environmental Series 2’ by Gina Landtwing Page 4 ‘Wildemann Foundation’ by Vinvent Lujic Page 7 ‘My Afternoon with the Video Club’ by Robin Widmer Page 9 Mathematics Department Visit to the ETH Page 10 ‘Model United Nations’ by Lisa Beissner and Ben Stephenson Page 11 Physics Swiss Olympiad at Hull’s School Page 13 ‘My Experience with the Physics Olympiad’ by Anastasia Sandamirskaya Page 14 ‘Dance in Heaven’ by Gergö Farkas Page 15 ‘Joining as a new student in EC3’ by Selina Roberts Page 17 LGT - Emilia von Albertini Page 18 ‘How attending Hull’s laid the foundation for my becoming a tutor at HSG’ by Dimitry Parisi Page 23 Red Cross Food Drive Project Page 24 ‘Gap Years and Hong Kong’ by Max Behrend Page 25 Former Hull's School Student- Roger Weishaupt Page 28 Interview with Ms. Graham by Cedrik Schwegler Page 30 Interview with Ms. Tucker by Gina Landtwing Page 31 Interview with Ms. Wagner by Robin Widmer Page 33 ‘Huxley Collection’ by Robin Hull Page 35 School Events Page 37 2 Hullarious Winter 2019/2020 By Caroline Plichta EC3 Taking Responsibility If people want to believe it or not, Climate change is a sad reality. We climate change is happening. As we are need to keep doing our best by the next generation, we have to care choosing our actions carefully. Since even if other people won’t. We decided we live in a country where our voice to make a step into the right direction matters, we have the power to pursue by compensating for our World change. So let’s start making a change Challenge India trip. now before it Is too late. Check out www.myclimate.org In February, 15 Hull's School students, accompanied by Mrs. Bernatschek and Dr. Crofts, will have a two-week Indian Adventure. It includes a five- day trek and a week of charity work in a local community. As flying across the globe produces 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person, we decided to compensate our CO2 emissions through the organisation Myclimate. Myclimate is a non-profit organization that aims at lowering CO2 emissions worldwide. They support projects that use renewable energy and cut methane emissions, as well as forest initiatives that reduce the pressure on forests and biodiversity «hot spots». Climate protection projects result in lower CO2 emissions whilst contributing significantly to sustainable development in the region. 3 Hullarious Winter 2019/2020 By Gina Landtwing Environmental Series 2; EC3 Mindful Consumption and the Danger of Fast Fashion “The clothing industry is the second largest polluter in the world ... second only to oil,"…“It's a really nasty business ... it's a mess." Those were the words of Eileen Fisher back in early 2015. What might seem like a hyperbolic statement, describes the cruel industry of manufacturing clothes quite accurately, however. And she should know; Fisher herself is a clothing industry magnate. Not only is the fashion carbon footprint crippling; aside from obvious pollutants such as pesticides used in cotton agriculture, toxic dyes used in manufacturing and the insurmountable waste discarded clothes create- the excessive amount of natural resources used in extraction, farming, harvesting, processing, manufacturing, and shipping all add up to the harmful consequences of the typical garment you purchased last week. But also, the detrimental repercussions of fast fashion have to be considered here. Fast fashion is a term defined by investopedia as ‘clothing designs that move quickly from the catwalk to stores to meet new trends. The collections are based on designs presented at Fashion Week events and allows mainstream consumers to purchase trendy clothing at a cheap price’. It is cheap, trendy clothing that quickly goes out of style. Most fashion retailers introduce new fashion items multiple times in a week in order to stay on trend. This established a disposable relation to our clothes; we don’t really value our clothing anymore as we are constantly bombarded with new, enchanting garments that allure us to think we would be better off with them. Truth told, and thanks to Mr. Tuohy who gave the concept already known to me a name, I’ve found economic data that refutes this concept. The Law of Diminishing Utility states that as you as consumer purchase yet another ruffled silken velvet laced dress, your satisfaction or extra happiness gained from your purchase, even if you got it for a sweet deal of 10 CHF, declines. On top of all the negatives highlighted above, is the fact that due to this tremendous consumer craze, previous legitimate brands that produced their clothing domestically now too adapt to the fast-paced production level. Domestic production not only bears lower transport emission advantages and circular economy benefits, but also the labour used to produce the garment is usually treated far more ethically and the quality of the product is thus more precious than in a busy factory mass-production. This is the reason why almost every tag now carries the ‘made in China’ inscription, contrary to previous ‘made in Italy’ signs, for example. The acceleration with which the brands want to see their output being generated links to the problematic situation of sweatshops and child labour as a result. 