Connecting with the youth and students from various parts of the country, virtually, on the issue of elimination of Single-Use Plastic (SUP), Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav on Monday said one of the most important climate actions that one can take individually is to bring in conscious changes to his lifestyles.
Stressing that there is no Planet B, Yadav reminded that "what we have is not a parental property rather a loan from our future generations."
Emphasising on public participation for success in mission to manage plastic waste and reduce single use plastics, Yadav administered the Green Pledge to the students and youth who had joined the virtual webinar from across the country.
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Also present on the occasion was Minister of State, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, a release from the ministry said.
Keeping in view the clarion call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to phase out single use plastics by 2022, "Awareness programmes to avoid the use of single use plastics" has been identified as one of themes for the Iconic Week celebrations of the MoEFC under 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' from October 4 to 10.
Behavioural change is one of the most important and effective tool to move towards avoiding the use of single use plastics, which have low utility and high littering potential and students and youth are the key change makers towards bringing about behavioural change in the society, the release said.
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The webinar had students and youth from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra sharing their experiences on the actions they take took in their communities to reduce plastic waste and single use plastic.
The students and youths pledged to do their best to protect earth and its natural environment, minimise waste generation, practice reuse, avoid single-use plastic materials, use cloth bags instead of plastic bags, clean-up the environment, plant more trees, conserve energy and water.
As part of Iconic week celebrations on awareness programme for avoiding single use plastics, the states and union territories have been requested to take up awareness activities, targeting school students and youth, citizens and citizens groups, industry, market associations, involving urban local bodies and gram panchayats.
The regional and subordinate offices/ institutions/bodies associated with the Ministry shall also undertake awareness generation activities on single use plastics to have pan India presence.
