‘The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it’ – Robert Swan, the first man to summit both north and south poles
Earth Day is celebrated annually on 22 April to spread awareness about environmental protection and increasing climate change. In this context, Books for All (BFA), an NGO working in the education sector, undertook various activities to honour Earth Day and raise awareness about climate change among middle-school students.
A cleanliness drive was organised in the Bio-diversity Park, Sector 91, on 25 April. Over 30 grade-6 students from one of the libraries in a Gejha school, their mentors and BFA volunteers participated in the drive. Soon after entering the park, the children were mesmerised by the beauty of the flowers and stature of the trees while also expressing disappointment towards the litter seen thrown all around the park. The students understood the importance of this drive as they saw animals grazing on pieces of plastic littered around.
Precautions like wearing masks and gloves were well taken care of and a brief introduction about various types of waste was given before the commencement of the drive. The BFA volunteers divided students into three groups, each with a mentor to carry out the collection in various areas of the park. After the rubbish was collected, it was disposed off into the blue (dry waste) bins installed in the park. Upon completion of the drive, BFA volunteers made the children aware of the various trees and plants seen around the park. One student was especially delighted at smelling the eucalyptus, and exclaimed that it smelled like Vicks Vaporub.
The students took a pledge to keep their surroundings clean and do one act of cleanliness in their neighbourhood every day. The main purpose of this programme was to ingrain a habit of cleanliness among students and make them acquainted with nature’s gifts. Launching the campaign helped BFA to drive attention to the problem, and developing champions to take action to solve the problem.
‘Every day is Earth Day, and one should start investing in a secure climate future right now!’
by Lata Agarwal (Eldeco Utopia, Sector 93A; 8527272266)
