I volunteered for Paryavaran Mitra, which is a Gujarat based non-profit organization working on socio- environmental issues. It was a one month long internship where we worked as a team to raise awareness for waste management in our society as well as the school. We were given tasks like talking to our society members and coming up with ways to promote waste segregation as many people just go the easy way and do not segregate waste as they should which doesn’t allow it to get recycled. We pasted posters all around our society and neighboring areas.

In school , we made a video in which we highlighted in places where we use paper or cloth bags instead of single use plastic to create a “plastic free” school.

LO5- Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

I had to work with 3 other members to film and plan the script for the video as well as spread awareness for waste management and plastic use reduction. It wasn’t always easy for me to come out of my comfort zone and collaborate with them. I normally prefer to work alone but with time, I realized that working with others makes it easier and saves time as well as increases friendship.

LO6- Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance

We worked on topics of global concern like plastic use and waste management. These can be included in sustainable development goal number 11- sustainable cities and communities. Waste that is not properly managed, especially liquid and solid waste from households and the community, are a serious health hazard and can lead to the spread of diseases. Unattended waste lying around attracts flies, rats, and other creatures that in turn spread disease. Plastic doesn’t decompose for a long time and, threatens wildlife as well as contributes to global warming and climate change. Making a video on plastic and having a plastic free environment encourages people to practice it themselves. I really care about the environment and the effects we have on it.

LO7- Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

In the recent years, due to massive steps taken by the government, people have gotten very aware about plastic use as well the impacts of not segregating and managing waste effectively. Still many people didn’t take these seriously and continues to mix dry and wet waste together as well as use plastic waste. They become too lazy and think that it wont make a big difference if they practice sustainability. It was very important for me to try and change these perspectives.

video link of “plastic free” video- https://drive.google.com/file/d/124FC1ghdBRmyqysBCw1WZp28pJ6YwFG5/view