MEET OUR TEAM!
members of the team
1. TASNEEM KANCHWALLA - Photographer, food waste researcher, meeting coordinator
2. SANJANA IYER - GROUP LEADER, web & report editor, communication manager
3. MANSHA NIGAM - Budget analyst, workshop coordinator, waste disposal researcher
4. NISHITA BAJAJ - Corporate best practice hunter, visual effects
5. HRISHITAA RAMCHANDRAN - Proposal editor, impact researcher, field visit manager
INTRODUCTion
In 2016, the worlds' cities generated 2.01 billion tonnes of solid waste, amounting to a footprint of 0.74 kilograms per person per day. With rapid population growth and urbanization, annual waste generation is expected to increase by 70% from 2016 levels to 3.40 billion tonnes in 2050. This is, by no means, acceptable and that is why we have stepped forward to make a change and spread awareness about this crucial topic in today's world, to the very best of our abilities. We hope that we can change the mind of people, no matter how few, for the better. Everyone is capable of change.
We believe that solutions come from awareness, action, active follow-ups and governance. To that end, our research has looked at these aspects, and our proposed action plan lays out steps to progress along each of these axes.
Our effort to make a difference has been resoundingly supported by our Principal, Mrs. Kalyani Patnaik, who has approved our proposal to institute a new protocol for waste management. She has gone even further and added an element of fun and competition to it, so that the initiative does not become a one-time intervention as an outcome of this study, but may be sustained over the course of many years, and even becomes a regular part of everyone’s school life at HFS.
This report also does a comparative analysis of the methods used by our school vs. those used by the Nehalenneia school in the Netherlands, and suggests lessons for each to take from the other, in the spirit of incorporating multicultural perspectives and using our unique experiences to learn from each other.
"There is no such thing as 'away', when we throw anything away, it must go somewhere"
- Annie Louise Leonard, American proponent of sustainability & critic of consumerism.
We believe that solutions come from awareness, action, active follow-ups and governance. To that end, our research has looked at these aspects, and our proposed action plan lays out steps to progress along each of these axes.
Our effort to make a difference has been resoundingly supported by our Principal, Mrs. Kalyani Patnaik, who has approved our proposal to institute a new protocol for waste management. She has gone even further and added an element of fun and competition to it, so that the initiative does not become a one-time intervention as an outcome of this study, but may be sustained over the course of many years, and even becomes a regular part of everyone’s school life at HFS.
This report also does a comparative analysis of the methods used by our school vs. those used by the Nehalenneia school in the Netherlands, and suggests lessons for each to take from the other, in the spirit of incorporating multicultural perspectives and using our unique experiences to learn from each other.
"There is no such thing as 'away', when we throw anything away, it must go somewhere"
- Annie Louise Leonard, American proponent of sustainability & critic of consumerism.
PLAN OF ACTION
- Survey - understanding our students’ perspectives on the topic
- Interviews with key people in the school system - what is being done today?
- Expert feedback from the city’s waste management department officials - what are the recommended best practices?
- Field visit of a local housing society - understand its advanced implementation of waste composting methods
- Studying the methods of our international partner school - understand practices in other countries
- Prior work review - how have initiatives taken by the school in the past worked?
- Literature review - how are things being done in schools worldwide? What is the effect of excess waste? How is solid waste to be managed? What solutions exist?
- Case studies - how do companies and housing societies manage waste?
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSISDATA COLLECTION - a MULTIPRONGED APPROACHSURVEYWe conducted the interview/survey in two parts - an interview, and a questionnaire (with the assistance of Google Forms). The questionnaire was sent to children of our school (HFS), from ages 6 to 15, i.e. grade 1 - 12. The responses we received were numerous and varied in multiple aspects. The questions were as follows:
INTERVIEWThe reason we chose the following questions were to test the following aspects in a general student on average regarding waste management - awareness level, general quantity of waste production, ease of waste management, active efforts, current state of implementation by the school, areas or strength, areas of improvement, and lastly, adoptable practices.
We also conducted an interview, with our very own Principal, Mrs. Kalyani Patnaik. She gave us a lot of useful insight on the topic, and the works of it in our school. ACTION RESEARCHField Study - Procedures in Housing Societies
We visited a housing society of about a 100 apartments which had an effective, running waste segregation and composting process. We studied this process and analysed whether any of it could be replicated in our school. We found the following as being practised:
ANALYSIS OF DATA:Of the 35 responses we received on the google form, majority of the responders were from grades 5th - 9th. This ensures us that the questions were understood by the recipients. The answers received were such
From our analysis, and the results of our various methods, we find:
RECOMMENDATIONSWe have learnt from each other. Therefore, we have two types of recommendations - for our school and for our partner school:
PROPOSAL TO THE PRINCIPALAs an important actionable output of this project, we identified specific recommendations, the type of materials required from the market and the estimated cost of implementing our recommendations. We presented this formally to our Principal, in the form of a budgetary proposal.
