Sample Exercises

State your sustainability problem, its impact and desired outcome

• Problem: Solid waste management still remains a massive developmental challenge in India.

• Impact: Poorly managed solid waste pollutes the environment, threatens public health, and tarnishes India's global reputation.

• Desired outcome: Clean surroundings with proper waste management methods.

 

Non tech solutions 

1. The Indian government has put in place a legislative framework of the solid waste management Rules 2016. Implementation and compliance to these rules by the urban local bodies, institutions, and households is required for scientific and adequate disposal of solid waste. 

2. The social mindsets also need to be changed to keep our neighborhoods clean and adopt sustainable practices 

3. Public Awareness must be created on the issue and public participation must be encouraged.

4. Stop the use of single-use plastics

5. Segregation of solid waste at the household level

6. Building backyard composting pits and following the principles of reuse, reduce and recycle 

 

Solutions for less than 1000 INR

1. Building backyard composting pits.

2. Usage of different coloured dustbins for different types of waste (wet,dry,biomedical waste etc.) at all places

3. Recycling and Upcycling of waste, to create new useful items from waste materials. 

4. Organizing community clean up drives.

5. Using non-recyclable plastic bottles to make bricks used for construction of homes and furniture. 

 

Solutions more than 1 crore

1. Creating GPS monitoring systems for collection and transportation

2. Setting up material recovery/waste processing centers for each locality/community

3. Usage of electric composters, for quick composting.

4. Building Incinerators to dispose off bio-medical waste

5. Construction of anaerobic digestion plants.

 

Ideas that use sci fi technology

1. Automating the process of separation of waste using robotics (machine learning and artificial intelligence)

2. Using microbots that can replicate themselves for cleaning up the surroundings.

3. Teleportation of waste to the material recovery centers.

4. Molecular Disintegrators could disintegrate the waste at the molecule level, so that the waste takes the form of harmless particles or waste and becomes essentially non-existent.

5. Quantum Compressors could compress the waste to the quantum level, reducing its volume significantly and minimizing the need for storage and disposal system, leading to more efficient waste management.

 

Ideas that already exist

1. Waste segregation at source and door to door collection https://swachhbharat.mygov.in/

2. Recycling waste https://recycleindia.org/

3. Composting waste https://www.dailydump.org/

4. Cleaning our surroundings http://cleanindiaventures.com/

5. Using plastics to make building materials including bricks. https://igbc.in/

6. Encouraging waste management and environmental education. https://wastemanagement.gov.in/

Story Telling

This is a story about Raju, a young boy living in a rural village. Raju was full of energy and dreams, but his life was far from easy. His village had unclean surroundings, with piles of garbage all around and contaminated open drains polluting the air. The village lacked proper waste management systems and was a breeding ground for many diseases.

Raju's family was extremely poor, and his parents worked as landless labourers in nearby fields to make ends meet. To make matters worse, Raju became a victim of cholera and typhoid and frequently fell sick due to the unsanitary conditions. His parents could not afford proper medical treatment, and as a result, Raju frequently missed school.

However, once when Raju was 9 years old, his condition became deathly. His parents took him to a doctor in the nearest town. The consultation and the medicines cost them a lot and pressurised them to take a loan. Overtime, with low income from farming, they could not pay the loan and were trapped in a debt cycle. Raju's parents struggled to provide for the family's basic needs. This forced Raju to accompany his parents to work in the fields, toiling under the scorching sun. It was a harsh reality for a young boy who should have been playing, learning, and enjoying his childhood.

After the loan was paid off, Raju tried going back to school but was so behind that he failed all his classes. His poor health and his grades demotivated him, and he kept working in the fields of the rich farmers. When he was 21, he was married to the daughter of another landless farmer. They eventually had 2 sons. Despite being uneducated and unskilled, Raju had big dreams for his sons. He enrolled them in the local school village. 

One day, as Raju's children fell sick one after another because of the contaminated environment, he worried that his children would have to suffer the way he had suffered.  The troubled father turned to the new village teacher, Mr. Sharma, for guidance and support. He expressed his fear that his children's dreams might be shattered by illness and poverty. He explained how his own dreams had been crushed during his childhood due to frequent sickness and lack of opportunities. Mr. Sharma was a kind-hearted and compassionate educator who empathised with Raju and understood the similar challenges faced by the villagers.

Mr Sharma and Raju decided to bring about some actual change in the village. In the next panchayat meeting, they spread awareness about the unhygienic and unsanitary conditions the prevailed in some parts of the village, and encouraged people to be more responsible and adopt cleaner lifestyles. They emphasised the need to improve cleanliness and sanitation across the village. The village began to take small steps towards cleanliness, waste segregation, and proper waste disposal.

The motivated villagers, inspired by Raju and Mr Sharma, actively participated in the cleanliness drives, waste segregation efforts and helped set up proper waste disposal. They understood the importance of a clean environment and the impact it could have on their children's health and future. Even children started actively participating in segregating waste into different categories, dry waste like plastic and paper, and wet kitchen waste.

As time went on, Raju noticed the positive changes taking place around him. The village became cleaner, with waste bins installed and regular waste collection services established. The air smelled fresher, and the once-polluted surroundings transformed into a healthy and vibrant environment.

The overall health and well-being of the community also improved. Diseases caused by unclean surroundings became less common, and people started valuing the importance of hygiene. Raju's children were now able to attend school regularly, blessed with newfound opportunities. They aspired to become engineers, doctors, and environmentalists, inspired by stories of success and the power of education.

The future village generation was no longer bound by the limitations of their past but was instead empowered to dream big and work towards a brighter future.