Students make eco-friendly bags with saris, dupattas

In a bid to go green and create awareness on ill-effects of single-use plastic, students of VIBGYOR Roots and Rise School in Mangaluru have launched a drive to collect old saris and dupattas to turn them into eco-friendly bags.

Over 30 saris and dupattas had been collected and sent to a social pressure organisation, HSE (Hello Save Earth) Foundation to make cloth bags. Three bags can be made from each sari, Principal Dr Kusum D’Sa told DH.

As a part of VIBGYOR’s year-long campaign #StrikeOffPlastic, that aims to reduce the use of plastic, a series of activities had been planned. HSE Foundation has women who will be stitching eco-friendly handcrafted bags from these saris and dupattas.

The bags will be put on sale and the money raised by selling the bags will be used for the cause of HSE Foundation, explained Dr Kusum D’Sa.

She said that the #StrikeOffPlastic campaign aims at sensitising the students on environmental issues that have been cropping up in recent times and also to mould the students as responsible future citizens of the world.

As part of the initiative, a ‘plastic bank’ was set up in the school where students can deposit dry waste, especially plastic and cardboard every month. The art teacher along with the students will make crafts from this waste in future. The crafts will be exhibited later, she said.

The most innovative craft/artifact will be recognised and certificates will be given to the student who made it in March. As part of the series, a quiz on plastic as a hazard will also be conducted.

PAINT-A-THON will be organised to create awareness, paint one wall of the school ‘green’ with the message from parents, teachers, students and staff on ‘Save environment or say no to plastic’ in January.

‘Nukkad Natak’

In addition, ‘Nukkad Natak’–a street play to create awareness on the ill-effects of dumping of plastic haphazardly–will be held in the month of February. Continuing the efforts to
drive home the message to reduce the use of plastic, community influencers (celebrities/corporate personalities/social workers etc) will be included on the board as ‘Plastic-Free
Buddy’.

Further, the school will also tie up or collaborate and conduct activities with local organisations that are working towards saving earth from plastic in the month of June.

Dr Kusum D’Sa said ‘clean the plate’ programme where students have been encouraged not to waste food had been initiated in the school and had received good response from students.