Broadening horizons

I always believed that one person can make a difference! That is why I chose to pursue journalism,” says Anagha Natraj, a final year student from MOP Vaishnav College. A change-maker right from her school days, Anagha introduced many ‘Green Diwali’ campaigns at schools and encouraged people to use less plastic. Through the tie up with the US Consulate, Chennai for the Study of United States Institutions academic program, Anagha recently applied for an exchange program at the University of Montana, Missoula, USA.

After a tough selection procedure, which involved essay writing, a SOP,  and many other filtration processes, Anagha shone successful among other candidates in her college. The fully-funded program was for a duration of five weeks with a place of stay at the university campus and a host family to spend time with, on the weekends.

Exploring the city of Missoula, the team of students chosen from the BRIC nations (including Anagha), was trained in the classrooms and given on-field exposure about various challenges to the environment. “Our teachers at the University were Nobel Prize laureates like Steve Running and authors like Dan Spencer (Earth Ethics). They were so inspiring and their method of pedagogue  to use role play to coach about nature was brilliant,” shares Anagha excitedly.
Talking about waste management, she adds, “We visited the Republic Services Landfill and stood on top of 150 feet of garbage — it was gut-wrenching! The city has a population of about 70,000, but still generates 2000 tonnes of waste per day. I can’t imagine how much waste we generate in India. I tried to connect every learning of mine to India’s framework.  This made me realise how seriously we need to work on waste management to make sure Wall -E remains fiction.”

Having also visited the legendary Berkeley Pit (copper mine ) at Butte City,  the college-goer also learnt the hazardous after-effects of continuous mining.  “The place looks beautiful but it is full of hazardous chemicals,” she adds. Farming the organic farms and harvesting basil, beans and raspberries, the team of students had a lunch made of fully organic vegetables and fruits. “We also loved the idea of Missoula food bank — an initiative to ensure that even the homeless receive meals to survive. Restaurants, farms, grocery stores and households  donate it every day to the needy,” she shares.

Revealing that the one major change needed in India is the involvement of the people, Anagha says, “The Mayor at Missoula himself is a farmer — he is a great example for the people there. It requires a lot of effort from the people because the population is so high in India. On the contrary, Montana is a big state with less population. India needs stricter implementation of laws to go green.”

Starting small, Anagha wants to teach for the kids at schools about the dangers to the environment. “Making smaller changes at the root level will create a big change. I want to educate the current set of young school children to be nature friendly. I am also encouraging my college to set-up a roof top garden soon!”
The Potter-head concludes with a Dumbledore quote from the story — ‘It’s our choices that show us who we truly are, far more than our abilities. I have made my choice!’