The Final Bottle Celebration

Yesterday afternoon, the AIS Vienna community gathered in the garden amphitheater for "The Final Bottle" event. Hosted by the AISV Eco-School Committee, the ceremony marked the official removal of single-use plastic bottles from our daily campus operations.

Members of the Middle School Band along with our Director, Dr. Kathy Miner, opened the ceremony. Senior Ji-Woo Jung provided reflections on the history of sustainability at AISV, followed by inspiring words from Ms. Sarah Moyer, AISV parent and Senior Environmental Specialist at The World Bank. Ms. Moyer reminded us of the vital importance of sustainability, noting that consistently giving our best effort is more impactful than striving for perfection. The highlight of her speech was the pledge she shared from her early school years, gifting this cherished childhood tradition to our own school community:

A Knight's Pledge to the Planet

This is our pledge to our planet. 

We pledge to start small - to begin where we stand. 
And we pledge to be bold when being small is not enough. 

We pledge to pay attention - 
to notice what is thriving, 
to notice was is disappearing, 
and to not look away. 

We pledge to speak up - 
to raise our hands, to use our voices, 
to write, to march, to vote, 
to be louder than our doubts. 

This is our pledge to our planet. 
One planet. One chance. All of us together - 
AISV Knights, now and forever.

Afterward, we gathered to raise our Eco-Schools flag, a formal symbol of the environmental standards AISV has now achieved, as District Councilman Peter Hermann shared his support with the community.

This milestone follows years of advocacy by the AISV Eco-School Committee. The transition to a plastic-free campus is the result of a long-term commitment from students, faculty, staff, and the wider community to reduce the school’s environmental footprint. This achievement is just the beginning of our journey toward a more sustainable and responsible future at AISV!