State begins campaign against use of plastic

Panaji: The forest department is running a campaign to discourage the use of plastics among locals living in and around protected areas and coastal belts in the state.
The campaign has been taken up as part of the Union environment ministry’s Mission LiFE programme and over 80,000 Goans have been contacted so far by Goa forest officials and guards.
The chief conservator of forests (CCF) Saurabh Kumar said that the outreach and advocacy activities have been initiated in Goa in the run-up to the World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5 each year.
“As per the target provided to Goa, we were to hold at least 2,500 events, but we have already exceeded that and held around 17,000 programmes and reached out to 8,527 citizens in the state. The aim of the outreach is to sensitise people about the impact behavioural change can have on the environment,” he said.
Besides plastic waste collection drives along the coastal areas, in and around protected areas and their buffer zones, the state forest department is engaging with panchayats, schools, colleges, hotels and restaurants to encourage switch over from plastic bags to cloth bags.
Forest officials are urging locals to use bicycles and take up water harvesting to help the environment.
Canteens and cafetaria owners are told about the importance of reducing food wastage, while schools and panchayats are encouraged to declare their campus plastic-free.
“The Mission LiFe pledge is also being administered to locals at big and small events. It is a means of creating awareness about sustainable lifestyle through many small activities in the community,” the CCF said. The campaign was launched in the state on May 10, he said.
Mission LiFe was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2021 to mobilise citizens to adopt environment-friendly lifestyles.
“There are 75 lifestyle changes that individuals are encouraged to adopt including use of solar heaters, use of bicycles to travel short distances, taking stairs instead of elevators, creating rainwater harvesting structures at homes, schools, offices, opt for locally available seasonable foods, use LED bulbs and tubelights,” said Kumar.