BENGALURU: Green Utsav is an organsaition that promotes minimising waste during events and functions. Started by Bengalurean Rishita Sharma, it recently conducted a zero-waste event for two schools. Linden Montessori in Hoodi organised its annual day using only reusable cutlery. The school has around 200 students and its founder, Stuti Mehrotra.
Rishita says, “We suggested the school make some big changes. Parents were asked to send their children to school on the day with their own plates and water bottle. Another 600 reusable glasses were got from from Rent A Cutlery (another green initiative started by Rishita’s and a partner, Lakshmi Sankaran). There were no papers/plastic cups and plates,” she says. For decorations only paper and cloth were used. There were no baloons or other plastic items such as flexes that were used.
“After we realised the importance of the event, we have brought about some changes in the school as well. We are now composting and do not dispose off our waste. These are just small steps to promote and motivate a feeling towards the environment among the children,” says Stuti who donated 200 glasses to Rent A Cutlery.
Another similar event was conducted at a school in Whitefield called Samruddhi Trust. “There are around 750 students in this school. Imagine the kind of waste that gets generated when big events are conducted in such schools. There is a need to promote more of such initiatives and we want more schools to come forward to organise such eco-friendly events. Even here no plastic, baloons and were used. People brought their own cutlery and the rest was provided by us,” says Rishita. As much as 10,000 disposable items were prevented from going to the landfill says, Rishita.