July 2025

Shashini
Aug 24
2 min read

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

Veeraru Takes Off:

Empowering Young Green Warriors in Schools & Communities!

Greener Futures: Fame India School Hosts SWM Awareness Workshop:

On July 1st, we conducted an engaging Workshop on Sustainable Waste Management for the teaching and non-teaching staff of Fame India School. The event brought together over 100 participants eager to strengthen their understanding of waste management practices.

The session included interactive activities such as the SWM Trash-to-Bin game, a group discussion on best practices, and thought-provoking conversations on greenwashing and sustainable alternatives. These activities not only educated but also encouraged active participation, making the session both informative and enjoyable.

Namma Swachha Adugodi (NSA) – Bosch:

Building on the foundation laid last year, the Namma Swachha Adugodi (NSA) project—initiated in collaboration with Bosch and Saahas—has expanded its reach significantly. What began in Aug 2024 with 3 pilot blocks (1 managed by Let’s Be The Change and 2 by Saahas) has now grown to include 6 additional blocks, equally shared between both organizations.

As shared in last month’s newsletter, we had completed the baseline survey to understand waste management practices, identify gaps, and address challenges. Alongside, we distributed dustbins and conducted door-to-door awareness in 2 blocks. This month, we successfully covered 3 more blocks, bringing the total to 5, with the final block scheduled for next month.

Following the awareness drives, we began waste audits in these new blocks. Encouragingly, we observed an improvement in household-level segregation. However, only 25% of households currently hand over their waste to the collection vehicle, highlighting the need for more targeted awareness campaigns in the coming months. To track sustainability, a 2-day audit was also carried out in last year’s pilot blocks.

Our activities this month included strong volunteer engagement and partnerships:

July 5th: Over 15 Bosch volunteers joined us in spreading the message of waste segregation and proper use of the color-coded dustbins distributed in the community.
July 9th: The Bosch CSR Head and team visited our project sites, gaining first-hand insights into the on-ground impact. They had a word with the residents, Auto drivers and Supervisor to understand the progress and challenges in the community.
July 19th: At Bosch’s request, we collaborated with Mantra Social Service to conduct a waste management awareness session. Over 40 participants attended, followed by a waste-awareness chart-making activity. These creative charts will now be used in schools for further sensitization.

Veeraru/Green School

Meanwhile, we also initiated the Veeraru program, starting with Police Quarters and Dairy Colony Government School, each engaging 25+ students. The sessions included:

Assessing existing knowledge and practices around waste management.
Building awareness on basic waste segregation.
Introducing interactive SWM games to make learning fun and memorable.

July has been a month of active outreach, strengthened collaborations, and impactful on-ground work. We are proud of the progress made and remain committed to creating cleaner, more sustainable communities through collective effort.

Erudition Time:

Next time you’re offered a ‘biodegradable’ plastic bag, ask yourself: Will this really disappear—or just break down into tiny pieces that stay forever?

Shops often offer “biodegradable plastic bags.” Many of these degrade only under industrial composting conditions, not in normal soil, and still release microplastics.

👉 Better Choice: Use cloth or jute bags that last for years.

When a shop offers you a “biodegradable” plastic bag, what do you usually do?