“Reducing and reusing take nothing more than a rethink on the way we shop and using our imagination with the things that we might once have considered junk.” – Sheherazade Goldsmith
Use of plastic in various forms have become a part of our daily life. Unfortunately, most of the people although are aware of its alarming threat to environment, are still not able to give up the use, mostly due to easy availability and convenience in using. Plastic is mostly non- biodegradable which converts into dumps and garbage causing huge damage to sanitary system, polluting oceans, emitting harmful chemicals, leading to creating imbalance in the eco-system.
To create awareness on the hazards of plastic pollution and encourage students to recycle plastic waste, Ms.Nadia Rasheed, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP, Shri Prabhjot Sodhi, Head Circular, Economy, UNDP and Shri Shubhro Saha, Marketing Head, Big Bazar visited SAI International School on Wednesday, September 11, 2019.
They discussed the importance of implementing responsible usage and disposal of plastic waste in our daily lives with the students. Through informative videos they encouraged students to render their contribution in reducing their carbon foot print. The team also briefed on the Sustainable Development Goals and inspired students to take actions in their own communities.
Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Rasheed said that ‘Climate change is a really huge global challenge and its effects are more real with each generation’. She advised the students to take the lead in mitigating the challenges and work collaboratively towards a greener planet.
Dr. Bijaya Kumar Sahoo, Founder, SAI International Education Group said that making the planet plastic free requires collaborative effort and added that each student has the potential to create a change in the society and this platform will give them an opportunity to become leaders of climate change.
At the end, students took the pledge ’Plastic Bharo; Recycle Karo’ and were encouraged to make optimal use of the four recycle bins. The programme is part of the unique initiative by BMC, UNDP and Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages to put in place a sustainable plastic waste management system in the city.
SAI International School will be the first School in the State to launch a Recycle centre in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Centre for Cooperation and Rural Excellence (CORE). The programme will be implemented in three stages, creating awareness, implementation of recycle bins and later creating a recycling collection centre.