Mr Georgiadis held a question and answer session on waste with Tanja Public School pupils on Thursday morning, followed by time spent in the school’s garden teaching the merits of growing your own food, along with tour coordinator and educator Dan Bakker.

Mr Georgiadis spoke of his time working on a waste management project in the Torres Strait focusing on a move away from purchasing plastic.

“At this small school you are like an island, because everything you’ve brought in you’ve chosen to,” he said.

“If we refuse, we don’t have to recycle.

“Every time you buy something in a plastic bag you are paying big time.”

Mr Georgiadis emphasised the importance of buying in bulk to reduce packaging waste, and offered the pupils practical solutions to reducing the impact of waste on the environment around them.

“We can turn it around quite simply by refusing to buy things in plastic,” he said.

“If we change the way we think about it, we change the way business is run.

“Don’t believe all the slick marketing.

“What you have to do is sit there and work it out for yourself, by asking questions.

“Then you can lead the way and take the reins.”

The message of the session was to empower the children to understand the power of creating market pressure as future consumers.

“Every coin you spend directs the future,” Mr Georgiadis said.

“When people stop buying, boardroom doors start slamming.”

Mr Georgiadis is visiting some of Bega Valley Shire Council’s community and school waste and recycling projects during the tour, which culminates in a panel presentation on home grown food at Eden Public School on Saturday.

Mr Georgiadis also visited Bemboka Public School on Wednesday, ahead of its hosting of the second Student Gardeners Convergence program.

“Convergence seeks to network over 10 Bega Valley schools over a day of workshops, skill-sharing and hands-on projects,” Mr Bakker said.

Saturday’s OzHarvest: Eat-Think- Save panel discussion will also feature Robyn Rosenfeldt from PIP Magazine