Project CONSERVE
Initiated by AIESEC in Navi Mumbai
Project CONSERVE, that is the ever green initiative of AIESEC in Navi Mumbai officially begins.
We have a brilliant core heading the project, that have been working real hard to get partnerships in and to spread the word across the city to make this all happen. Because, we believe in being the change we wish to see, in this world. It's a brilliant way to understand your true potential, by trying and heading a positive social impact.
On this blog, I shall update you about our progess, about how the workshops are going and overall everything new that we come across and learn!
You shall also see more green posts, a few posts on how the NGOs function in these times and surely some on how you, my audience has reacted and been impacted.
It's very important to understand that the environmental crisis, is not one faced by a single country or nation, but by all the nations across the globe. This understanding has been shared by our international interns, that have joined us for this project. They comprise of the youth from the vibrant cultures of Brazil, Peru, Egypt and Sweden.
The only way we can measure change, is the impact it brings to us as individuals. Who we become, by what we do! Here is a sneek peak into the experiences that have personally been shared by our interns and other members alike. Go on, have a good read!
Our intern from Sweden, Philip Engman said;
"We went in to Mumbai (me, Lucas, Nihal, Pooja) to get information about recycling of consumer products like, food waste, plastics and metal products that we use everyday. The main idea that we got from the meeting was that we should reduce, reuse and recycle consumer products. Thus, first we should try to reduce our consumption and only use products that are easy to recycle. Then we should reuse the products as much as possible and the last option should be to recycle it.
I think the information that we got from the NGO was really useful and she was very passionate in what she did.
Then, we got to see how the soil is composted and we even get some soil to bring with us, which we will be using in our workshops.
In Sweden it is not so common to see the usage of compost soil, especially not in the city. In rural areas it might be more common. But this change is truly remarkable and organic"
On the next day he added,
"I went with Tejashri as she wanted to be call to see if we could create partnerships with some more schools in order to invite them to participate in our project. It was really hard to get an appointment with the principals because they were either busy or not there. However, we managed to meet two different principals and a lady that was running a kindergarten. The two principals seemed interested, even though, one of them thought that the workshop fee was a little high. We had a long and very interesting conversation with the lady that was running the kindergarten, she gave us some tips and ideas that can be useful for our project.
In the afternoon, we went to a plant nursery in order to learn how to create organic soil. In addition, we got some information about different plants and vegetables that they were already planting and hosting there.
Then we went to Central Park in Khargar, Navi Mumbai and I was amazed how big it was, a really awesome park. We plan to keep a photography workshop in the same location. As it has a lot of greenery to offer, along with an amphitheatre."
The way this goes about, is that our international interns, receive training from our partnered NGOs and they help in the sessions and workshops that our held in the Schools and housing societies! They play an important link in parting their gained information, and through it, gain knowledge too. So the circle is complete.
In today's world of rapid & huge consumption the challengesfaced while thinking if the 3 Rs are;
I) consumerism & the convenience sought for consumption.
ii) lack of space.
iii) over packaging.
iv) health & hygiene
v) poor reducing reusing & recycling practices leading to global warming.
vi) exploitation of nature to such extent that tee damage done can't be restored.
Thus RUR as an organization aims;
1) to sensitize the people about thevimportance of the 3 Rs
2) to set up a system which makes it convenient to follow the 3 Rs
3) come up with a retail model which basically is about practicing the 3Rs right from the grocery store.
We learnt that multi layer packaging is difficult to recycle.
We came to know about the great garbage patch in the north Pacific gyre. This patch is characterised by exceptionally high concentration of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge & other junk that have been trapped by virtue of the currents of the North Pacific Gyre.
We were also informed that plastics can be recycled for about 7 times, metal objects & earthen pots & cups a 100 times. Hence the life span of waste is very important. We must learn to invest the waste. To start with, we could 'break down the dust bin' & segregate the waste for effective waste recycling. As an organization RUR aims to offer a solution to the society for the same.
The session also had the participation of Monisha Narke's young niece Apurva, here's a little something that she wrote about our city:
Initiated by AIESEC in Navi Mumbai
Project CONSERVE, that is the ever green initiative of AIESEC in Navi Mumbai officially begins.
We have a brilliant core heading the project, that have been working real hard to get partnerships in and to spread the word across the city to make this all happen. Because, we believe in being the change we wish to see, in this world. It's a brilliant way to understand your true potential, by trying and heading a positive social impact.
On this blog, I shall update you about our progess, about how the workshops are going and overall everything new that we come across and learn!
You shall also see more green posts, a few posts on how the NGOs function in these times and surely some on how you, my audience has reacted and been impacted.
It's very important to understand that the environmental crisis, is not one faced by a single country or nation, but by all the nations across the globe. This understanding has been shared by our international interns, that have joined us for this project. They comprise of the youth from the vibrant cultures of Brazil, Peru, Egypt and Sweden.
The only way we can measure change, is the impact it brings to us as individuals. Who we become, by what we do! Here is a sneek peak into the experiences that have personally been shared by our interns and other members alike. Go on, have a good read!
Our intern from Sweden, Philip Engman said;
"We went in to Mumbai (me, Lucas, Nihal, Pooja) to get information about recycling of consumer products like, food waste, plastics and metal products that we use everyday. The main idea that we got from the meeting was that we should reduce, reuse and recycle consumer products. Thus, first we should try to reduce our consumption and only use products that are easy to recycle. Then we should reuse the products as much as possible and the last option should be to recycle it.
