Environment Carnival: Solar-powered concert marks Earth Day

Solid Waste company launches mascots for future campaigns.

LAHORE:

A music concert, powered by solar energy, was organised at Aitchison College to mark the Earth Day on Friday.

Besides The Others, an amateur band with ‘youngest musicians in the country’, Lifebouyz, Poor Rich Boy and Akmal Qadri performed on the occasion. More than 70 schools participated in the day-long activities in connection with the Earth Day. These included recycling competitions, a walk and launch of three characters – Dibbu, Binny the Bin and Dumpy – Waste Busters plans to use as mascots for its future campaigns.

Students from schools had set up stalls displaying items they had made by recycling trash. STEP College had lamps and dresses the students had made by recycling plastic bottles, newspapers, wood and polyethene bags.

Aamna Kamran, a teacher at STEP College, said that environmental degradation would be the most pressing issue over the coming years. She said the children needed to be made aware of it so that they were more informed and prepared to tackle it once they grew up.

Students from Roshni School for Special Children displayed their paintings on the theme of importance of recycling garbage.

LGS Ghalib Market Branch won the best recycling school award and Laurel Bank the best 3D model award – for making the model of a city using waste products. A Laurel Bank teacher said the students had been working on the model for over a month.

Zille Mariam, a coordinator at Waste Buster’s, said that every area in the city had heaps of garbage left in open spaces. This, she said, was damaging the environment and health of the resident. She said if schools could be engaged in activities such as trash collection and recycling the problem could be solved within days.

Kurt Archer, Waste Buster s Customer Service Relations manager, said one of the objectives of the event was to educate youngsters about the benefits of renewable energy.

Other participating schools included Government Sanjan Nagar School and Government Girls Middle School Township.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2011.