[2019·石家庄高中毕业班教学质量检测] At the age of seven, while his friends were spending their  allowance on things like candy and toys, Jose Adolfo Quisocola  was busy saving money for basic purchases. To try to get his  peers (同龄人) to do the same, the boy from Peru came up with  the idea of an eco­bank, the Bartselana Student Bank, which   allows kids of all ages to become financially independent while  also helping the environment.

  Set up in 2012, the bank is the world's first bank for kids. To become a member, a kid has to bring in at least 5 kilograms of solid waste and set a savings goal. Once accepted, all bank “partners” are required to deposit at least one additional kilogram of recyclables on a monthly basis and observe other requirements, such  as  attending  financial  education and environmental management workshops.

The waste accumulated is sold to local recycling companies, which, thanks to Jose's efforts, pay a higher­than­market rate for everything brought in by the bank members. The money received is placed in the personal account where they collect until the savings goal is reached. The account holder can then withdraw the money, or choose to leave it and make it continue to grow for a bigger target. “At the beginning, my teachers thought I was crazy or that a child could not undertake this type of project，” Jose recalls. “They did not understand that we are not the future of the country but its present. Luckily, I had the support of the school headmaster and an assistant in my class.”