A design to save forests

NAGPUR: Who says youngsters are not upbeat over contributing towards social awareness. For some of city’s budding fashion designers, making eco-friendly bags is more compelling than designing trendsetting flashy clothes.
The postgraduate students of fashion-designing department from LAD College have pledged to ensure implementation of the ban on plastic bags.After wrapping up their routine classes, the young girls stay back in college for hours – busy stitching biodegradable green bags for the state’s forest department.
The initiative took its first step on International Day of Forests — celebrated last month — when a group of around 30 students designed more than 100 environment-friendly bags for the forest department. Making the best use of their creativity, these students also made special theme-based paper bags, each one carrying a social message related to environment protection.
“We are using natural and biodegradable fabric like jute and cotton for making the green bags. As the forest department will be handing over these bags to tourists at wildlife sanctuaries, we are trying to make them very handy and spacious so that bottles and other things can be kept inside them,” said Sanika Pimpale, a student.
She added that with this project the students hope that people will not litter around and will discard plastic bags permanently. “It is really unfortunate that despite the ban, they are still in use. When we have a better replacement, why not go for it,” said Pimpale.
Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) for Nagpur circle Shailesh Temburnikar said that involving youngsters is the most effective way of spreading social awareness in the society. He added that to generate employment in joint forest management committee members, the department is also planning to provide a source of livelihood to women living in forest areas.
“We are also planning to organize a training programme in which the students will train local women in making these bags. The bags stitched by them can be used widely and they can sell them in the local markets. This will ensure steady revenue for the villagers and at the same time, will save the environment from hazardous plastic bags,” added Temburnikar.
Talking about the multiple uses of eco-friendly bags, vice principal of LAD College Harsha Jharia said that green bags can be the best replacement of their plastic counterparts. “The jute bags can also be used widely for plant germination. Instead of putting seeds and mud in plastic bags, biodegradable material should be used. The best part is that these bags are very economical and easy-to-make,” she added.
The senior academician added that such projects motivate youngsters to think about social concerns and also instill values in them. “I am happy that these girls will to different villages to train local women. It is field trips like these which teach them something that books simply cannot. Education is not just about sticking to the syllabus, it is also about moral development and social awareness,” she said.