Our key requests to the school are:
Waste Segregation - a New Protocol!
We have successfully initiated SEVERAL new activities in our school Post-COVID School - Waste Management Protocol
Given the new waste-management challenges created by COVID-19, we have proposed and gotten acceptance from our Principal for a new protocol to manage masks and such other bio-waste that will be continually generated hereafter. EXCHANGE OF LEARNINGCollaborations can open up new perspectives. This collaboration with Nehalennia by the means of EUMIND has definitely been productive and immensely eye-opening. We see the value of things we would pass off on a daily basis. The amount of waste generated on a daily basis, how it can not be reduced, but also put to good use - It is coming to our realisation now. Also, due to the opportunity EUMIND has given us, we got to meet with our school staff, the Dutch school, other EUMIND groups, with housing societies, corporations, craft teachers, and even the government officials!
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NEW TROPHY CREATION AND RECYCLING WORKSHOP
In this initiative, our team will be creating a papier-mache based trophy/shield which will be engraved with the words, “Class with the Best Waste Management Practice”. This will be presented to the deserving classroom on each assembly day, as a rolling felicitation and a coveted prize that students vie for.
FULL REPORT:
CONCLUSION
The EUMIND Project was an invaluable learning experience for our team as it provided us with an opportunity to positively impact our school community. On approaching the project from multiple perspectives, we realized that we had the power to be ‘influencers’ - to transform the thought processes of young citizens belonging to our age group.
Taking cues from our Principal, our partner school, the industry and case studies based on behaviour patterns of members of housing societies, we proposed and implemented several improvement measures to curb the production of waste. We undertook efforts to educate people about the effective segregation of waste, thereby leading to installation of additional dustbins in every classroom and apartment complex. We also learnt that working in a team, albeit through virtual interactions, could be fun.
To sum up, we believe that our endeavour was successful, since we managed to effect small but impactful changes in the way our school manages waste. During the course of our research, we gathered substantial data about prevalent processes, the far-reaching consequences on the ecosystem resulting out of the mismanagement of waste and more importantly, we understood some effective solutions to curb the production of waste.
By means of this project, we hope to adopt some of these changes in our lifestyles and to encourage those around us to do the same. At this stage, even the smallest of things can make a big difference to the future and will help to restore the environment to its former sanctity and beauty. If we do not raise our voices now, ours will forever remain a voice in the wilderness.
Taking cues from our Principal, our partner school, the industry and case studies based on behaviour patterns of members of housing societies, we proposed and implemented several improvement measures to curb the production of waste. We undertook efforts to educate people about the effective segregation of waste, thereby leading to installation of additional dustbins in every classroom and apartment complex. We also learnt that working in a team, albeit through virtual interactions, could be fun.
To sum up, we believe that our endeavour was successful, since we managed to effect small but impactful changes in the way our school manages waste. During the course of our research, we gathered substantial data about prevalent processes, the far-reaching consequences on the ecosystem resulting out of the mismanagement of waste and more importantly, we understood some effective solutions to curb the production of waste.
By means of this project, we hope to adopt some of these changes in our lifestyles and to encourage those around us to do the same. At this stage, even the smallest of things can make a big difference to the future and will help to restore the environment to its former sanctity and beauty. If we do not raise our voices now, ours will forever remain a voice in the wilderness.
REFLECTION
SANJANA IYER -
I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with new people - our school staff, members of other teams, government officials etc. over the course of this project. It has also given us the wonderful chance to meet, though virtually, with our Dutch counterpart from Nehalennia school. It helped us meet people living almost on the other side of the world, seven thousand kilometres away. Through its multiple challenges and speed breakers, EUMIND has proven our leadership and problem solving ability fruitful. I am also thankful for the time I got to spend together with my waste management group. I loved the interaction with the members of other teams within our own school. It was a truly enriching experience.
This project also helped bring to light the fact that things we normally look over can have a big impact. By going digital for one year, we have saved over 105 trees and 1.5 million pages!
The power even the tiniest voices have is good enough to impact institutions as large as schools. It was an impressive outcome, in my view, despite the logical and operational constraints. I am immensely grateful to all the people who have helped us along the way, including our own Principal, Mrs. Kalyani Patnaik ma'am. It was, overall, an amazing learning opportunity.
I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with new people - our school staff, members of other teams, government officials etc. over the course of this project. It has also given us the wonderful chance to meet, though virtually, with our Dutch counterpart from Nehalennia school. It helped us meet people living almost on the other side of the world, seven thousand kilometres away. Through its multiple challenges and speed breakers, EUMIND has proven our leadership and problem solving ability fruitful. I am also thankful for the time I got to spend together with my waste management group. I loved the interaction with the members of other teams within our own school. It was a truly enriching experience.
