GreenWorks: An Eco-friendly Challenge By Students For Students

GreenWorks Competition was a city-wide project conducted by LEAP Initiative Bangalore in collaboration with numerous organisations such as Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWMRT), Rotary Indiranagar, Stonesoup, and Saahas. The competition took place from December until mid-January, with participation from numerous schools across Bangalore, including:

• The International School Bangalore (TISB)

• Greenwood High International School

• Inventure Academy

• GEAR Innovative International School

• Ekya ITPL

• Primus

• GEAR Hub

• Surana College

The aim of this project was to raise awareness about solid waste management and sustainability in students through the medium of a series of competitions, the details of which are given below, and on our website https://www.greenworks.leap-initiative.com/. We also posted updates about the competition periodically on our Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/leapinitiative/.

Spectrum

The first competition was “Spectrum”. This was aimed at students from grades 1 to 5. The contestants had to take used objects lying around the house, and use them to make art. They then recorded a short video of themselves talking about their submissions after completing the work and sent it in.

The entries were judged based on the creative use of waste material and artistic skill. We were extremely impressed with all the entries and found the creativity of the children to be extremely inspiring.

The prizes we awarded, along with snapshots of their work, are provided below:

1. First place: Shivangi Agarwal (also awarded an Amazon voucher of Rs. 1000)

2. Second place: Rita Thelesklaf (also awarded an Amazon voucher of Rs. 750)

3. Third place: Afiya Soudagar (also awarded an Amazon voucher of Rs. 500)

4. Honorable Mention 1: Samyukta Rao (also awarded an Amazon voucher of Rs. 250)

5. Honorable Mention 2: Medha J Varma (also awarded an Amazon voucher of Rs. 250)

6. Honorable Mention 3: Khanak Chaurasia (also awarded an Amazon voucher of Rs. 250)

Upgrade

Our second competition was “Upgrade”, for students from grades 6 to 8.

The contestants had to turn waste into something with a function (eg. a bag out of a newspaper).They could decorate it however they want, but the reused material must have formed the core of the submission.

The contestants submitted a video showing their creations in action, as well as pictures. The entries were judged based on the participants’ creativity and the function of the piece, as well as its appearance.

Once again, the entries were extremely innovative and interesting.

The prizes we awarded, along with snapshots of their work, are provided below:

1. First place: Gagan Nandeesha (also awarded an Amazon voucher of Rs. 1500)

2. Second place: Kaashiyaa Malli (also awarded an Amazon voucher of Rs. 1250)

3. Third place: Kundhavi Sudhan (also awarded an Amazon voucher of Rs. 1000)

Circular

Our final competition was a seven day composting challenge targeted towards students from grades 9 to 12.

Participants were required to collect biodegradable materials for a week, then over the next four weeks, tend to the waste and compost it.

Instructions on how to carry out aerobic composting were provided, but contestants who used materials other than those specified in the instructions and researched tips and tricks were regarded favourably.

Participants then took periodic pictures of their developing compost every day for the first week, then once a week until the compost was complete, and submitted it along with a short write-up of their experiences, research, and reflections throughout the challenge.

The entries were judged based on the materials added, adherence to the correct method, the final quality of the compost produced, as well as the write-up.

The winners of the competition were:

1. First place: Seongjoon Kang

2. Second place: Ishaan Bhargava

Both winners received the opportunity to intern with SWMRT.

Overall, the GreenWorks competition was a large success as we reached out to students across Bangalore and inculcated a habit of following sustainable practices and raised awareness about solid waste management.

Ms. Anuradha from SWMRT also had a few words to say about the initiative.

“I was very impressed with their skills in creating the Greenworks website and brainstorming the events. Really appreciate the efforts put in by the team in coming through with this project despite the challenges and the long duration from conceptualization to actually conducting the event.”

The submissions made by the participants in this project only inspired us to continue making a difference, while working with all our partner organisations provided us with an incredible learning opportunity. We certainly hope to continue creating such impact in our upcoming projects.