Event was organised to mark World Environment Day
Students get set for the ‘Envithon' a run of 4-kilometre at Marina beach. (Photo: DC)
Chennai: About 500 school and college students from different districts of Tamil Nadu participated in ‘Envithon’ a run of 4-kilometre at Marina beach. The run was organised by Children’s Movement for Climate Justice (CMCJ) in association with Rotaract Club of Spectrum on Sunday to create awareness about environmental issues to mark World Environment Day among students.
Students from many districts, including Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Cuddalore, Tirupur, Virudhunagar and Chennai, participated in the run which commenced at 6.45 am from Labour statue and ended at Lighthouse on Marina Beach around 8 am.
S. Subhalakshmi, a college student from Sivakasi district, said she often participates in environmental events as she strongly supports the cause. “We need to create awareness among the future generation. Usually, I advise people to switch off unnecessary lights, not waste water and not to pollute the environment,” she added.
Dr John Devavaran, national convener of CMCJ, said following zero emission is actually not possible. He said, “But we are trying to make children aware of global warming and other environmental issues, as the impact will be on children and the future generation.”
The issue should be addressed in three ways, he said. The first step is adaptation - by which children need to be trained and made aware of various issues. The second step is mitigation - people need to be motivated to stop usage of plastics and other material which are hazardous for the environment.
The third step is advocacy. Policies framed by the government for industrial projects may have adverse effect on the environment. This, in turn, would affect child rights. Therefore, children can stop the policy-makers from making such policies.
“I am participating in the event for the first time. My environmental teachers motivated me and, so, I came here. I want a pollution-free India by 2020,” said S. Deepak, a 15-year-old student from Tirupur who travelled to Chennai to participate in the event.
29 tonnes of garbage picked up from coast:
In an initiative to create awareness for environmental impact of the increasing garbage footprint and health hazards of plastics, 5,500 volunteers cleaned up 29 tonnes of garbage from the beaches between Marina and Puducherry as part of the 6th edition of Chennai coastal clean up on Sunday.
Landmark Housing Project joined hands with Chennai Trekking Club for cleaning up the coastal region. The team was provided with all necessary materials like reusable gloves, reusable bags for garbage collection, transport and refreshment. They will hand pick visible garbage that mar the beaches.
In the initiative of Chennai corporation, 120 major corporates, NGOs, schools and other groups participated from 6 am to 9 am. The volunteers segregated garbage into three major categories which included 15 per cent glass, 38 per cent recyclable waste (plastics, sandals, cardboard, fishing nets) and 47 per cent non-recyclable waste. About 53 per cent of the total volume of the garbage collected is recycled by Earth recycler.
CTC has been organising the initiative for the past two months around the city to create awareness about the negative impact of plastics. These include flash mobs, street plays and mime at beaches, IT Parks and malls. Volunteers also created wall paintings at Marina and Tiruvanmiyur.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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