On June 23, 2025, a workshop on the topic of littering, microplastics and soils took place as part of Respect Nature on Climate Day at Reithmann Gymnasium in Innsbruck. With the support of Naturefriends Tyrol, we discussed with two school classes where microplastics come from, how they get into the soil and what we can do to prevent this. The pupils had exciting discussions about littering, health aspects and also about the role of politics in doing something to protect the soil and avoid (micro)plastic. It was also impressive to see how much the young students already knew about the topic! It was particularly exciting to find out together how limited soil is as a resource and how quickly we are currently using it up. In Austria, for example, around 16 soccer pitches of soil are used up every day. Also in the EU, 60% of the soil is not in good condition. The topic of littering was also discussed and how important it is not to leave garbage lying around, especially in the mountains. During the workshop, it became clear to everyone how important it is to do something about this development and to protect our soils together. However, it also became clear how difficult it can be to avoid plastic and that structural changes are needed to make this possible.

Here are the posters of some students with ideas on how to avoid plastic and some challenges to implement them.