I think the information that we got from the NGO was really useful and she was very passionate in what she did.
Then, we got to see how the soil is composted and we even get some soil to bring with us, which we will be using in our workshops.
In Sweden it is not so common to see the usage of compost soil, especially not in the city. In rural areas it might be more common. But this change is truly remarkable and organic"
 |
These are pictures he took of the preparation of the compost soil.  |
"I went with Tejashri as she wanted to be call to see if we could create partnerships with some more schools in order to invite them to participate in our project. It was really hard to get an appointment with the principals because they were either busy or not there. However, we managed to meet two different principals and a lady that was running a kindergarten. The two principals seemed interested, even though, one of them thought that the workshop fee was a little high. We had a long and very interesting conversation with the lady that was running the kindergarten, she gave us some tips and ideas that can be useful for our project.
In the afternoon, we went to a plant nursery in order to learn how to create organic soil. In addition, we got some information about different plants and vegetables that they were already planting and hosting there.
Then we went to Central Park in Khargar, Navi Mumbai and I was amazed how big it was, a really awesome park. We plan to keep a photography workshop in the same location. As it has a lot of greenery to offer, along with an amphitheatre."
The way this goes about, is that our international interns, receive training from our partnered NGOs and they help in the sessions and workshops that our held in the Schools and housing societies! They play an important link in parting their gained information, and through it, gain knowledge too. So the circle is complete.
We had a Session by the NGO RUR and Green Souls and Envirovigil which had the presence of my fellow AIESECers and project Member, Nihal Shaikh and Shambhavi Dhir . Here are their experiences, what they learnt and what they wished to share about it,
RUR (Are You Reducing, Reusing, Recycling)
~A Session with Monisha Narke~
"We came to know that the intention of RUR is to evolve the eco consciousness of people; marked by showing concern for the environment. We understood that today's convenience causes collateral damage. There is a lot of extra packaging onto the goods that we consume.
One way to reduce this is to buy in bulk.
T the end of life of a material is very important cause that decides how, after our use, it'll rest into environment. Therefore the 3 important practices are
T the end of life of a material is very important cause that decides how, after our use, it'll rest into environment. Therefore the 3 important practices are
1) reduce (e.g. using a pen with a metal body; that can be used effectively for a longer duration.)
2) reuse (e.g. refilling the pen&using again rather than use & throw behavior)
3) recycle (e.g. don't throw the pen out if the window but into the recycle bin.
3) recycle (e.g. don't throw the pen out if the window but into the recycle bin.
I) consumerism & the convenience sought for consumption.
ii) lack of space.
iii) over packaging.
iv) health & hygiene
v) poor reducing reusing & recycling practices leading to global warming.
vi) exploitation of nature to such extent that tee damage done can't be restored.
1) to sensitize the people about thevimportance of the 3 Rs
2) to set up a system which makes it convenient to follow the 3 Rs
3) come up with a retail model which basically is about practicing the 3Rs right from the grocery store.
We learnt that multi layer packaging is difficult to recycle.
We came to know about the great garbage patch in the north Pacific gyre. This patch is characterised by exceptionally high concentration of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge & other junk that have been trapped by virtue of the currents of the North Pacific Gyre.
We were also informed that plastics can be recycled for about 7 times, metal objects & earthen pots & cups a 100 times. Hence the life span of waste is very important. We must learn to invest the waste. To start with, we could 'break down the dust bin' & segregate the waste for effective waste recycling. As an organization RUR aims to offer a solution to the society for the same.
The session also had the participation of Monisha Narke's young niece Apurva, here's a little something that she wrote about our city:
Green Souls
~A session by Sabit Rajendran~
"The session was delivered by Sabita Rajendran, who has been associated with green souls for several months now. We were briefed about the location & that the produce goes t to the kid cancer patients. Then they told us about their funda of natural farming wherein they only utilize naturally available resources to grow all the variety of plants. They make their own soil by composting fallen leaves utilizing the method called as mulching.
We learnt that the fallen leaves should not be treated as a waste, but they can be used to enrich the soil & are extremely beneficial for the plant health. In their presence there is no need of any chemical fertilizer to get a good farm produce.
What was also understood was, that to get rid of the pests, One need not necessarily use pesticides. If one plants herbs that emit strong smells like basil among theregular food crops, it helps to keep away the pests! It's amazing how such simple techniques can be as effective as the high end techniques used conventionally these days!
Volunteers at green souls make raised beds to grow their plants. We saw worms on the beds, which they said is a sign of healthy soil. Also, we learnt how to make similar raised beds. Simply take a coconut shell, fill it with mulch & place it on the ground upside down. These act as air pockets. These are covered with a layer of mulch & alternating layers of soil & mulch till the bed is about 6 inches high. Into this bed, seeds or stalk is sowed/planted & for the next few weeks the bed is watered daily then every alternate day water is sprinkled onto the beds. Excessive watering is rather water wastage, plants just need moisture!
After learning that farming can be so simple & amazing, we all are looking forward for the next session!"
Envirovigil
Project CONSERVE shall be conducting workshops in the coming week, do visit our Facebook website to know the dates and venues of further events.
“And that is how change happens. One gesture. One person. One moment at a time.”
