Page 82 - DAIS Insignia 2022-2023

World Food Day - ‘Waste not, Want not’ Earth Day Earth Day is a day that emphasizes the gratitude that humans have towards our planet. At DAIS, the
focus of our environmental initiatives has been to take sustainable measures for long-lasting impact. This
World Food Day, celebrated worldwide on 16th of October every year, highlights the global food crisis, advertises the food year's initiatives were focused on reducing the use of plastic and responsibly recycling plastic waste.
shortage all over the world and promotes the prevention of wasting food. At DAIS, student leaders initiated and planned a week- Beginning with the Recyclathon at the school fete, students worked towards building awareness of
long celebration to create an awareness of global food crises. Strenuous planning by the senior leaders evolved into an awareness environmental degradation caused by plastic waste. Carrying forward this theme, students planned Earth
initiative involving activities and a school assembly. Day 2023 with a solution-based approach - “Reimagine Plastic”. The main objective of Reimagine Plastic
The module comprised of two components. The first component was a short skit was presented on 14 October, 2022 for students was to help students understand the increasing plastic pollution and how this plastic waste can be reused
from Grades 1 to 7. The comical skit shed light on the journey of food from 'farm-to-table,' portrayed through the story of a and recycled. As with every year, DAIS continued Earth Day as a week-long awareness-building
farmer who reminisces his story of food production. The journey of crop harvest and movement from farms to factories to markets, programme highlighting the chosen theme. Pledging to pursue sustainable measures by creating eco-
till finally delivered to the homes of people. bricks, student volunteers highlighted this solution through an awareness-building campaign, a street play,
some in-class demonstrations and a football match!
This story created an awareness amongst the audience as they understood the time and effort that goes into the production of
food, which is often taken for granted. Students were educated on the potential solutions that they could adapt at their level to Earth Day Choir and Plastic Walkway: On the first day, student volunteers created a 'Plastic Walkway' to
minimize food wastage. These methods included buying subtly make everyone aware of the amount of plastic generated all around us. The idea was to see how
'ugly foods', finishing the plate of food we are blessed students would react to this plastic placed around them. Without any prompt, several students started picking
with, taking smaller portions and taking as many helpings up the plastic and throwing it in the plastic recycling box. The message of this activity was eventually
explained as the Cub Captains started the day off with a speech on the effect of plastic on earth and how we
as you need but not wasting a single morsel of food.
can reimagine it. Alongside these activities, the students were also greeted by the Earth Day Choir, singing an
The second component of this initiative was class
original song composed by Sanika Daga and Avantika Kampani, based on the theme of Earth week.
presentations and reaching awareness against food
Nukkad Natak Street Play: Grade 7 students performed Nukkad Natak - or a street play - during break time.
wastage to student across Grades 8 and 9. The older
students focused on the impacts of food wastage, how Through their performance, they highlighted the impacts of plastic on all aspects of the environment including forests, aquatic and terrestrial life. This
bilingual play spread the message - "If you can't reuse it, refuse it". The performance was followed by an interactive and thought-provoking session
it may be reduced and ways in which it can be
between the performers and the audience as they offered their own creative solutions to the problems created by plastic.
prevented. A Video was designed on World Food Day to
help students reflect upon and illustrate their learnings Eco-bricking: To bring about a tangible impact, we introduced eco-bricking. An eco-brick is “a plastic bottle densely packed with used plastic
to create a reusable building block that achieves plastic sequestration”. During Earth Week, student volunteers went into classes of Grades 1-9
in an interactive and engaging manner. These videos
and demonstrated how to make eco-bricks, urging all students to contribute by using plastic waste at home to make eco-bricks. To guide
included conversations with students in the cafeteria
who have often witnessed food being wasted and the students in making their own eco-bricks, our students created a demo video which was sent to parents as part of the circular seeking their
support for this initiative. In the following weeks, these bricks will be collected from students and used to create an eco-brick structure of our
display of the quantities of food wasted daily. The
very own. The structure will act as a symbol of the important problem that is plastic pollution and a reminder to follow the 3Rs in our daily lives.
Cafeteria Staff also shared their observations on food
wastage and the use of AAGA composters to recycle Graffiti Banner: The graffiti banner was a school-wide pledge to reduce and recycle plastic. First, our LKG and UKG students made
their mark as their handprints created the border of the graffiti wall. These borders were filled in by fingerprints added by our ICSE
food waste into compost, a sustainable initiative at
and IGCSE senior school students while the messages and pledges were made by our Middle and Primary school students. The entire
DAIS. Student leaders spread awareness of 'Waste not,
school came together and made a promise as a community to refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle plastic.
Want not'.
Football Match: For the finale of Earth Week, students organised a football match. Team Plastic and Team Earth competed against each
At a global level, students were made aware of the
other and were cheered on by their peers. During half-time, the cheerleaders conveyed the message to 'Reimagine Plastic' through a flash
consequences of their local actions in terms of food
wastage, which affects the value of food given the mob dance! With a riveting game and an exciting halftime show, the event
was the spectacle that tied in all the Earth Week initiatives that ended in a
steeply rising population. The short skit, videos, and the
magnificent fashion. Even though the close game was eventually won by
interactive sessions provided students with a better Team Plastic, the message of how we need to step up to protect Mother
understanding of World Food Day.
Earth from plastic pollution was clear and evident.
All in all, Earth Week 2023 took a far different approach to spreading
the word of environmentalism by taking action and focusing on building
on the students' subconscious to save our planet.
Environmental Initiatives Awareness Week
DAIS actively promotes global environmental awareness. 30 students volunteered to
conduct an awareness campaign from 11-19 October, 2022, to ensure that all students
understand the importance of the various environmental initiatives at DAIS. Student
leaders from grades 6-8 examined the process of waste management and segregation
and designed the program with activities like an awareness video and a rap song to
engage students of all ages. Mock sessions monitored by seniors helped to train the
juniors to handle class reactions, address queries and plan impactful learning
experiences. Through class visits, the leaders explained the concept of waste management
and its significance towards a sustainable living. The session started with a short
introductory video on the concept of waste segregation, highlighting the initiatives
undertaken at DAIS to segregate wastes such as - paper, wet, dry and
plastic. Students spoke about the recycling of waste food from the
cafeteria into manure using AAGA composters. A fun recap using an
original rap song 'Segregate Waste' had everyone singing along.
Reflections: “We thoroughly enjoyed the journey of planning the
awareness initiative. It was truly delightful to see the enthusiasm of
students during the campaign. We were beyond grateful as each student
promised to help promote and support these environmental initiatives. A
person at a time, a class at a time, and before we know it, we're a step
closer to a greener school and Greener Earth.”

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