A lot of people have argued that paper soon will become obsolete, what with the world going digital and all. But looking at the current state of affairs, that argument seems far from plausible. From our writing table to notebooks, posters to cardboard boxes to magazines, paper has become an indispensable part of our everyday lives.
Paper is made from trees, and every single part of the tree is either chopped up to make products or burned to create energy. If we could just recycle one morning newspaper every day, we could save 41,000 trees from being cut down and greatly reduce our carbon footprint. Recycling old paper products uses 60% less energy than manufacturing it from new materials.
To address the issue of paper wastage, Ritika Srivastava and Rishika Jaiswal from Earth5R Varanasi conducted Recycling and Environmental Awareness workshop at Varanasi. The program was organized in a slum near Bhelupur, Varanasi. The program focused on recycling paper, environmental health awareness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship.
The team provided the residents with livelihood skills by training them in making paper art. They educated the women and the children on environmental health issues that are on a rise on account of people’s unawareness and ignorance.
Through this program, the slum residents learned a new way through which they can reduce the waste that is accumulated. The children, as well as their parents who were present there for the workshop, went on to summon people from the nearby areas to attend the paper recycling session.
Team Earth5R urged the residents to take up entrepreneurship, for which Earth5R would provide the necessary training and supply chain to help them make their recycled products available in the market.
– Reported by Rishika Jaiswal. Edited by Shaivya Sahare.
