February 23-24, 2023, Gangtok: ENVIS Hub at Forest and Environment Department, Government of Sikkim organized a two-day peer educator’s workshop on Zero Waste Initiatives on 23rd and 24th February 2023 at Forest Conference Hall, Deorali, Gangtok. The workshop was participated by 120 students and 60 teachers from 60 schools/ colleges across the State. The programme was conducted as a part of Mission LiFE – Lifestyle for Environment campaign (2022-2028) under the Environment Education Programme (EEP) supported by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The zero waste mantra of Reflect-Switch-Demand based on toolkits focusing on waste and brand auditing and 12 key steps for zero waste developed by Zero Waste Himalaya was broadly elaborated amongst the participants by the subject expert Ms. Priyadarshinee Shrestha. School teachers and the students were provided zero waste skills to enable them to further engage with eco-clubs, youth clubs etc at their schools and colleges with hands-on DIY activities for making zero waste possible. It was envisaged to minimize waste at source through lifestyle choices to minimize and negate the impact on landfill. The workshop also motivated the students to be agents of change and pass on their reflections and demand positive action at the community level. As a support to this initiative, Forest and Environment Department provided token grant of Rs.5000/- each to the participating schools/ colleges along with other resource materials.
The inaugural session had the presence of Shri B.B Gurung IFS, Director (ENVIS) cum Nodal Officer (EEP-Eco-Club Programme), Smt Kusum Gurung, Joint Director (ENVIS) and Shri Rajen Pradhan, Senior Programme Officer (ENVIS) as other speakers.
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