PLASTIC FREE ZONE AND SAVE NATURE CELL

Government Arts College, Coimbatore is the first ever college in India to open up

PLASTIC FREE ZONE cell by an NCC Officer Capt.K.Vasanthi and have professors

and students as members to create awareness on plastic pollution. Prior to Tamil

Nadu Government order on the ban of plastic production and its usage, the

initiative was started on 23.1.2018 , with the title “Carry a cloth bag” which was

inaugurated by Dr.Vijaya Karthikeyan I.A.S, Corporation Commissioner

Coimbatore. He also inaugurated the Human Chain on the same day where a

total of 400 students including NCC, NSS participated and created awareness on

“Avoid Carry bags”.

After this, Capt.(Dr) K.Vasanthi of Economics Dept, along with students pasted

stickers which says ‘shop only with cloth bag’ in and around the college. 300 cloth

bags were supplied free of cost to all staff members of the college. Cloth dusters

were distributed to all the departments. A beautiful wall painting with pictures

were painted in the campus wall. Every month meeting with volunteers were held

to make the college plastic free.

PFZ and Save Nature Cell was officially opened up by Dr.S.Nalini, Principal,

Government Arts College, on 15.3.2018 where 26 staff members and 250

volunteers joined in the cell initially. (at present 33 staff). Through the cell

competitions like speech, essay writing, debate and exhibitions were conducted .

All volunteers received certificates and winners were awarded with cash prize.

Capt.K.Vasanthi

AIMS OF PFZ AND SAVE NATURE CELL

1) TO CREATE AWARENESS AMONG STUDENTS ABOUT PLASTIC

ITEMS,CARRY BAGS AND ITS DANGER

2) TRANSFORMING GOVERNMENT ARTS COLLEGE AND ARTS COLLEGE

ROAD PFZ

3)AVOIDING FLEX /WATER BOTTLES AND PAPER CUPS

4) TO BE A ROLE MODEL COLLEGE IN PLASTIC AWARENESS

HUMAN CHAIN

INAUGURATION OF PLASTIC FREE ZONE AND SAVE NATURE CELL

DISTRIBUTION OF CLOTH DUSTERS

DISTRIBUTION OF CLOTH BAGS

Achievement of the Cell

The college canteen, which was supplying carry bags for parcel is

now stopped using carry bags. Plastic tumblers which was used to drink water

during examination is now replaced with stainless steel tumblers (sponsored by

Dr.V. Muralitharan, Controller of Examination). During department functions no

plastic water bottles/flex banners are used.

Through this cell 100 tree saplings and 75 palmyra seeds were

planted. Press and Media highly appreciated the PFZ’s great work and had wide

publicity.

COLLEGE CANTEEN BEFORE (CARRY BAGS)

COLLEGE CANTEEN NOW

PLASTIC TUMBLERS WERE USED TO DRINK WATER (BEFORE)

STAINLESS STEEL TUMBLERS REPLACED NOW

PREPARATION OF WALL PAINTING

ACTIVITIES OF PLASTIC FREE ZONE

AVOID PLASTIC CAMPAIGN BY MEMBERS OF PFZ

PFZ VOLUNTEERS COMPAIGN ON AVOID CARRY BAGS AND PLASTIC

ITEMS

EXIHIBITON ON ALTERNATIVE TO PLASTIC BY GOVT ATRS CLG

STUDENTS

PALMYRA SEEDS PLATION BY PLASTIC FREE ZONE MEMBERS

HANDING OVER PLASTIC WASTES TO COIMBATORE

CORPORATION

“IF YOU ARE ‘FANTASTIC’ THEN DO SOMETHING ‘DRASTIC’ TO CUT THE ‘PLASTIC’

‘’

LAUNCH OF PAPER ID CARD

On 27.09.2019, Government Arts College, Coimbatore launched

paper ID card (plastic less) to students. J.Saravanakumar IAS, Commissioner

Coimbatore Municipal Corporation handed over paper ID cards to students of

Government Arts College, Coimbatore. After releasing paper ID cards to students,

Corporation Commissioner announced Government Arts College as the role

model college in the entire state of Tamilnadu in plastic awareness as the college

implemented successfully in every possible way to curb plastics in the college, and

made college campus plastic free by taking up following steps.

-Change of carry bags into cloth bags in canteen.

-Change of plastic dusters to cloth dusters.

-Change of plastic tumblers to steel tumbler.

-Change of plastic covers (spiral binding) in UG,PG,Curriculum,lab reports ,M.Phil

& Ph.D.

-Change of chemical flex into cloth flex.

-Change of plastic ID card to paper ID card.

-Change of ballpoint pen to ink pen.

-Awareness programmes like alternative to plastic exhibition,speech,essay and

debate competitions among students.

While addressing students, J.Saravanakumar IAS asked the

students community to beat plastic pollution, emphasized the importance of rain

water harvesting. With the launch of paper ID card this academy year (2019-2020)

the college avoided 1,991 no.of plastics in the ID cards. The release of ID card was

organised by Captain Dr.K.Vasanthi.