Image courtesy – Simran Seth
Tell us more about your role & responsibilities at your college.
Since my first year, I have been a part of The Green Brigade, the environment society of my college, College of Vocational Studies, DU. This year I am the President of this society officially, although I associate myself as a member of this society and not such high-ending titles. We strive to make a difference not only in our campus but also outside- making it greener, sustainable and single-use plastic-free. Along with my dedicated team, I have to plan, organise and conduct various campaigns, now even digitally and at times I also need to attend to student grievances.
How did you rise up to your position and how can a student be aspiring the same, approach it?
As I mentioned earlier, I had joined this society in my first year since I was and am still very passionate to do something for my ailing planet. I wanted to focus wholeheartedly into this wonderful cause and hence, I had left all the other societies. My advice and suggestion to students aspiring to join societies would be to choose the one which interests them the most. I literally work 24X7 in this society and I genuinely feel that one should connect with the cause/ theme from within, only then can they contribute wholeheartedly without any grudges.
What's it like to juggle between a leadership role and normal college life?
Juggling academic pressures and society work is a tad difficult since both of them have deadlines. But as I mentioned earlier, if one feels for the cause sincerely, then one can manage. It’s very important to maintain the balance between the two and once it’s done, then you can sail through easily.
What did you do in your current role that makes you feel really proud of yourself?
All the efforts and initiatives of The Green Brigade make me feel really proud to have associated with this amazing society, even the initiatives taken before I joined the college. I feel especially proud to have organised along with my team, a workshop on ‘Sustainable Menstrual Hygiene’, in February this year. At that time, very few colleges and institutions had organised such a workshop and I feel elated that we were among the firsts to have organised such a thing in our campus. Another thing, which I feel really proud of is that we have managed to replace single-use plastic items from our college canteen including straws, stirrers etc and are working earnestly to make it even more sustainable.
How can college students do their bit in saving the environment?
College students can do a lot of things to make their lives more sustainable. For this, we have started a digital campaign, titled ‘Green Tip of the Week’ wherein every Monday to beat the Monday Sustainability blues, we post a simple, eco-friendly tip which can be easily adopted in our life like replacing your plastic toothbrush with a bamboo one, giving your e-waste to proper recyclers instead of throwing them in the bins, using menstrual cups or cloth pads during menstruation, taking a bucket bath instead of a shower and many more. These can be followed easily and without the stress or fear of leaving behind a mighty carbon footprint!
What’s your message to encourage students to do internships and attend conferences?
I personally feel that attending workshops, conclaves, seminars are pretty good to enhance your knowledge and to get to know more about environmental conservation. But groundwork and working at the grassroots level is even more important since our environment is degrading at an alarming level. Moreover, the sense of working at the ground level is extremely gratifying.
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