Thiruvananthapuram: The offerings are minimal: buttermilk, water and banana. Yet, the handcart set up at the venue of the zero waste conference at University College captures the spirit of the conference. The pushcart was fashioned out of a rusty old frame and deflated, torn tyres dumped in the corner of the material recovery facility at the Medical College Hospital.
Thomas Varghese, a volunteer with the Green Army had taken a picture of the facility and when ideas were invited for decorating the venue of the conference he was reminded of it. He got together with other members of the Green Army, Arun, Anoop and they were aided by city sanitary worker Shyju. They retrieved the frame and tyres and in two hours the pushcart took shape.
The frame was repainted. Abandoned wood pieces were procured from a Nedumangad timber merchant for a good bargain. These were spread out over the frame. Rags were placed above the splinters and they made for an ethnic table sheet. The got hay at Rs 100 and shaped a roof out of it.
They decided to distribute water, buttermilk and bananas and another trip was made to Nedumangad, this time to a clay factory that made earthen tumblers. The Green Army volunteers lapped up damaged pieces for a nominal price. They had some work to do, though. The broken pieces were put together and small holes were sealed. An abandoned faucet was added and the water dispenser was ready.
Bananas were an after-thought and a message was posted on the cart: banana is free, but waste is your responsibility.
From the opening day itself, the shop was a hit, drawing even VIPs like finance minister Thomas Isaac and MLA V K Prasanth. “We wanted to do something different and the abandoned pushcart was the first thing that came to mind,” said Thomas Varghese. The team says they got the entire shop done for below Rs 2,000.
The city corporation has decorated the entire venue with recyclables. Abandoned beer bottles flashing coloured works also dangle along the path to each venue. “We wanted the venue to look as eco-friendly as possible. The students lived up to the challenge,” said an official.
Thomas Varghese, a volunteer with the Green Army had taken a picture of the facility and when ideas were invited for decorating the venue of the conference he was reminded of it. He got together with other members of the Green Army, Arun, Anoop and they were aided by city sanitary worker Shyju. They retrieved the frame and tyres and in two hours the pushcart took shape.
The frame was repainted. Abandoned wood pieces were procured from a Nedumangad timber merchant for a good bargain. These were spread out over the frame. Rags were placed above the splinters and they made for an ethnic table sheet. The got hay at Rs 100 and shaped a roof out of it.
They decided to distribute water, buttermilk and bananas and another trip was made to Nedumangad, this time to a clay factory that made earthen tumblers. The Green Army volunteers lapped up damaged pieces for a nominal price. They had some work to do, though. The broken pieces were put together and small holes were sealed. An abandoned faucet was added and the water dispenser was ready.
Bananas were an after-thought and a message was posted on the cart: banana is free, but waste is your responsibility.
From the opening day itself, the shop was a hit, drawing even VIPs like finance minister Thomas Isaac and MLA V K Prasanth. “We wanted to do something different and the abandoned pushcart was the first thing that came to mind,” said Thomas Varghese. The team says they got the entire shop done for below Rs 2,000.
The city corporation has decorated the entire venue with recyclables. Abandoned beer bottles flashing coloured works also dangle along the path to each venue. “We wanted the venue to look as eco-friendly as possible. The students lived up to the challenge,” said an official.
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