The theme of the fair was--Refuse, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.
Residents of The Belaire, an upscale condominium in Sector 54, Gurugram, are leaving no stone unturned to make their complex into a zero-waste community.
As part of the initiative, they organised a 'Green Haat' (Green Fair) on Sunday to create awareness among residents and also to encourage people to adopt greener lifestyles. The theme of the fair was--Refuse, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle.
More than 300 residents thronged the venue and were seen dressed in green resonating with the theme.
On the occasion, the 'Green Team Belaire' launched the 3-way segregation in society. A team of Alag Karo, Har Din Teen Bin of NGO Saahas, explained the attendees about the impact of mixed waste. They also informed the residents on how they can adopt the 3-way segregation according to SWM2016 act, along with various methods to minimize the generation of waste at the source and how to implement it at home.
According to the residents, there are five towers in the society and each tower will have three bins for Dry, Wet and Hazardous waste. They are providing training to all maids, domestic helps, housekeeping staffs and are keeping a tab so that no one is left. Until now the society has adopted the two bins policy for the dry and wet waste.
Ravina Sodhi, a child photographer by profession and member of Green Team Belaire said, "I met kids of different age group and find it very painful to see them suffering from diseases due to environmental degradation which is why we initiated the campaign in the society. Nowadays people are more educated but in the absence of available alternative tools, they cannot do much. With this, we aim to create more awareness, provide them alternative and encouraging them to take step towards sustainable living."
"Not just three-way but we are aiming for six-way segregation including, plastic, newspaper, and e-waste. We have joined hands with several NGOs who are working towards recycling of waste so that all the waste which can be recycled will be given to them so that we can achieve our aim of becoming a zero-waste community," informed Sodhi.
During the event, the society kids presented a musical skit highlighting the challenges of today's times and how changing our habits is so important. There was a workshop for children on recycling newspaper into paper bags and other useful items.
The fair also presented the opportunity for kids to swap their toys, stationery, and books with other kids of the society. The main aim of the exercise was to encourage children to reuse each other's toys. Also, a 'Dariyadil' corner for adults was also made, which encouraged the adults to donate things they no longer use.
The Haat was brimming with several stalls showcasing various eco-friendly, recyclable items and organic farm veggies promoting a sustainable lifestyle and healthy eating.
Kanika Burman, a resident of the said, "This is a good initiative by the Green Team Belaire. I had a wonderful time watching kids perform so beautifully, the skit is really an eye-opener for us. They explained how and what all things we are doing wrong on a daily basis and how much we need to contribute towards a better environment."
Ravina Sodhi, Sadhna Bohra Kumbhat, Niki Seth, Sheena Arora, Renu Seth, Anshu Daga, Madhulika Basak, Maneet Sawhney, Urvashi Bawa, Jayshree Agarwal and Archana Khosla are the members of Green Team Belaire.
