Navigation
The Environment Club of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) organised a competition titled #Mytrashinmypocket to mark the World Environment Day on June 5, 2023 to raise awareness about keeping the surroundings clean. A number of students from different schools, colleges and universities took part in the competition held on the IUB campus with their creative ideas, prototypes and presentations to find solutions to the plastic pollution problem. The event was sponsored by climate change and environment startup Envolead.
“With the hashtag, #Mytrashinmypocket, we want to make people aware of their responsibilities to protect the environment. The trash we generate should be with us until we find a bin to throw them into. But we never do that. We throw them in the streets. It’s not just about plastic waste; rather it is about all kinds of trash,” said Mohona Jannatul Ferdous, a student of Environmental Science and Management at IUB and President of the IUB Environment Club.
There were three categories in the competition: prototype presentation, poster presentation and social media awareness. The judges panel comprised Mr. Md. Abdul Quayyum, Head of Communications, UNDP; Ms. Tania Noor, innovation and sustainability advisor; and Mr. Rafayet Chowdhury, Co-founder and President of the social enterprise Footsteps.
In the prototype category, Sinthia Shakhawat Mariam, grade-5 student of DPS STS School Dhaka, won the first prize in the junior division. Team NCPSC Green, comprising Tabassum Islam and K. R. Rayan Nirjhor from the Cantonment Public School and College Dhaka, won the first prize in the senior division.
In the poster presentation category, Team Re-Waste, comprising Sumaiya Akbar Richi, Shishir Das Partho and Mikail Bin Masum from University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), won the top prize. In this category, Zaarin Jannah from South Point School Uttara, and Ishrak Fabi and Nazia Islam from IUB won the Honorary Mention. In the social media awareness category, Ishrak Fabi and Nazia Islam from IUB, and Abu Raihan from Kabi Nazrul Government College, Dhaka won the top prize.
The event ended with a prize giving ceremony held at the IUB Auditorium in the afternoon. Each of the winners received BDT 10,000 as prize money. The other participants were given crests and certificates. Dr. K Ayaz Rabbani, Associate Professor and Head of IUB’s Department of Environmental Science and Management; Mr. Atif Md. Safi, Head of IUB’s Division of Student Activities; and Mr. Morshedul Bari, CEO of the event sponsor Envolead, spoke at the program. Artistry Wedding Photography was the photography partner of the event.
Mytrashinmypocket1
Independent University, Bangladesh
