Sulaymaniyah student turns trash into art to promote environmental awareness

SULAYMANIYAH — A 15-year-old student in Sulaymaniyah has created an artwork entirely from discarded materials, aiming to highlight the importance of environmental protection and the potential of reuse.

Miwa Dana, a ninth-grade student at the Gali Basic School for Girls, said she crafted the piece using leftover household items in an effort to reduce pollution and encourage others to see value in materials typically thrown away.

“I wanted to use waste so it doesn’t become a danger to nature,” she said in a recorded interview, urging viewers to “be like the picture, a friend of the environment.”

Her work was showcased at a school exhibition organized in coordination with the Future Organization for Environmental Protection, which praised the initiative for promoting sustainability among students.

“It’s pleasing to see a student use leftover materials to create something instead of throwing them in the trash or turning them into waste that pollutes the environment,” said Ma’rouf Majid, the organization’s director. “This young artist feels environmental responsibility and uses waste for another purpose — this helps save our environment from further harm.”

Avan Ali, the school principal, said Miwa stands out for her creativity. “She’s talented, but she hasn’t said yet whether she’ll continue next year,” Ali said. “Still, we’ve promised to keep supporting her.”

Majid noted that the school has adopted several environmentally friendly practices with support from the organization. “Most of the students don’t use plastic water bottles anymore,” he said. “They use refillable ones labeled ‘Friend of Nature.’”

He added that students are now encouraged to bring fruit or dried snacks instead of plastic-packaged items, part of a broader campaign to reduce single-use plastics and raise environmental awareness.