DPS R.K. Puram welcomed ambassadors from Project YES – Youth for Environmental Stewardship, an initiative launched by the Wellspur Foundation and being implemented by Chintan, an environmental research and action group.
The program aims to equip young people with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to advocate for the planet. It works on a three-pillar approach: creating awareness, building advocacy, and taking meaningful action.
The session was facilitated by Mr. Avijit Sharma, Ms. Pooja Gulati and Ms. Mehak Arora, who together guided the audience through a thought-provoking workshop. They inspired students to reflect on the environmental cost of their daily choices, especially with regard to the fashion industry — a sector often overlooked in environmental discussions.
The workshop began with an introduction to the concept of “fast fashion” – the trend of producing cheap, trendy clothes at lightning speed, only for them to be discarded after the trend wears off. The facilitators spoke about how countless clothing items are thrown away every year and how synthetic materials like polyester, plastic fleece, and other unsustainable fabrics often end up in landfills after a very short period of use. They explained how these materials break down into harmful microplastics, which pollute soil and water and eventually enter the food chain, posing a risk to humans.
Using impactful visuals and relatable examples, they illustrated how the manufacturing of just a pair of jeans can consume up to 7,500 litres of water — an amount that could sustain one person’s drinking needs for seven years. They also highlighted that a simple plastic wrapper takes about 500 years to ‘degrade’ and breaks down into hazardous microplastics ,releasing greenhouse gases thus significantly harming the environment. They elaborated that the total weight of textile waste generated globally has already exceeded 92 million tonnes and continues to rise at an alarming pace.
The facilitators encouraged the 7Rs rule: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse, Rethink, Repair & Repurpose.
The interactive nature of the session kept students engaged. Activities, discussions, and real-life case studies encouraged students to think critically about their choices of apparel.
By the end of the session, it was clear that the message had struck a chord. Students left with a heightened awareness of how something as routine as buying clothes can have lasting environmental consequences. More importantly, it left the students with the realization that they have the power to make a difference, not through grand gestures, but through small, consistent and conscious choices.
The session was held on August 14 ‘ 2025 and was organized and coordinated by Ms. Niva Chhonkar (HOD), Ms. Reema Khosla and Ms. Kajal Sethi of the Department of Biology.
