Caritas India in partnership with Earth Day Network observed recycling week in Tamil Nadu from 11^th to 19^th   November,2019.  The launch of ‘Recycle for Life Cycle’ campaign saw an astounding turnover of students, youth, women and communities. Sustainability being firmly on the national agenda, the campaign aimed to educate school children, youth and communities on the importance of recycling, minimizing plastic waste and promoting community recycling initiatives.

Rev.Fr.John kumar, Director explains about purpose of RECYCLE FOR LIFE CYCLE

The campaign brought together various partner organizations, colleges, schools, SHGs, and all the concerned citizens to make it a citizen engagement programme with the goal of promotion of eco-friendly sustainable actions and recycling practices. Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products, which benefits our community and environment. The theme has been designed to capture attention and put across simple but important messages about why recycling matters.

Through the facilitation of the Chengalpattu Rural Development Society (CRDS), Caritas India partnered with students from Savita School of Law, Poonamallee and organized an awareness session in R.C. Middle School, Senkattur on Children’s Day. With the participation of 270 youth, recycling week became a great opportunity to start class discussions on the benefits of recycling and sustainable practices. The Law students addressed the students, village youth and their parents on environmental governance and waste management.

Recycle for Life Cycle Campaign at St.Ephream Higher Secondary School, Sooriacode

On 15^th November, at Avarikadu Government Aided Middle School, Nagapattinam, Caritas India Gaja cyclone recovery field staff Chellapandi and Sulakshana celebrated Children’s Day with 150 students. They conducted an awareness programme on environment and climate change and elocution competition on recycling. During the plantation drive in the campus, students pledged to take care of the saplings that were planted and to keep the school premises green.

Presentation Community Service Centre (PCSC) conducted the campaign at Wall Tax Road Slum on the evening of 15^th November. 87 Children Parliament members exhibited their talents by displaying models prepared by them that are made from waste materials. They were motivated by community facilitators and encouraged by the 41 SHG members present for the event.

Kuzhithurai Integral Development Social Services (KIDSS) organized awareness programmes for members (10-17 years old) of children parliament in Konamkadu, Kallaravilai, Mannanvilai, Kappukadu, Kotoorkonam and Kappiyarai on 16th and 17th November.

Through inputs, group discussions, role-plays, and brainstorming sessions, the campaign became an opportunity to bust myths and demonstrate why recycling is beneficial – keeping it in use and practicing it for our environment. 270 students took the oath to protect the earth and promoting health and wellbeing.

Fr.John Kumar, Director and Headmistress Sr.Anto Maria watching the models

On the 18^th November, Marthandam Integrated Development Society  (MIDS) organized an awareness session and an exhibition in St. Ephrem’s Higher Secondary School, Sooriacode, Kanyakumari District. 761 participants attended the programme. School children exhibited beautiful models prepared by them using plastics, papers and some wastages of fruits and vegetables, tree leaves and wooden parts. The best six models were selected and awarded. The exhibition was an opportunity for the school students to think differently and ways to recycle plastic products to reduce plastic menace in the local area.

Women SHG-members in Sathyamangalam were imparted awareness on the demerits of plastic usage in our day to day life. The session was organized by Udhagamandalam Social Service Society (USSS) in partnership with Joint Liability Group and Nabfins Limited on November 18^th.  The participants pledged to use cloth bags, aluminum mugs, and buckets, wooden furniture instead of plastic furniture, replacing  ‘Plastic kudam ’ with silver vessels, planting a tree on community occasions and birthdays, and promoting eco- friendly income generation programmes using credit linkages through Nabfins.

Plastic awareness artwork prepared by Master. Ajith 10^th std.

USSS also organized awareness sessions on 17^th and 18^th  for school children in two remote villages namely Athapampalaya and Kununpuram .  These children who predominantly belonged to  Dalit and Tribal communities were given environment education, focusing on topics like solid waste management, reducing the use of plastics, hazards of plastic, disposable and non-disposable wastes, how to reuse the kitchen waste, bio compost and promotion of nutrition garden.

Living sustainably is the new cool in this digital age, hence sustainable production and consumption patterns must be promoted and youth supported as environmental champions in their local communities. ‘Recycle for life cycle’ played a major part in teaching recycling and environment education- from explaining children the basics of selective recycling to teaching them various ways to reduce waste around the house.

The campaign was an effort at strengthening the adaptive capability and resilience of youth and communities in rural and semi-urban areas and transforming our societies towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient future. Various partnerships developed between governmental and non-governmental institutions with major involvement of children and youth for our campaign aimed at building the capacity of youth as future leaders and driving forces behind a new climate change regime.

Dr.John Arokiaraj, Manager, Caritas India who is the campaign lead in Tamil Nadu since March 2019 said “One needs to have a social concern to take up the responsibility of conducting such a campaign. This is collective mobilization with mass support and it is the need of the hour.  People who are driven by a passion for environment-friendly development and molding the future generation will automatically come forward to take the lead”. Mr.Ankit Chauhan, Consultant for this campaign programme plays a significant role in the appropriate concept development for each campaign theme.