Jan 21, 2019 By Jeff Elder

Davos Codes Helps Students Bring Plastic Recycling to Their Famed Alpine Town

in Events, IT, Sustainability

Davos is where the best ideas in the world come together in an Idyllic Alpine hamlet to shine in a winter wonderland spotlight before the world. But then what? It can be a challenge to make those inspired ideas a reality and actually drive change.

Relax, the students of Davos Volksschule have got this.

Last year 50 students from schools in Davos learned about environmental activism and used technology to test water for pollution as part of Davos Codes, the tech education program started in 2015 by Salesforce.org. After the famed World Economic Forum meeting of great minds and world leaders wrapped up, the students didn’t let the ecology project drop.

Davos Codes students work on their project.

The experiments on local water supplies as well as presentations from Benioff Ocean Institute sparked a passion for fighting plastic pollution. The students, ages 14-16, pushed their town to reverse a decision not to recycle plastics.

They won. Davos leaders changed their policy, and the famous Swiss town has decided to adopt plastic recycling, after all. At this year’s Davos Codes the students will showcase their successful campaign.

“The students of Davos Volksschule have taken Davos Codes to the heights we aspired to. Their use of technology actually led to change in the world, right here where accomplishments like this are launched by world leaders,” said Rob Acker, CEO, Salesforce.org.

The students of teacher Guenter Schlichting’s class wrote that they were moved by “heartbreaking pictures of animals dying because of plastic waste everywhere. So we decided, together with our teacher, to start the plastic campaign in Davos, hoping to open many peoples eyes in our region".

Founded in 2015 by Salesforce.org, Davos Codes teaches young people computer programming skills and highlights the power that technology can bring when used for social good. Salesforce’s commitment to the community of Davos has become a year-round program, supporting students with technology, education and the chance to be a part of WEF programming.