By Sahasra Prem Shankar
The Environmental Foundation of India (EFI), an NGO working on the conservation of water bodies, organised several engaging workshops in May, highlighting various ways in which the environment can be conserved. These workshops, focusing on various topics of environment and sustainability, engaged the crowd through interesting activities and gave the participants an opportunity to express their creative side.
“With these activities, EFI aims to educate people about environmental issues and the actions that can be taken to combat them. We want people of all age groups to be curious about their surroundings, and this is a great way to welcome them to that journey. Our hands-on fun-filled workshop activities help in the retention of the awareness that we aim to propagate,” said Diksha Mahesh, one of the organisers of the workshop.
‘Bag It Right’ – an eco bag-making workshop, was the first in the series, aimed to promote sustainability. The volunteers actively engaged in making paper bags by upcycling old newspapers. “This workshop aimed to provide a practical demonstration of sustainable practices and inspire the participants to incorporate eco-friendly habits into their daily lives,” added Diksha.
Their next workshop, ‘Bottle Bling’, used glass bottles collected from the beach cleanup activities undertaken by EFI, across Chennai. These items, which would have otherwise been thrown in the trash, were upcycled into beautiful colourful works of art by the participants. The workshop concluded with the screening of ‘Lakes of Chennai’, a documentary that is part of EFI’s latest project, ‘Hydrostan’. The project highlights the stories of every lake, river, and stepwell and spotlights ‘Hydro-warriors’.
In view of World Bicycle Day (June 3), they conducted the ‘Eco Wheels Escapade’ on June 1. The participants indulged in an eco-tour on bicycles, around the streets of Besant Nagar, learning new and interesting facts about the flora and fauna around them. The event aimed to engage with our environment which has been casually glanced at for many years, and get to know it in greater depth.
To know more about EFI, their workshops and to volunteer, contact 89258 58058, 89258 58059. https://indiavolunteer.org/.
