Bangalore: “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that somebody else will save it,” says Robert Swan, a world famous environmentalist. Swan was in the town to promote recycling of cartons, an initiative called 'cartons to classrooms' by a few corporate houses. Through the initiative, the recycled goods will further be converted into furniture for underprivileged schools in the city.
As the environmentalist made his entry on a cycle, about 200-300 children thronged towards him. Children from various schools have joined hands to recycle one lakh cartons and Robert Swan encouraged the children by narrating some of his expeditions and experiences to save the planet from issues like global warming. He also enlightened the children on the strengths of renewable energy like wind and solar power. He also pointed out the poor condition of river Ganga and shared his experience of being at the spot where river Ganga originated from and laments that the place remains without any water today.
The Englishman stood under the hot sun with the children and explained the threats that the world is facing today. Swan is not new to Bangalore and he has been here on numerous occasions. Speaking exclusively to City Express, Swan says, "The only difference that I witness this time in Bangalore is more trash than before." On the recent garbage menace and the court's take on the grim situation, he said, "I have been following the ongoing issue and it is good that some strict actions are about to follow."
Swan, the man who set his foot on both South and North poles said, "Even Antartica has a lot of trash. Once we got a ship and carried all the trash to South America for recycling."
A 20-foot tall mega structure was constructed in Phoenix Mall, Whitefield to hold the cartons collected by the students and other participants. On his association with the initiative, he said, "I decided to come forward to support the cause because these corporate houses are doing a fabulous job. This is what we need in this country as I am not very sure of the attitudes of the political leaders. Having personally visited landfills and studied the paper waste stream in India, I know the importance of educating people about recycling. As the cartons are made primarily of paper, they need to be segregated for recycling.”
Local ‘Junk Band’ Thaalavattam enthralled those gathered with an engaging performance using recycled material. Adding their unique flavour to the occasion was Delhi-based theatre troupe Avante Garde, with their street play to promote carton recycling.
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