GUWAHATI, June 7 � Charity begins at home. And the women of Tezpur University have come together to take a pledge to use cloth or jute bags instead of polythene bags when they go shopping. Pragati Women�s Association, a socio-cultural organization of Tezpur University, while celebrating World Environment Day at the campus on Sunday, took this small but significant step towards securing a better environment through their united resolve.
Jaya Chaudhury, president of the association said, �It would be a good idea to go eco-friendly while shopping. And it does not take even a minute to tag along a shopping bag instead of stockpiling polythene bags which are harmful for the environment. We can set an example for others by doing something like this.� This year�s theme for the day is �Forests: Nature at Your Service� which underscores the intrinsic link between quality of life and the health of forests. The association also organised a talk on the significance of the day and the importance of protecting the environment. The talk was delivered by Sumi Handique, a faculty of the Department of Environmental Sciences.
In her audio-visual presentation, Handique pointed out how women could contribute their bit to conserving the environment by doing little things like using a jute or cloth bag for shopping instead of a polythene bag and carrying water from home instead of buying another bottle.
She also explained the importance of forests and how there were �sacred groves� all over India. �Sacred groves� are the traditionally preserved forests through religious beliefs over the ages. These untouched sacred groves have now become biological hotspots.
She also explained the importance of conserving the environment through cartoons and popular sayings to the children present on the occasion.
The children also put up their thoughts on the environment through paintings and sketches which was appreciated by everyone.
Pragati Women�s Association now plans to take this awareness campaign beyond the university campus. �We do not want to be confined to the campus. We want to educate the women in the villages in the neighbourhood. We would specially want to create awareness about the hazards of the smoke emitted by the indigenous chullahs (stoves) and its repercussions on the health of the women,� added Jaya Chaudhury.
