A case study of Saurav Lama

Saurav Lama, 15, is originally from Sunsari district, Itahari ward number 17, in Koshi Province. He currently resides in Lalitpur, Sanepa with his family members, his father, mother, brother, and sister. His father’s name is Deepak Lama, and his mother’s name is Tirthaa Lama. His mother is a homemaker, and his father is involved in foreign employment. 

Lama (15) studies in class eight at Shree Kuleshwor Secondary School. He is an active member of the BABA Student and Environment Club. He is interested in environmental awareness activities. He mentioned that his interest in environment-related consciousness has become a strong passion over time. This personal interest was the prime factor in joining the Zero Waste at School Program. 

He commented that every module of the Zero Waste at School Program is beneficial to his learning. He also mentioned that the program is useful for protecting the environment. He highlighted that the learnings mainly covered issues like the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, and recycle), landfill, waste segregation, waste management, composting and waste sources.  

While sharing his experiences, he also conveyed that his concern about environmental issues helped him make the Zero Waste at School Program session more effective. He mentioned that the module related to waste management fascinates him. He shared how the module helped him distinguish different bins with different colors to separate different kinds of waste according to their nature. While sharing the learning, he said, 

“Previously, I was concerned about the environment. However, I had many habits that were not environmentally friendly. For example, I used to throw the plastic covers of noodles or the covers of juice or the banana peel in the same dustbin. I was not aware of different color bins. For me, all waste was the same.  I realized this once I attended a full Zero Waste at School program session.  After attending the program, I became aware of different types of waste and the use of different color bins. I became aware of biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes.”

Saurav mentioned that the program incorporated much of what he already understood about waste management, however, he leant further techniques and broadened his understanding of current environmental issues. Consequently, after the session, he has revised many of his previous waste management habits. Regarding waste segregation, he has changed his practices and has encouraged his family to do the same. He now understands that this action is beneficial for making compost manure from the organic waste. Due to the revision in the earlier practice, he said that many of his friends are also influenced and revisiting their practices.

Saurav has recognized overall changes in his life due to the program. It has made him more critical of plastic items. He mentioned that he had substituted the use of plastic bags with cloth bags for shopping and everyday life.