Turning the Tide on Plastic Pollution India's Youth Lead the Way
TerraGreen|March 2020
We are living in an age of plastics. Even though they have the advantage of being lightweight, relatively cheaper, and long-lasting, they cannot degrade, thereby polluting our planet. The present scenario is – remnants of plastic bags get consumed by animals, microplastics enter our food chain, and the city streets are littered with plastics. This article discusses the growing menace of plastic pollution and suggests various ways of adopting sustainable lifestyle choices for a greener future.
Turning the Tide on Plastic Pollution India's Youth Lead the Way

Ashmita Phukan, a Delhi University student, grew up in an environmentally conscious household. She has been practising a sustainable lifestyle and inspiring her friends to do the same. After evaluating the extent of current environmental issues, she felt a strong desire to do much more. On the lookout for opportunities to make a bigger difference in nature conservation, Ashmita joined the Plastic Tide Turners Challenge, an initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme in partnership with WWF India and Centre for Environment Education. Soon, Ashmita became part of a global youth movement to fight plastic pollution around the world. With support from these organizations, Ashmita was able to organize various awareness programmes in her college and convince her dean to appeal directly to students to give up single-use plastic. Eventually, she took the movement to Assam, where her father has now adopted a school. The father-daughter duo organized poster competitions and other engaging activities to help students understand the negative impacts of plastic on our environment.

Ashmita is one of those 1600 youth leaders in India who are turning the tide on plastic pollution by encouraging others to stop single-use plastic! They are being trained by WWF India in skills and knowledge needed to reach out to a wide audience. In a short span of 4 months, these young leaders have reached out to 25,400 students from universities in Delhi, Jaipur, Chandigarh, and Chennai.

The Plastic Tide Turners Challenge

This story is from the March 2020 edition of TerraGreen.

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This story is from the March 2020 edition of TerraGreen.

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