In late 2018, I founded Single-Use Plastic Eradication (S.U.P.E.r), a direct-action campaign which aims to identity eco-friendly small business owners who comply with India’s recent plastics ban. While a ban on single-use plastics exists in Delhi, the implementation and practice has not been ideal and thus this S.U.P.Er workshop aims to raise awareness around the need to reducem and eventually eradicate the use of single-use plastics.
We are currently working on developing a network of S.U.P.E.r Stars dedicated to eradicating single use plastic in their businesses; each member of our network is given a sticker, which is placed in the window to tell customers and other businesses that they are committed to the ban on plastics.
So far we have awarded five businesses across locations in New Delhi, and are in talks with another dozen. Additionally, I have developed several educational resources for NGO’s, including Parvaah, Lions Club Alaknanda and Sweccha, to present information on India’s plastic issue and methods to combat it. For my work, I have been featured in the Delhi Times Hindi edition in August 2019; I have also filed an RTI to the Central Pollution Control Board on single-use plastic-reduction measures, have created a guerilla advocacy YouTube series called ‘You can be S.U.P.Er’, and have developed my own line of sustainable tote-bags.
See https://www.projectsuper.org/ and @_projectsuper_ on Instagram for more information.
I also feel proud to tell that my research paper : POLICY,PARTICIPATION,PRACTICE – ASSESSING SUSTAINABLE MODES OF SINGLE USE PLASTICS ERADICATION IN INDIA was published in the esteemed journal of INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH on September 9,2019.My paper examined the issue of plastic pollution in India,the policies to address the same,and the participation by various stakeholders,.My paper also recommended for effective implementation and enforcement of these strategies.
http://epaper.navbharattimes.com/paper/1-14@13-30@08@2019-1001.html.(nbt link)
By Raghvendra Lahoti