4 Hullarious Winter 2019/2020 A sweatshop is a factory or workshop, especially in the clothing industry, where manual labour is employed at very low wages for long hours and poor conditions. In order to maximise innovation and output the workers lose out, which more often than not meet the standard of human exploitation. With regard to child labour, according to the World Health Organisation approximately 90% of children working in tanneries of Bangladesh die before they reach the age of 50. The infants, often not older than nine years, are exposed to hazardous chemicals daily in order to produce leather which is in demand in Europe and the US. As a consequence, the workers suffer chronic skin and lung diseases. And what is most tragic about the already sad truth; most of the labour does not have access to a hospital- they live in the same slums where they work and hospitals are not part of the infrastructure. In light of the bitter facts above, the second part of this article is aimed at providing you with alternatives to the insurmountable peril of fast fashion. There are many ways how you are able to design your wardrobe more sustainably which means you may choose the option that fits your lifestyle- as not everyone is made for a minimalistic capsule wardrobe. 1. Get Thrifty By that I don’t mean to watch your money in a persnickity manner and stop purchasing anything until you must buy a new item - which do not get me wrong is in fact the most sustainable way to consume- but rather get thriftING. By opting to wear clothes that already have been created and worn on this planet, you not only save the garment out of the waste stream, but also show those ignorant multinational corporations, such as H&M, explain that you do not demand their cheap, unethical stuff. There are many forms how you can thrift; at flea markets, thrift stores or even hand- me- downs are a fun way to give existing clothing a new purpose. The bonus being that you don’t have to adapt to commercial trends which makes you stand out of the crowd AND gives you that wonderful touch of self- fulfilment. If you struggle to find inspiration apps such as Depop, Etsy or Bunz are a fun way to find clothing online. My number one recommendation if you not yet have fallen in love with thrift-shop shopping; the amazing Greek youtuber Kristen Leo- she takes second hand fashion to a whole new level- which will leave you in awe of creating dashing re-worn outfit styles. 2. Sustainable Brands Truth told, thrifting is not for everybody. You may feel weird wearing other people’s clothes and fear germs polluting your body. Which, in fact, is ironic as producing a new piece of clothing will involve so many chemicals and pesticides that the garment will be COVERED in tiny microorganisms we more often than not can’t even pronounce the name of correctly. However, there are an increasing number of Eco- brands cropping up not only in the world but also in Zurich alone. Just wander outside and there is a store right next to school at Falkenstrasse… (on the way to our Seehofstrasse building). These brands, depending on their values and standards, pledge to produce their products more sustainably by ensuring fair living wages, using only vegan materials and or upcycle plastic bottles for fabric production. My absolute fave here being the Canadian brand MAT and NAT that offer the most beautiful accumulation of purses, bags, shoes etc. made from vegan leather. The vegan leather used, being generated from recycled plastic bottles. 5 Hullarious Winter 2019/2020 3. Social Media The last suggestion does not perse take reference to an alternative how to buy more consciously, but rather focuses on awesome individuals that daily try to help Mamma Earth and inspire third parties in the process. The youtubers listed below have helped me drastically with questions how to live more sustainably and I think their words and actions can help to spread some awareness if you are interested into adapting a more ethical lifestyle.