GREENLINE ANNOUNCES GREEN SCHOOL AWARDS

Mumbai, March 18, 2011: 18th March 2011 marked the conclusion of the first year of the GreenLine Project, as the winners of the Green Schools Campaign were announced. Twelve schools from across Mumbai participated in this campaign, which was launched in October 2010.
     

The programme began with an overview of the Green Schools campaign, followed by a session on waste management by Dr. Amiya Kumar Sahu (President, National Solid Waste Association of India). The winning schools were then announced and received the ‘Maschio Foundation Awards’ from Fr. Edwin D’Souza (Chairman, Maschio Foundation). They are: Greenest School: Sacred Heart High School, Vashi; Runner up: St. Dominic Savio High School, Andheri; Best New Initiative: St. Joseph’s High School, Wadala. Each of the winners then made a presentation on the green projects they are implementing in their schools.

  

Prof. Jürgen Kleinwächter, a renowned international solar energy expert from Germany, was also present for the programme. He explained that creative thinking is the basis for developing new technology, and encouraged the students to work towards sustainable development with both ‘heart’ and ‘intellect’. Another important event of the day was the release of the short film ‘Beautiful Earth ‘, produced by GreenLine.

  

The GreenLine project is an initiative of Don Bosco Development Society Mumbai, and was started in October 2010. The aim of GreenLine is to enable people in the city of Mumbai to adopt more environment-friendly lifestyles and to make ‘green’ choices. We have realized that there are many people who would like to make sustainable choices, but don’t know how to begin. That is where we come in—at GreenLine, we aim to help individuals and institutions to implement practical and cost-effective solutions to green their way of life.

ECOLOGY TRAINING CAMP HELD AT DBYS KARJAT

Karjat, March 12, 2011: A group of 17 persons (12 women and 5 men) from a tribal community in Dayasadan, Zankhvav, Surat, Gujarat attended a training program from 9th to 12th March 2011 at DBYS Karjat. The group was introduced and trained in the various environment friendly projects developed here.
   
The aim of the camp was to create an awareness of our responsibility to protect and care for nature, especially for the tribals - whose life is so connected with the environment. Besides this awareness, the camp also aimed at training the participants to use the environment in an eco-friendly way for social and financial empowerment. The basic mantra to achieve this would be Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle; with the punch line "Kachre Mein Paisa Hai"

    
In keeping with these fundamentals, the participants were introduced to the various eco-friendly projects such as the bio gas plant, bio compost, bio fertilizers, grey water recycling, kitchen waste recycling, paper recycling, plastic recycling, charcoal making, tapping solar energy, use of innovative 'chulas' to reduce pollution and eliminate cutting of large trees for cooking. All these projects have been developed at the centre. They were also introduced to innovative farming, like bottle garden, growing vegetables in sacs etc. An important aspect of the training programme was that the participants were not only given theory, but also ‘practicals’ so that they would be able to easily replicate these ideas in their villages.

WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATIONS AT KAWANT

Kawant, March 7, 2011: Women’s Day at Disha Don Bosco, Kawant, was celebrated on 7th March 2011. Members from almost all the Disha SHGs participated in the event—a total of more than 500 women. The day began with registration of the participants, followed by fete games organized by the Scouts and Guides of Don Bosco School, Kawant.

The games proved to be very exciting for these hard-working women, who enjoyed themselves thoroughly. It was interesting to note that those who were least ambitious ended up winning more games than anyone else!
 
In addition to the games, the staff of Disha Don Bosco also organized a Sickle Cell Awareness Programme, in which 380 women participated. This programme was conducted by Mrs. Sunita P. head of the Sickle Cell Awareness Programme for Kawant Taluka.
  
This was followed by a cultural programme and the announcement of the prizes for the Best Self Help Group and the Best Adivasi Group Dress. The winners of prizes for the Best SHG prize were Gayatri SHG from Jamli and Ramdevpir SHG from Limdi. The award for the Best Adivasi Group Dress went to Geeta SHG from Nanichickli.

   
The chief guest for the occasion, Mr. Milind Gupte (Regional Director of NABARD, Vadodara district), encouraged the women to take advantage of the various vocational training courses conducted by Disha Don Bosco and NABARD. Quoting the example of many Indian women who have achieved great success, he encouraged the women of Kawant to take up leadership positions and make use of the opportunities open to them.
    
This Women’s Day celebration was also an important event for the staff of Disha Don Bosco, as they have become the first NGO to register 50 SHG’s in the ‘Mangalam Project’ introduced as part of the Vibrant Gujarat 2011 programme. Women can make a difference in the life of the community, and Disha’s aim is to women to be the change we want to see in this beautiful world.