Chennai: A 72-hour-long programme is planned by RJ Giri on a private FM radio on the theme – ‘Freedom from Plastic’ – from 13 to 15 August.
Many social activists and interesting live chats will take place in the marathon to create awareness among people about trash recycling and to keep them engaged as well.
“We already did an 111-hour-long programme regarding digitalisation and this time it is going to be about trash recycling. I will be hosting the three-day show. Many experts in this field will be called to give a solution for this and also we will go out and cover interesting people who do their bit to save our environment in unique ways,” Giri, who has a 2-hour morning show on Big FM, told ‘News Today’.
WHY THE THEME?
“Plastic has become a man’s material. So, avoiding it wholly is not a one-day thing. But, our real enemy is use-and-throw plastic. So, my motto for the show would be changing people’s concept of use-and-throw to use-and-reuse. We will also be speaking about budding trash collecting websites like kuppathotti.com which have been doing well collecting and getting rid of waste. Also, people should know where their trash goes and whether it is segregated and decomposes properly. All these may sound cinematic, since it is not a simple process. But if they know its importance, they will do it, which is what we are going to do with our show,” says Giri.
WAY TOO CHALLENGING
The show host explains, “In any show, that, too, in the radio medium, keeping people engaged is challenging, undoubtedly. In that case, to host a serious issue, that too for three full days, is not an easy task unless we add up interesting and humorous elements into it to grab listeners’ ears. At the same time, we should make sure that we do not lose the essence of the show. We will also keep posting the live chats / shows on Facebook and are expecting more responses through them.”
DO IT NOW
“We will be generating a lot of alternative ideas to handle trash and many experts will be called in. We are expecting a revolutionary movement from the government side from 2019. We are sure some changes will take place. If at all they don’t, rather than keep on expecting the changes, let us take responsibility and act,” says Giri with confidence.
One of the guests to take part in this awareness programme is the founder of EFI (Environmental Foundation of India), Arun Krishnamurthy.
In a discussion with ‘News Today’ about the to-be-aired show, Arun says, “Freedom from trash is a necessity because there is a huge impact from the non-recyclable trash in our daily lives. For, from the water we drink to any kind of material we eat, everything has a plastic impact. In fact, everyone is in the clutches of plastic. More than our using the plastic, plastic uses us ecologically and through economics in our daily life.”
WHY RADIO HAS MORE IMPACT?
“Radio programmes on environmental issues have more impact on people because they are mostly heard while travelling. By hearing, they can very well connect with their surroundings. The more they connect, the more they get engaged with and some among them will definitely translate their thoughts into action. Though they cannot give us a large number of audience, it has much more impact among people who matter,” says the environmentalist.
ECOSYSTEM ECONOMICS?
“There is a larger phenomenon called ecosystem economics. It can be simply explained as the number of damage you cause to environment is directly proportional to the cost that you incur in your life. For example, the number of trees that we cut, leads to lack of oxygen, thereby causing high amount of heat penetration and results in installation of air-conditioners. A similar theory is applied in trashes too. The more trash we generate, the more habitat we will lose due to the lands marked for dumping. Also, these polythene and other non-biodegradable waste cause water blockage which leads to local flooding which also can be counted among economic damage.
