Do we ever stop to think where all the trash that we produce goes? Most of it heads to a dumpsite – yes, those mountains of waste that you might have seen on one of your trips around the city. Let's dig into this subject a bit, shall we? ********************************** A huge dark mountain is looming up amidst houses and buildings, with a flock of crows and eagles circling over it. As one goes closer, you can see people on it...

A snippet of the vibrant activities conducted from the kindergarten tiny-tots to the high-school teenagers under the Green Schools Programme ************************************************************************************** Online education became the talk-of-the-town in 2020 when the entire globe succumbed to an unknown lockdown for more than 300 days. Students became weary and so the entire education community sprung up to the challenge. Country-wide they took to their screens like wildfire, proving their resilience in a jiffy. At the Pawar Public School, Chandivali, we went a step beyond with the Green Schools …

A resolution by Leaders to save humanity from drowning in ‘Plastic’. ******************************************* On March 2, 2022, representatives from over 200 countries gathered in Nairobi, Kenya for the continued fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly. The assembly then created history when 175 countries unanimously agreed on a United Nations framework to fight global plastic pollution from cradle to grave...

India has more than 1.5 million schools and 260 million students. Think about a regular day in these schools before the pandemic. Imagine the amount of waste— food waste, plastic, paper, stationery—produced in these schools in a day. Now, add COVID-19 waste to it as schools across the country are reopening. Imagine all of this waste going to landfills. Alarming, isn’t it?

The market today is flooded with bright, shiny toys and soft clothes for babies. But how is this related to microplastics in their feces? The market today is flooded with bright, shiny toys and soft clothes for babies. But how is this related to microplastics in their feces? Most products today like sipper cups, lunch boxes, baby bottles and wiping napkins are made of a substance called PET or polyethylene terephthalate. PET is taken from natural gas and crude oil. It is also another version of the polyester fabric...

A group of college students from South Delhi's Aryabhatta college has started a unique initiative. They call it Project Palaash. Project Palaash aims to salvage floral waste and create organic dyes that are purely non-synthetic in nature. These organic dyes are then used on fabrics. These fabrics are dyed by the socially and economically underprivileged, thereby creating employment opportunities for destitute community members.

In the era of fast fashion, things are made quickly and for a fraction of the cost but end up being expensive for the environment. Today, the textile industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world and in India, it is the third-largest source of waste after plastic, paper and compost.

GSP Audit encourages schools to benchmark, improve and monitor their environmental practices. Some schools have reached the goals of resource efficiency and minimum waste generation by making changes in their practices at the school level. It is now time for all schools to put their best foot forward.

A walk on the beach is an insight not just into our leisure but also into our addiction to plastic. More than 80 lakh tonnes of plastic is dumped into the oceans every year. Sea creatures often mistake plastic for food and die because of it. Sea turtles are probably the most gullible creatures of the sea. Why? Well, that’s because they are likely to confuse plastic floating in the ocean for food and eat it, says a recent article published in the Science News magazine. However, in the poor creature’s defense, they are not the ones filling our oceans with plastic...

Mahatma Gandhi was no stranger to the problems of waste and he dedicated his entire life urging individuals to shun wasteful consumption. Here are a few schools that are living the Gandhian values of mindful consumption and efficient resource use. India is drowning in waste. Every year we generate 62 million tonnes (MT) of waste and half of it ends up in landfills. Of the total waste collected, only 19 per cent undergoes treatment. This is the dismal state of waste management in our country today. Mahatma Gandhi was no stranger to the problems of waste and he dedicated his entire life urging individuals to shun wasteful …