A group of students went home with non-laminated exercise books, a packet of seeds and a promise to reduce the use of plastic, from an earth day programme held on Friday.
Students from seven different schools made two-minute presentations on avoiding plastic in their everyday life and the urgent need to switch to cloth bags.
The programme was a joint initiative of Vinisha, a NGO that works for the environment, and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, which runs education institutions.
Students were asked to exchange cloth bags with one another if possible.
A Class VI girl came with a bag made out of her old jeans. She gave it to one of the guests and said: “You can carry your phone charger in this bag.”
Children can initiate changes and also encourage their parents, said Ramesh Chandran, the founder of Vinisha.
“When we speak to children they listen. They go back and tell their parents and even urge them to follow. When children see their parents going to the market they can hand them a cloth bag and tell them it is for their future. Parents would follow for the sake of their children,” said Chandran.
Chandran said that he gave seeds to the children that they could sow.
“When they see a sapling growing they are happy that it is their work. That would encourage them to plant more and take care of the trees that grow,” he said.
About 150 students from seven institutions — Bhavan’s Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir, Birla High School, Birla High School Mukundapur, Shri Shikshayatan School, Guru Nanak Public School, Alampur, Howrah, GSS Girls School, Andhra Association High School — attended the programme.
A presentation by students of Shri Shikshayatan School showed how plastic could be recycled at home, by making a pen stand from it, for example.
A student of Birla High School Mukundapur showed in her presentation that how dangerous “micro plastics in water” could be for aquatic animals.
“We can replace plastic glasses with metal ones,” she said.
G.V. Subramanian, director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kolkata, said it was important to teach school children about the environment right from the beginning.
“Then they will work for the environment in the future.”