Eco Day in Summit - Community Engagement for a Greener Future

Summit residents, led by the efforts of the children, had a very special Eco Day on Sunday, July 24. The motive for the Eco Day was threefold. First, to continue to engage the community around green issues. Second, and more specifically, to invite Attero for an E-Waste Drive to collect our used electronics and batteries, and save them from landfills. Last, we wanted to officially launch the Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) campaign in Summit with some fanfare, the purpose of which is to spread the message of “Reuse, Reduce, Recycle”.  To reduce the usage of plastic bags and encourage residents to carry they own bags for shopping.

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A few months ago, we had given some large cloth bags from iamgurgaon. Residents had got used to seeing the delivery guys walking around with these eco-friendly bags. As a lead up to the event, we put up posters, sent email notices, talked about it on WhatsApp groups, and posted an invite on our Summit Eco Team Facebook page. The most important thing was, of course, personal conversations with children and parents to encourage them to come along with their friends.

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The event itself kicked off with a couple of teenagers giving a presentation on e-waste and the importance of disposing it correctly. A team from iamgurgaon came down as part of their BYOB campaign to engage with the community. They brought a GAPU (Gurgaon Against Plastic and U), and the children took over from there.  They built their own GAPUs using waste material contributed by residents. Three teams were formed and the children spent a few busy hours converting waste cardboard boxes, newspapers and rags into the very charming GAPUs. The three GAPUs are now on display in each of the tower lobbies. A banner was also signed by residents to pledge against the use of plastic. Some bags were sold to residents.

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We had invited a food truck where we could buy brunch items. Attero had set up their booth and collected several kilos of e-waste. Several residents came down to watch and engage in discussions, creating a nice buzz about the importance of keeping our environment clean and discourage the use of plastic. The entire event turned out to be a lot of fun, combined with some important messages for all residents to take home with them

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By Sherry, a resident of Summit Apartments in Gurgaon

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