At the second Good Air Summit organised by the Integrated Health and Wellbeing Council (IHWC) recently, 16 students were conferred with the title of 'Young Ambassadors of Good Air' for their initiatives to create awareness on air pollution.
Two of these 'good air ambassadors' are Delhi-based Prachi Oberoi (17) and Diyuti Jain (15) both busy working on a project related to endangered species worldwide under the Rotaract Club of Delhi Elite, these days.
"I am associated with the club as a pro-scholar (programme school ambassador). Here, I initiated this three-part project titled Save the Species. In Phase 1 - Awareness for Action, we asked people to create awareness about the endangered species through their social media platforms. Phase 2 will be a solution-based panel discussion and Phase 3 will be a quiz on the information gathered in Phase 1," says Oberoi, a Class-12 humanities student at Veda Vyasa DAV Public School, Vikaspuri.
"For this project, we took out details of endangered species of animals, birds and plants, and put it on the pro scholar website," adds Jain, an interactor at the club and a Class 10 student at Bal Bharati Public School, Sector 14, Rohini.
The two are working with a team of 50 on this project, and admit the experience has helped them grow as individuals and given them a direction towards working for saving the environment.
Oberoi says, "I wish to make a big change. I will study International Relations and do something for the environment. People just give speeches, which totally lack action. I want to change that." Environment as a subject doesn’t interest many, "which is evident from the low number of students who participate in environment-related activities at school", observes Jain.
Last year, Jain delivered a talk on the impact of burning garbage. "On Diwali, I came across a group of people bursting crackers, who despite my repeated request to stop. I came home crying, googled what I could do, and I came across a helpline number. I called on that number and requested them to visit the area, and that actually worked," she adds.
What are they doing for the environment as citizens?
"Last year, I got to know about single-use plastic and its ill effects. So, I started carrying a disposable bag with me for my litter, which has encouraged others to do the same. This year I will request my dear ones to sow a seed to encourage greenery as a gift to me on my birthday and I will also plant a tree on my birthday this year," says Oberoi.
And Jain dutifully waters all the plants in and around her house every day. "I make sure that the garbage is segregated and disposed into biodegradable and degradable bins," adds Jain.