Design for changeBy HLC International

BE THE CHANGE

YOU WISH TO SEE IN

THE WORLD

Just outside our school…

WHAT WE SEE

Large dirty dump yard

Big pile of garbage

Thick black smoke

Big trucks that come and dump garbage

Animals looking for food in the

garbage

WHAT WE SMELL

Decaying matter

Rotting garbage

Burning stench of plastic, food and

other waste matter

Pungent malodor of

waste matter

HOW WE FEEL

Uncomfortable

Irritated

Disgusted

Distracted

People working in the dump yard

The problems we faceHEADACHE

COUGH

EYE IRRITATIO

N

BREATHING

DIFFICULTY

EXPOSURE TO

CARCINOGENS

DROP IN ATTENDAN

CE

SKIN PROBLEM

S

Landfill as seen through Google Earth

LANDFILL

HLC INTERNATIONAL

SOFTWARE COMPANY

OTHER SCHOOLS

The 4 point action plan

1

2

3

4

TAKING STOCK OF THE SITUATION

REACH OUT FOR SUPPORT

SPEAKING TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE

SUGGEST SOLUTIO

NS

Taking Stock

We visited the landfill and garbage site expecting a big mess…Even then, nothing could have prepared us for what we saw.. It was BIGGER, DIRTIER,

STINKIER than we imagined….

Meet this lady… She collects garbage separating metal parts, from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.. After spending around 10 hours in this dump yard everyday, she

visits the government hospital for treatment and prevention of tetanus

Note how she spends all day in

this mess, without shoes or even

gloves

There are other schools in the same vicinity – Euro Kids and two government schools: We visited them and spoke to them about the problem – we discovered that it was a shared sentiment

The software company was also forthcoming and voiced their displeasure with the landfill

Both Euro Kids as well as the software company joined our cause: They signed petition letters and promised to send separate letters on behalf of their administration

Reaching out for Support

It is really disgusting… We

should do something about

it.. - Manager from

software company

We have seen a drop in new admissions

because of this- Principal of

Euro Kids

With over 200 signatures in the petition, we approached the area councilor

We spoke to him about the problem and showed him how it had affected others as well

He promised he would look into the matter and reduce the burning of garbage for now and relocate the dump yard within three months.

Speaking to the right people

The smell had reduced

There was no smokeThe dumping had come down to only once a week

Our heads didn’t ache

Our eyes didn’t itchOur skin didn’t feel

dirtyOur breath came

easy

The Result – After we came back from exam break

1. Segregate waste before it goes into the dumping ground – recyclable/bio degradable/ non recyclable

2. Use waste responsibly, as far as possible

3. Try and treat your own waste through compost tubs, fuel efficiency and recycling

4. Use cloth/paper bags instead of plastic for dumping waste

5. Donate old shoes/gloves/clothes to those working in the waste site

Suggested Solutions

What we learnt at the end of it allIT IS EASY TO TALK THE TALK…ONE NEEDS TO WALK THE WALK IF

RESULTS ARE DESIRED

PERSISTENCE PAYS… IF YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN; YOU CAN

BY JOINING HANDS, YOU CAN HAVE FAR REACHING RESULTS THAT AFFECT A LARGER NUMBER OF PEOPLE

IF YOU CANNOT BE PART OF THE SOLUTION, THEN YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM

Our WORLDOur FUTURE

IN Our HANDS….