Volvo Project- How we began

Beginning of the project

After coming from the office, my father called me in his room. I asked him the reason for calling me. "I have got a nice project for you. I hope you will like it and be interested in doing the project", my father said. Tell me about the project, I asked my father. He explained " If you are aged between 10 and 16, and feel passionately about the environment, here is your chance - Volvo India has an offer youngsters simply cannot refuse - an environmentalists award for youngsters. Students need to do is a set a mission, team up with four like-minded classmates and get the teacher or parents to support the vision and devise a project that would make a difference to the environment and implement it. After implementing the project, the students have to log on to www.volvooceanadventure.org and enter the action zone that will enable students to present the project to the world web. The last date to post the project is March 31,2002. After judging at the national level, the winning team will travel to Gothenburg, Sweden for the next level of evaluation where students from around the world will participate. Apart from prizes ranging from USD 4000 to 10,000, the winner will get recognition from the environmentalists all over the world."

"That's a good project to do and I am interested in doing the project - not because of the money I will get on wining the prize but because through the project I shall learn several aspects of environment preservation for the future generations." I said. " More so, as a natural leader of my class I would be able to lead the classmates and friends for the success of the project and creating involvement for the environment" I elaborated. 

Seeing my interest, father advised me to make a group of five children. "I will ask my schoolmates. If they are interested it will be very good" I said. Next day I went to school thinking of the project. During the lunch break, I asked my friends, if they are interested or not. Many were interested but when they heard that if we get selected in the national level, we will have to go Gothenburg in Sweden for the international level, many refused to be in the group but agreed to help. Then at last I got three boys who were even ready to go to Sweden. Vishesh was one of them. I found him very interested and was happy taking him in the group. The second boy was Karan. He also showed keen interest in the project. Sourav was the third boy. He was like Karan who took interest in many things. He was bright and helpful also. I was happy to have got three boys in the group. But I had to get one more boy. That day when I returned home, I immediately phoned my father and told him that Vishesh, Sourav and Karan are interested in taking part. My father was quite happy to know about the progress.

I planned things to do:

That evening I started thinking about implementation of the project. In the first instance the bad effects of usual polythene bags came to my mind. Some people put their waste things inside a polythene bag and throw it outside. Animals dont know that it is bad for them and think that it is food and eat it. The polybags which they eat, choke their stomach and they sometime die. So I thought of replacing polybags with cloth and paper bags. One more idea will do very well I thought. Why don't I plant trees which give us fresh air, wood, fruits etc. It is good if I do two topics, I thought, as it will help the environment to improve more.

I talked to my principal:

Next day after dismissal of the school, my father went to my principal and told her about the project. She was happy that her students are doing this project. I told her that I have decided two topics which I would like to do. She asked me for the topics. I told her that I have thought of replacing polybags with cloth bags and paper bags. I have thought of tree plantation also. The principal liked the ideas. I knew she will like it as she encourages her students to do new things.

I make good progress:

Next to next day when my father came from office, he looked very happy. I asked him the reason for his happiness. He told me that he had phoned the forest department. My father asked the forest department manager that could he provide 1,000 saplings. The manager of forest department was happy that people want to plant trees and make the world greener, so he agreed to give my father 1,000 saplings. When I heard this even I was happy and excited. Then I asked my father that where will we plant the trees. He asked me to give some idea too. I suggested my father that why don't we plant the trees in a big open space. We can arrange for someone who can look after the plants also. That is a good idea, my father said. 

Next day in my school I told my Social Studies teacher about the project while we were learning a lesson about forests. She was happy and asked me and my friends to tell the whole class what this project was about. We told the class that the volvo ocean adventure people have organised this project. In this project the youngsters have to do something on environment. I even told them about the prize and why I had selected these two topics.

That evening I went to my room and thought of some more ideas I can do for the project. I took a ball pen to write something but I noticed that there is no ink in the refill. I took out the refill to see it and then suddenly an idea struck my mind. Why don't I take refills and wrap paper around it to make it a pen. I tried out one. I took a refill, put it on the ground, took some old newspaper and wrapped the paper around the refill. I wrote with it and it was very comfortable and soothing to the fingers.

Next day I went to school and taught my friends how to make the pen. When they saw it they all praised it. I was happy that my friends liked the idea.

Work in the Christmas holidays

Our Christmas holidays started soon. I thought that it is a good time to do some project work. I enjoyed little of my holidays. The day after Christmas I went to my friend's house (Hari) and asked him that would he like to do the project which I am doing. He was interested in this project as he likes to do extra activities and loves to learn new things. That day I collected old clothes from my house and I asked my friends also to collect old clothes. The next day I went to a tailor nearby my house and asked him could he stitch bags out of old clothes. He indicated a charge of Rs.10/- per bag. I had guests in my house so I could not go to the tailor to get the bags stitched. I phoned up my friends who had collected old clothes and inquired that could they get the bags stitched. Those who could not get them stitched, I asked them to give the old clothes to me. It was real fun doing these activities.
Then on January 1,2002 I went and gave the old clothes and asked the tailor to stitch bags out of them.

