The Eco Club of Fazl Ali College (FAC) in Mokokchung district developed a straightforward low-tech solution by creating eco bricks out of plastic waste from homes to reduce the amount of waste being disposed into landfills as plastic pollution became the most urgent environmental issue due to an increase in the production, widespread use, and careless disposal of plastics.

The Eco Club was established in FAC in March 2019 with one coordinator and two members chosen by the Principal, in accordance with the directives of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Government of India, and the Nagaland Pollution Control Board. The club began with 19 students who joined freely and today has about 80 members, with alumni of the college continuing to participate in events from their separate locations.

Among many other projects the Eco Club of FAC has launched, the ‘Eco Bricks Project’ is one of the projects they have started on their own. Plastic waste are used to fill plastic bottles in order to reduce waste and these eco bricks are used to create modular structures such as planters, outdoor benches, structures, garden, etc for college campus beautification.

The club has also initiated a small kitchen garden within the College premise with the objectives of inculcating certain life-skills and also generating awareness about the importance of organic gardening among the young students. The garden started off successfully with the seeds and saplings donated by the student-members and the teachers of the Club. Teachers in the college buy vegetables from the Eco Club garden and with the money they receive, they buy more seeds for gardening.

“Eco club is a wonderful platform for students as well as teachers, free from the constraints of classroom and curriculum,” said Dr Temjensangla Pongener, Coordinator of Eco Club in FAC. “It is an opportunity to build attitude and encourage creativity which requires a set of values and feelings of concern for environment,” she added.

According to her, the club organizes ‘Santa’s Workshop’ every year before Christmas where ornaments and decorations are made from waste and as an extension services, they create awareness beyond the campus and have collaborated with Ethelbert hostellers of Tongdentsüyong ward Mokokchung, students of Government High School Mokokchung village, Clean Mokokchung Campaign and Christian Education Ministry Kumlong Baptist Arogo Church to keep the environment clean and free from plastics.

During the COVID-19 lockdown periods, Dr Temjensangla, along with the club members took responsibility to share awareness among children in their localities. They then received good responses from the children’s parents about them being responsible and taking initiative to collect even a small wrapper from outside their homes to fill plaster bottles for the project.

“We want to share the awareness with children and through their activities indirectly send a reminder to their parents to prepare a clean environment for their future,” said Dr Temjensangla on why the project is being taught to children instead of adults.

According to reports, the eco bricks gathered will also be utilised to build a structure in the Mokokchung town plaza that would be strategically placed. Fazl Ali College Mokokchung’s Eco club members encourage everyone to take an active role in preserving and enhancing the environment by sensing its pulse.

(WITH INPUT SOURCE)