Participants at an environment day event organised by Power Nest at Alliance Francaise had questions like: How can we use plastic more effectively? why have we not been able to reuse plastic? how can we move towards living in natural environments like forests?
The answers were not provided by experts or panellists. Instead, a set of cards from a 'flowgame' were used. This tool promotes reflection, dialogue, and action in addressing environmental crisis.
The flowgame, developed in the 90s by Danish professionals committed to the environment, peace, and participation, is based on a North American aboriginal medicine wheel.
Many members of the audience attended the event to make a difference in preserving green spaces.
Zafer Mohiuddin, President, Alliance Francaise in Bangalore, said: “We are cutting trees to build roads and high rises; we kill insects that are so useful in their roles. We have no right to do it, but we are greedy and interfering disastrously in the environment.”
Architect Ravindra Kumar, experienced in working on IGBC sustainable smart buildings, residential, commercial, and industrial parks, said how working on creating an alternative habitat on Mars during his youth has brought the realisation that the challenge was not about saving the planet, but saving ourselves.
Sanjeev Singh, alumnus of IIT-Delhi and director of SAS Precision Engineering, a manufacturing unit of high-precision parts for aerospace and automobiles, noted how collective action can reverse the bad situation.
Encouraging mindful resource usage, Singh stressed on the 3Rs: Reduce, reuse, and recycle. He also urged the youth to raise awareness among people, even if they could not directly engage in action.