This project also helped bring to light the fact that things we normally look over can have a big impact. By going digital for one year, we have saved over 105 trees and 1.5 million pages!
The power even the tiniest voices have is good enough to impact institutions as large as schools. It was an impressive outcome, in my view, despite the logical and operational constraints. I am immensely grateful to all the people who have helped us along the way, including our own Principal, Mrs. Kalyani Patnaik ma'am. It was, overall, an amazing learning opportunity.
MANSHA NIGAM -
Giving me the opportunity to be a part of the EUMIND project is something I can't thank our school, Hiranandani Foundation School, enough for. It has been challenging, demanding, and informative at every step. It honed my planning techniques, polished my research methodology and pushed my organising skills to a new level. It has broadened my knowledge of the waste management system in my school and India.
Lastly, EUMIND was introduced to us during the lockdown, and it taught me how to manage the project in spite of certain limitations and constraints, with the problems and struggles that came along with it, and the online medium we have all been forced to use.
All in all, EUMIND was an adventure - an adventure I would gladly be a part of again!
Giving me the opportunity to be a part of the EUMIND project is something I can't thank our school, Hiranandani Foundation School, enough for. It has been challenging, demanding, and informative at every step. It honed my planning techniques, polished my research methodology and pushed my organising skills to a new level. It has broadened my knowledge of the waste management system in my school and India.
Lastly, EUMIND was introduced to us during the lockdown, and it taught me how to manage the project in spite of certain limitations and constraints, with the problems and struggles that came along with it, and the online medium we have all been forced to use.
All in all, EUMIND was an adventure - an adventure I would gladly be a part of again!
HRISHITAA RAMCHANDRAN -
I acquired skills to collaborate effectively with my peers of diverse backgrounds. In the course of the project, I discovered certain aspects of my own personality which were earlier unknown to me - such as being open to all viewpoints. Earlier I was a bit reticent and reluctant to socialise. However being a part of a dynamic group of like- minded individuals, I discovered that I could easily lead conversations and put my views across convincingly.
Working on the EUMIND project has been an eye-opener in many ways- and not just about our duty to preserve the environment.
I acquired skills to collaborate effectively with my peers of diverse backgrounds. In the course of the project, I discovered certain aspects of my own personality which were earlier unknown to me - such as being open to all viewpoints. Earlier I was a bit reticent and reluctant to socialise. However being a part of a dynamic group of like- minded individuals, I discovered that I could easily lead conversations and put my views across convincingly.
Working on the EUMIND project has been an eye-opener in many ways- and not just about our duty to preserve the environment.
NISHITA BAJAJ -
EUMIND, for me, was an incredibly fulfilling experience. Waste management is an increasingly relevant issue in today's day and age. We cannot 'use and throw' anymore. The time has come to ban single use plastic and introduce stringent measures to avoid waste production, promote reduce, reuse and recycle. Also, it has taught me to introduce means for efficient segregation methods. Most of our learning happens in school, hence we must learn to produce lesser waste, and properly dispose of all the waste produced there.
EUMIND has enabled us to introduced many new initiatives to our school, sensitising the students to the dire need of efficient waste management. EUMIND helped us fulfil an important responsibility towards our school, and our planet.
For this, I would like to thank EUMIND, our school, HFS, our teachers and guides, as well as my fellow group members.
EUMIND, for me, was an incredibly fulfilling experience. Waste management is an increasingly relevant issue in today's day and age. We cannot 'use and throw' anymore. The time has come to ban single use plastic and introduce stringent measures to avoid waste production, promote reduce, reuse and recycle. Also, it has taught me to introduce means for efficient segregation methods. Most of our learning happens in school, hence we must learn to produce lesser waste, and properly dispose of all the waste produced there.
EUMIND has enabled us to introduced many new initiatives to our school, sensitising the students to the dire need of efficient waste management. EUMIND helped us fulfil an important responsibility towards our school, and our planet.
For this, I would like to thank EUMIND, our school, HFS, our teachers and guides, as well as my fellow group members.
TASNEEM KANCHWALLA -
It's been a great journey and a fun project amid the pandemic. We have made a lot of memories, albeit virtually and gained a new perspective on how waste management can be implemented with simple steps at the lowest level in our homes, schools, etc. The insights from our school Principal and her commitment towards addressing the issue of waste management was very encouraging and motivating. This project helped me identify solutions to a very prevalent problem in the world today which is Waste management. I surely learnt a lot from this experience and was amazed at the capability of all teams
It's been a great journey and a fun project amid the pandemic. We have made a lot of memories, albeit virtually and gained a new perspective on how waste management can be implemented with simple steps at the lowest level in our homes, schools, etc. The insights from our school Principal and her commitment towards addressing the issue of waste management was very encouraging and motivating. This project helped me identify solutions to a very prevalent problem in the world today which is Waste management. I surely learnt a lot from this experience and was amazed at the capability of all teams