Chennai: Going by the UN’s theme, “Beat the plastic pollution,” several private firms, NGOs, individuals and RWAs in Chennai have adopted various strategies in silo to curb the plastic usage and manage the garbage.
Yet, the infamous dump yards in the city are ever and overflowing with waste.
Living in a metro city which is bustling with activities every day, need we talk about the amount of waste that goes to landfill? Certainly not! All we require is something quick and cheap, and we decide to use whatever is available without bothering about the consequences.
But, having all this in mind and going beyond spreading ideas, TEDx Thiruvanmiyur is setting an example to citizens by going zero waste. Recently, the newly-formed team organised its first ever live event in the city. ‘News Today‘ caught up with the team to know more.
Talking of the inception, Veena Balakrishnan, curator and license holder of TEDx Thiruvanmiyur, said, “We all are what we are today, probably the last few years of watching TED talks has transformed the way we think and act. Ideas are aplenty in our community which can inspire and transform lives. When our team sat together and brainstormed as to how this can be taken to the public, we decided to have our own TEDx chapter.”
Well, is it just about spreading ideas? Certainly not! Realising the impact of hazardous waste, Veena, who got married recently made sure her wedding was clean and green.
To spread the idea and concept, the personally inspired woman entrepreneur organised a zero waste TEDx event.
“We believe we will be able to create an impact when we show it in action and that is how we came up with the concept of generating zero waste,” said Nikhil Ravi, a team member.
Digital posters and invites; check. Eco-friendly and limited goodies; check. Bamboo cutlery; check. And this is how they went plastic-free.
The consumption of resources was consciously reduced and the goodie bag items were curated going along the lines of reducing plastic where the participants selected what they want from a wide-range of products.
Post-event, we took the responsibility of managing our waste and did not send a thing to the landfill, added the 26-year-old Nikhil.
“All the TED talks are usually recorded and uploaded on YouTube but it is the experience for which people shell out money to attend the events. We ensured we conveyed the message of being environment-friendly in a subtle manner and we will continue doing it,” added Veena.