How much water is needed for one T-shirt?

Immigration and clothes production: two global issues in our everyday lives

Global Day is an annual event at Grenaa Gymnasium that allows all first- and second year students across classes and years to work together on a global issue.

Amelie Nemcova, a Pre-IB student explains: – Our topic was immigration. We investigated causes for immigration and then had to develop ideas for solutions. In my group we focused on Hungary where for example low salaries for teachers cause people to leave the country. Our solution was to get people to get together and convince the parliament to improve salaries.

Per Østergaard Nielsen, a first year STX student, learned about issues related to fabric and clothes production. – Most of the clothes we wear are produced in third world countries like for example India. We watched a video that illustrated the problems related to the whole process of producing clothes, including environmental problems and poor working conditions.

Per has music as one of his main subjects, so he and his group wrote protest song. Another solution trying to mobilize people to join forces and create change.

– I liked this event, says Per, because it is always fun to do something different. And this topic definitely gave food for thought. Just imagine: The production of just one T-shirt takes 6,67 m2 and 4000 liters of water!

Amelie agrees. – I liked that you got to talk to fellow students that you hadn’t talked so much with earlier, and also to experience the different approaches there was. I was most interested in what motivates people to immigrate, but others were more interested in the political context.

Grenaa Gymnasium is member of the network Globale Gymnasier

Extra-curricular global local activities at Grenaa Gymnasium