Distributing Cloth Bags

Next day I phoned up some of my friends. Ankush was the first boy I phoned. He told he will surely help us by not only giving old clothes but also getting bags stitched out of them. Next I phoned Nahush. He was not sure if he could bring old clothes. But he told he will surely try. Next I phoned Chirag. He was always eager to help. He told that he will try his best to give old clothes. Then I phoned Arjun. He is one of my best friends. I was sad to know that Arjun was out of house. Farhan was the next boy. He immediately refused saying that he has given all old clothes to a committee helping the poor. Then I phoned up Joseph. Even he was not very sure if he could give old clothes. That is enough I thought.

On Monday when our school reopened I asked the boys who I had phoned if they had got old clothes. It was sad to see no one. Ankush told that he will want one more day. Next day Ankush got six cloth bags. He told that he will get some more next day. That evening I went to the tailor who I had given my old clothes. He had managed to make 11 bags with the old clothes I gave him. Next day Ankush gave four more bags. I thanked him a lot for lending a helping hand. When I went home I thanked my kind mother very much as she stitched 5 cloth bags. That night Hari and me went to every house in our apartments, in our block. We gave two cloth bags per house. It was good to see many people interested. Many people wanted to know more about the project. We showed them the cut out of the news paper and several papers from the internet. When I reached home I had just two cloth bags left with me. 3-4 people in our apartments lent a helping hand and told that they will collect old clothes from their house. Nandhini aunty, Hema aunty, Kailash aunty and Vijayalakshmi aunty lent a helping hand. After some days we went to their houses. Nandhini aunty had collected old clothes. Other aunties told that they will give after some time. 

I met my principal, she told that we will have a note given in all the classes from 2-4. I thanked my principal for this. After some days my mother took out some more old clothes. We gave the old clothes to the tailor on Sunday. He told that he will make it by Thursday. I forgot to get the bags from the tailor. I could not do it on Friday as were going out of town. We returned home on Monday. Next day I went to the tailor. He had stitched 13 bags this time. He charged us Rs.10/- per bag. We thought it will be very expensive for us to get bags of Rs.10 each as we had planned of many bags. We thought of tying up with some NGOs working for upliftment of poor women through training in tailoring. We talked to Madam Bharti Chandrasekhar who is running an NGO, Kaumudi Mahila Samaj. It was very kind of her to have visited our house with her husband. She talked to me and my friend Hari. She was happy to see so much interest in us. She told she will stitch 1000 cloth bags at Rs.3-5 each. 

Next day I went to Hari's house. His grandmother being very helpful had stitched nine cloth bags. That evening Hari and me went to the next block in our apartments. We gave each house two cloth bags. Many people were interested. They told us they could provide us with old clothes. Next day Hari and me went to the houses who had told they could give old clothes. One aunty gave us 4 shirts. It was very generous of an aunty who gave us 8 shirts and a pillow cover. She was very pleased with this project and gave us a chocolate packet. We went to another aunty who gave us three shirts and a gown. When we calculated we got 15 shirts, 1 gown and 1 pillow cover. My father told we could make more than 60 bags out of them. On January 26th we had a function in our apartments. Hari's mother was asked to get the plates. Instead of using plastic plates, which people usually use, she got leaf plates for everyone.

On 27th, Sunday, Divya didi came with Benson uncle. They are from an NGO, Meljol. Hari's mother has been a constant source of inspiration for us and she joined for the discussions. They suggested us many ideas. They told it will be good if we put a label on the cloth bag. They encouraged us to organise a street play and it was decided that the whole group meet for the purpose on January 29th, Tuesday. We also got up with ideas of making T-shirts, caps, posters, placards and leaflets for creating awareness for the environmental issues being dealt in the project. Divya didi suggested that this will also help in getting sponsors for the project. As part of the awareness creating campaign we propose to print atleast 100 T-shirts with the eco-friendly messages ( Banish Polybags - say Yes to Cloth/Paper Bags, Trees for Healthy Growth of Mankind) on one side and the Sponsors Name on the other side. Similarly, Caps will be made and Posters, Placards, leaflets will be printed duly acknowledging the support of the Sponsors. We propose to follow up with Street Play and Songs, articles in newspapers and magazines on the subject where also the sponsors would be duly acknowledged. The cloth bags could carry the sponsors label and the tree plantation site would acknowledge the sponsors.

In due course of time it was decided to include issues for promoting use of eco-friendly leaf plates and cups during picnics, at tourist centres, recycling old greeting cards, restrict use of deodorants and sprays for its CFC content.