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All Out To Recycle : The Eco Brigade
Recycling paper is one of the many steps
towards forest conservation and environmental degradation – we all talk
about it, but how many of us really get down to doing anything about it?
The Eco Brigade shows the way
Ancient
Egyptians took the first steps towards inventing paper when they
made, what we call today, Papyrus. Papyrus scrolls We have now reached a stage, where despite the ecological and human cost of paper production we continue to misuse and throw vast amounts of this resource after minimum use. We are also aware of the vast potential that exists to recycle much of the wasted paper. If paper is recycled the amount of waste going to landfill is reduced and less timber is used. Managing our insatiable demand for timber should reduce the need to clear old growth forests, rich in biodiversity, which must instead be protected from commercial logging. In terms of environmental pollution and energy consumption, recycled paper compares favourably with the production of wood-based pulp made by chemical or mechanical means. As fresh wood fibres are needed to guarantee paper recycling, so recycled paper and forest products complement each other both ecologically and economically. Eco Student’s Initiative
In
a move towards becoming environment friendly and to recycle paper to
save trees, an eco school St. Francis College, with Mr. L Venkatshwarulu, DM, Jhansi, inaugurated the machine. He urged upon the students, the future technologists, to work towards appropriate technologies relevant to the environment upgradation; to evolve an effective mechanism for transfer of technology from laboratories to the field; he also felicitated Development Alternatives for its outstanding contribution. After the inauguration, the evaluation of the models in the exhibition was carried out, students had made attractive and informative models focussing on different environment related problems like water pollution, ground water declination, air pollution, improper solid waste disposal etc, they also put forth their solutions like water testing and treatment, rain water harvesting and proper solid waste management. The models judged best were awarded. Students also demonstrated how to recycle paper and to make attractive products out of it. Apart from students, teachers and principals of all eco member schools, officials from UPPCB, Jhansi Municipal Corporation and other representatives working in the environment field were also present. The primary goal in installing the machine was to encourage students and to expand environment awareness in the community on a product that is both an environment friendly and economically viable alternative to traditional paper. Also there has to be awareness of deforestation and the role trees play in helping prevent global warming, as issues of concern for both the consumer and the building industry. Therefore, using hand made recycled paper has remarkable practical, as well as significant environmental advantages. Creating recycled paper uses less energy and water than pulping virgin trees and it reduces water and air pollution compared to the virgin paper-making process. This is just one more step forward for the eco brigade to save the environment. q Divya Sharma |
were made by taking slices of the inner part of the papyrus stem,
flattening it, then pounding it into a hard, thin sheet. The word paper
comes from the word papyrus. Paper itself was invented by Ts’ai Lun in
A.D. 105. It is believed that he mixed hemp, mulberry bark and rags with
water, mashed it into pulp, pressed out the liquid and hung it to dry
in the sun. Paper was thus born and this humble mixture would mark the
beginning of one of mankind’s greatest communication revolutions.
the support of Fondation Ensemble, a Community Action and
Sustainable Development Programme, installed a TARA Mini Paper Recycling
Unit (TMPRU) at Jhansi, the inaugural ceremony of which was held on
Thursday 13, July 2006. Alongside, there was an interschool competitive
model exhibition on the theme - Environment: degrading conditions and
your contributions to upgrade it.