Earth Day @ Amrita
April 25, 2012
School of Arts and Sciences, Amritapuri
“In reality, nature is nothing but God’s visible form which we can experience through our senses. Indeed by loving and serving nature we are worshipping God Himself.”
“Looking at nature and observing its selfless way of giving we can become aware of our own limitations.”
“Just as nature creates favorable circumstances for a seed to transform itself into a huge tree, nature creates the necessary circumstances through which an individual soul can merge in eternal union with the Supreme.”
First-year students of Bachelors of Business Management (BBM) contemplated on these quotes by their Chancellor Amma, even as they beautifully inscribed them on greeting cards made from recycled paper.
Their goal? Making 500 such cards to be displayed during Earth Day on campus.
The entire class came together as students formed themselves into ten groups to finish the stipulated number of cards.
“The team work helped us gain enough confidence to want to initiate such events in future too,” shared Veena Vimal and Nishanth C. P.
Other students remarked that rather than a single day of reminder, they wished to have sustainable and eco-friendly activities ongoing in campus throughout the year.
“In our class, we learn about planning, leading, organizing and managing. We saw these principles come alive as they never could in theory text books, as we executed this project,” excitedly stated student Joel Sebastian.
Joel and his colleagues not only used recycled paper; they also sourced original and beautiful designs from discarded magazines, old wedding cards, used brochures, posters and pamphlets. As they saw waste being transformed into wealth, they felt thrilled beyond words.
The students extended their gratitude to their department as well as the university for providing them an opportunity to creatively explore their talents and ideas, while at the same time doing something for Mother Nature.
“This year Earth Day was made memorable on our campus by the students’ efforts,” appreciatively noted a faculty member.
Earth Day is globally celebrated on April 22 every year by over 500 million people in 175 countries around the world.