350 Action, Enviro Awareness & Ban on Plastic

It's incredible to see climate solutions spreading across India -- from Badlaav 09 which took place in Delhi in early August, we had inspired youth fanning out across India. Swetha from Hyderabad went back and organized an incredible event on the train, speaking to more than 1000 people in one day on a train!

 

She said, "We started talking to people in the language they were comfortable with(Telugu, Hindi, English) .In order to cover a larger audience we split into two groups. We started talking to them about climate change, its importance and about 350. We also asked them to join the 350 global campaign on 24th October 2009. During the campaign we met people from various professions (doctors, teachers, journalists etc).  Some of the passengers loved our zeal and enthusiasm but others acted like skeptics. Many joined us when the journey ended, and agreed to take the initiative forward."

 

 

When she arrived back in Hyderabad, Shweta shared the stories of 350 with her friends at St Francis College, who organized an incredible event on July 31 for a belated World Environment Day celebration! They banned all plastic on campus, including checking girls bags for plastic. They planted trees, and at 10 am, they formed a human 350! Check out the incredible photographs and read the article from the Hindu online or below!

 

It’s 10.00 a.m. on a Friday. Girls mill around the courtyard of St. Francis Degree College for Women in Begumpet — texting, finishing assignments, swapping notes on last night’s party. As a voice rumbles over the microphone, all eyes swivel to the quadrangle where a group of girls are linking their hands in a human chain, mystifyingly forming the number 350.

Prakriti, the nature club of St. Francis, celebrated Environment Day with the students on July 31, since the college was shut on the actual Environment Day on June 5. This year, the college chose to commemorate the occasion with the planting of saplings in the morning, inaugurated by the Principal Dr. Sr. Alphonsa Vattoly. We learn that the number 350 signifies the ideal level of carbon dioxide that should be present in the atmosphere, although currently the number stands at 390.

The club organised a series of events for its members around the day’s theme: ‘Go the green way, chuck plastic a day!’ Plastic was the enemy of the day, with students’ bags even being checked by volunteers for any form of plastic products. Girls were also advised to “have the courage” to stop others from using plastic.

The afternoon’s line-up of events included an interactive session by Professor J.V.D. Murthy, head of the German department in Osmania University and an avid birdwatcher. He introduced the audience to a variety of birds commonly seen in the Hyderabad area. This was followed by a talk on waste management by Major Shivkiran, president of Sukuki Exnora. The students also took an oath to “change and be the change in it”, which included turning off taps and using low-energy bulbs.

“We started Prakriti in 2005 in collaboration with WWF,” says P.C. Nirmala, head of the Zoology department and coordinator of the club. “Every year we celebrate Environment Day – last year was an inter-college programme. But this year, we decided to keep it internal. Our goal is to make a difference.”