‘Kids can be changemakers’

KOCHI: In an initiative that should inspire Kochiites to join the ‘green mission’, city-based R.E.A.D (Read, Explore, Ask, Discover) club is training students to make paper bags.  Founded by friends Sangeetha Suryanaran and C Deepalakshmi, the club embarked on a drive to spread awareness on the ill-effects of plastic and encourage use of ecofriendly alternatives.

Marking the Paper Bag Day on Tuesday, R.E.A.D club joined forces with students of Little Flower UP School, Kaloor, to make about 300 paper bags, which they distributed to the nearby stores. “Kids can be changemakers,” says Deepalakshmi, who has launched a similar initiative in Madurai, too.

“We believe if campaigns are brought to the fore by children, there will be a major impact on society. We had done a similar project to mark the Environment Day, too.

Now, with the ban on plastic, such initiatives are vital.”   Anu Varghese, teacher in charge of the school, says the students from UKG to Class 7 were excited to participate in the initiative. “They made bags out of old newspapers, calendars, and chart paper,” she adds.