Environment Week webinars

“This planet is our only home and humanity must safeguard its finite resources”

Every year, on 5th July, the globe celebrates Environment Day with the objective of spreading awareness about the conservation and protection of our environment with sustainable development.

The Indian School – Second Shift also observed Environment Day with a week long series of activities and events. As a part of the celebration, the School hosted interactive webinars on 5th, 6th and 7th July, 2022 conducted by Indian Centre for Plastic in the Environment (ICPE), an environmental management capacity building technical assistance project sponsored by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. The objective is to promote the idea of helping to sustain an environment friendly image of plastics by highlighting the positive role of plastics in conserving resources and their 100 % recyclability. 

On 5th July, a webinar was conducted for classes 1 to 5 on the topic, ‘World of Plastic’. It focussed on how plastic has become an essential material, to the verge of becoming unavoidable. The children were asked to list out how many things they use on a daily basis that is made of plastic. The online discussion created amongst the students, a sense of acknowledgement of the fact that the use of plastic is next to inevitable and instead of banning it, ways to recycle and reuse it should be explored.

The manufacturing of eco-friendly plastic was discussed as a remedial measure. The session concluded with a pledge to inform and create awareness in the community at large, about  the importance of the right way of disposing plastic waste, the need for stopping littering and to reinforce that since at present, life without plastic is unimaginable, therefore we must act responsibly in the disposal of used plastic.

On 6th July, a webinar was conducted for classes 6 and 7 on ‘Plastic – A New Generation Material’. Students were introduced to plastic in a novel manner, where they agreed that it is a necessity at present as its alternatives are expensive. They were shown flow charts to understand the composition of different types of plastics and how one can reduce the adverse effects by using the right kind of plastic. They were informed about the need to develop and encourage specifications and guidelines for managing plastic waste and the idea of using recyclates for application in various products.

On 7th July, the webinar conducted for classes 8 and 9 was, ‘Plastic and Sustainability’. The students were introduced to the idea of the inevitability of plastics and further told about the idea of sustainable development. The highlight of the webinar was to inculcate in students the idea to support an upgradation of plastic waste management and the plastic industry technologically and environmentally. The session concluded with showcasing how the Indian plastic industry is becoming environment conscious and socially responsible, be it manufacturing, marketing or recycling of plastic waste.

The webinars proved to be an eye opener for the students and presented a different perspective on the safe and sustainable use of plastic.