May 17, 2023

Notes by Om Shreejay

Prthvi Seva Sanga Workshop – by Rita Aunty and Juie Aunty

We learned how to say NO to plastics. Rita Aunty asked us if we would rather be near/on water or on land outside. Juie Aunty explained how Mother Nature helps us so much and how we should be there for Mother Earth and protect the environment.  

Story 

There was a person looking for something on the street. A person asked her what she was doing. She said she was looking for her keys. The person decides to help her. Then more and more people started helping. They asked her where she last left her keys. She said in her house but there was no light there and so she was looking outside. 

Lesson: With clarity comes conviction and confidence.

Videos

Rita Aunty asked for things we see at school that is not very good for the environment. Answers included plastics, car pollution, smoking etc. 

We watched a video on plastics. We saw how plastics harm people and the planet. Plastics are made from fossil fuels which cause pollution. As people started using less gas and oil so the fossil fuel companies made money with plastics.  Globally plastic goes into the environment, they burn it, which pollutes, and recycles. It usually only gets recycled once before going to landfills. We need to have fossil fuel and plastic supply companies put a stop to it.  

Rita Aunty asked us what we learned from the video. We put our ideas on what we learned from the video on a Jam board. 

We watched a TED talk about kids who are against plastics. If we don’t start recognizing the environmental damage from plastics, then the next generation will be in trouble. We need to be smarter using plastics. We need to stop using the big 4 plastic polluters – plastic bottles, plastic straws, plastic bags and plastic mugs. We should talk to local places and try to make them more plastic clever. Even kids can make a change, but adults are also very important to help. Then we discussed the video. 

Activity

Our activity was to draw out what the plastic situation was to us. Then we shared what we had drawn. Some examples were bringing reusable items to places that only provide plastic options. Rita Aunty also said that we have to know where to recycle specific things and know when to recycle something. 

Suman ji shared “Clarity – We Can | Conviction – We Must | Confidence – We Will!” 

Story

Suman ji told us a story. He had a favorite blanket when he was young. He loved the blanket. Then he shared it with his dad and others. He made both himself and everyone else happy by bringing in everyone who he shared it with. When we share something that brings joy, we can spread joy and make more than just yourself happy.  

Conclusion

We talked about Guru Dakshina and its significance. This is to give something within your reach to teachers and people who have given things to you that have helped you. It is a way of showing our gratitude. 

============================================================

Notes by Sita Somnath Buono

STORY:

This week there were 2 guests, Juie Moushi and Rita Aunty. Rita Aunty asked us a question as an intro: “Would you rather live near water or in the woods and why?”

Then Juie Aunty told us a story. 

One day a person was frantically looking for something on the side of the road. A person stopped and asked them what they  had lost. Person 1 replied that they had lost their keys so the other person helped look. Then another person joined the search. Soon there was a whole crowd looking for the key.  Eventually someone asked where the key had last been seen.  The original searcher replied that they had last seen the keys at home!  Everyone was confused then, why they were looking on the side of the road.

The lesson was that you need the right knowledge to solve problems. Being clear leads us to the how.

With clarity: WE CAN

With conviction: WE MUST

With confidence: WE WILL

We learned the quote “With clarity comes conviction and confidence”.

Then Rita Aunty asked us about what are the issues happening in nature right now. The answers included inconvenient locations for trash cans and recycle bins and single use plastics.

We watched a clip on the life of the plastic and learned that we shouldn’t use single use plastics as only 2% of plastics are effectively recycled. We watched another video about two sisters Amy and Ella Meek who had founded an organization called “Kids Against Plastic”. They told us not to use plastic bottles, cups, straws and bags. They told us how to become plastic clever and how to influence local businesses to do the same. 

We discussed how the kids had clarity and conviction and were now in the confidence stage.

ACTIVITY:

We had to draw what confidence meant to us and what actions we could take against plastics.

Then Sumanji shared a quick story about an amazing blanket he had as a kid. He loved it a lot and used it all the time. It made him happy. When he shared it with his friends though, it gave him EXTRA HAPPINESS!