'Green-ly' ever after

It's been more than a year since the launch of Project Environ. And six months since its completion! Time really does fly! And yet, the green has never gone out of my life after Environ.

During the course of my project, my Project Manager invited me to contribute to her company's monthly newsletter. I am the author of a column titled 'Ecofacts' which appears in every issue. I am very grateful to my PM for giving me this wonderful opportunity!

I am going to begin college later this month- I will be majoring in economics. Of course, my deep interest in environmental issues will still continue! My college has an eco-club which I am eager to join. I will continue to spread the green message to as many people as I can!

Go green!

The end?

Environ has been a long and interesting journey- and an integral part of my life for the past few months! I'm already missing planning new initiatives and interacting with my Project Manager on a daily basis. It seems quite unbelievable that Environ has ended.

Yet, I wonder if it really is the end. I'm positive I will continue spreading the message to go green and keep in touch with developments in the field. Hopefully, the initiatives I launched in my school will have a lasting impact and encourage more students to take part in environment-related activities!

Go green! 

My learnings

Environ has taught me so much ever since I launched it. Here are some of the most important takeaways:


Planning

I’ve never realized it until now, but planning and sticking to the plan is actually a very good idea! My workbook has served as a guide for me to keep notes about my project progress and ideas from my project manager. The workbook has given me a complete idea of how to plan a project- it’s also bringing in a little more order into my haphazard study schedules!

Communication
Throughout my project, I’ve had to reach out to a lot of people- my teachers for permission, students for participation and volunteering, my project manager for ideas and planning... It’s a lot of work! I’ve learnt to communicate effectively during the course of my project- be it through phone, email or face-to-face!

Coordination

Each of my initiatives involved getting different groups of people together for a common cause. A lot of convincing and adjusting was needed (the risk management bit came in handy here)! In fact, in my final initiative of being in charge of the ‘Environment’ section of my school project was to do almost entirely with coordination! Sticking to my deadlines was also difficult- everything seemed to come in the way to prevent me from meeting them! Coordination was a valuable skill I picked up.

About going green!

Thanks to all my research before the project, I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about being environmentally friendly. It’s helped me make some ‘green’ changes in my own life as well!

Writing and blogging

 environconsciousness is my first blog- and I’m very proud of it! Managing and updating the blog regularly has given me a thorough understanding of this form of social media.  The Green Newsletter and the blog have sharpened my writing skills. I sifted through and summarized large chunks of material while compiling the newsletter, which taught me how to edit information quickly and precisely.

And most importantly... leadership!

The very objective of taking up a community service project as part of the iLive2Lead programme was to hone my leadership skills. I am happy to say that Environ gave me the opportunity to do all of the above and much more! I was also made the Environment Monitor of my school!

Go green!

Survey results

The results are out- and they look promising! Almost all the students surveyed had participated or heard about at least one of my activities- I found the most successful ones to be the display board with green tips and the newsletter Environ on the school website.


It is heartening to know that my project has had the desired impact on the target population. A small step towards a more eco-friendly planet!


Go green!

Survey

The last item on my Grand Plan is to conduct a survey to find out the change in eco-awareness levels of the students in my school. I have sent out the questionnaires, and I'm very eager to see the results. I hope there's an improvement- keeping fingers crossed!

Go green!

Sustainability: Industries and Renewable Energy

The past three days have been incredible- the project went off very well! Several students from different schools visited our section. Here are some snapshots:

Our theme- "Sustainability: Industry and Renewable Energy"

A front view of the model of a village run by a Bagasse plant. The entire model was made only out of eco-friendly materials!

Go green!

About the project

The project date is approaching! Here's what the Environment section of the Economics department has lined up:

The concept behind all the models and displays is sustainability, which is a key lesson to learn from the past. There is one display that depicts the theme in a Venn diagram.

1. Self-sustained village with bagasse plant: One still model showing a sugarcane-producing village that has a bagasse plant which uses the waste material of the juice extraction factory to meet the energy needs of the entire village (as well as the factory), and one display about the economic and environmental benefits of such a model.

2. Heliodome: One chart describing this very recent concept that involves using the sun's energy to run homes and industries throughout the winter.

3. Wind energy: One working model and one chart about windmills and traditional methods of harnessing wind power.

4. Lessons from the past to preserve the environment and save money: A sequence of six wall displays that give tips to live an eco-friendly life without spending too much money.

A lot of effort has gone into the preparation of the exhibits an the entire team is very excited!

Go green!