Face2News/Chandigarh
In the run-up to World Environment Day, Mehr Chand Mahajan DAV College for Women, Chandigarh, organised a host of activities spread over a period of 15 days under the aegis of Mass Mobilization Campaign on Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment)- a campaign launched by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.
On all the days, pledge ceremony was held wherein the students and staff pledged to adopt an environment-friendly lifestyle under Mission LiFE. The Eco Club ‘Parivesh’, in collaboration with the Department of Botany and under the aegis of Swachhta Committee (Sciences), organized an online awareness session on air purifying plants.
(MOREPIC1) During the session, the resource person Dr. Purnima Bhandari, Assistant Professor, Department of Botany at the college, apprised the audience about the concept of air purifying plants and the benefits that they render in combating air pollution. She urged them to plant air purifying plants such as areca palm, money plant, aloe vera, sansevieria etc. in their homes for sustainable living. Parivesh Eco Club in collaboration with the college UBA Cell organized a visit to Government High School, Kajheri (Chandigarh) wherein Dr. Purnima Bhandari, Assistant Professor, Department of Botany and Dr. Aanchal Batra, Assistant Professor, PG Department of Chemistry, educated the audience about the aims and objectives of Mission LiFE through a video.
They also highlighted the importance of celebrating International Day of Biodiversity and motivated the students to conserve biodiversity. During this visit, awareness sessions on 'Plastic Waste and its Management' and 'Waste Management' were also held wherein the students were made aware of the harmful effects of plastic waste on the environment and its management via a video, types of waste, waste management methods, composting and its process. The students were also encouraged to adopt alternatives to plastic such as cloth bags and follow the principle of 3R’s – recycle, reduce and reuse.
The Swachhta committee (Sciences), in collaboration with the PG Department of Chemistry and Eco Club ‘Parivesh’, held an online session wherein the students were taught about the preparation of eco-enzyme from simple kitchen waste and its utility.
(SUBHEAD)A video presentation on 'Save Water Save Life' was also shown to raise awareness about water conservation. The NSS units of the college organized an initiative titled ‘Sustainable Urban Living: I save energy, I save water, I grow my own food’ with the objective of highlighting the best practices, adopted by NSS volunteers and students at their places, related to energy and water conservation and sustainable urban farming. The Swachhta Committee (Arts) conducted an interactive session wherein case studies on simple everyday initiatives to safeguard a collective future by adopting traditional sustainable practices were discussed.
The participants were provided with data from published studies to motivate them to adopt practices that help to reduce one’s carbon footprint. This was followed by a quiz and slogan writing on the topic: Lifestyle for Environment and Sustainability.
In another activity, the Eco Club ‘Parivesh’ organized an awareness session on preparing vermicompost from garden and kitchen waste, during which the students were shown the vermicomposting units in the Botanical Garden of the college campus. This was followed by placement of water pots for the birds in the different areas of the campus by the students under the initiative 'Save Birds, Save Environment'. The Eco Club ‘Parivesh’ also organized a demonstration of the structure and working of a bioreactor wherein Dr. Sarabjeet Kaur, Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, demonstrated the structure and working of a bioreactor set up at the Community park at Phase-1, Mohali to the children present in the park.
She also motivated the children to collect dry leaves scattered in the park and put them in the bioreactor for their management. The Swachhta Committee (Commerce), in collaboration with Eco Club ‘Parivesh’ conducted online activities for publicizing the creatives on Mission LiFE wherein two videos on Mission LiFE were showcased. The Cleanliness Committee of the college organized an activity wherein the cleaning staff was guided about proper cleaning and disinfection of surfaces and objects that are touched often, safe use of cleaning and disinfecting products, and proper handling of waste.
The Swachhta Committee of the Department of Computer Science and Applications organized screening of a documentary titled 'Together We Grow' to sensitize the students about how together as a community we can confront challenges such as housing crises, food insecurity, social isolation, and more. It was followed by a quiz to evaluate the understanding level of the students about the environment and environmental issues that the world is currently facing.
Principal Dr. Nisha Bhargava expressed appreciation for the efforts of the organizing committees to promote Mission LiFE at the grassroots level through various outreach and advocacy activities that facilitate widespread mobilization for Mission LiFE. She informed that these activities were conducted with the primary objective of sensitizing students about the profound influence of behavioural change on the environment and empowering them to make informed choices that positively contribute to preserving our planet.