‘StoPlastic Manipal’ campaign by MAHE students

Manipal: StoPlastic Manipal, a campaign started by the students of Manipal Institute of Communication (MIC), MAHE to persuade the people of this education hub to stop the use of plastic and promote responsible waste segregation practices so that sanitation workers can recycle the waste appropriately. The campaign which got underway on Wednesday also intends to encourage consumers and shopkeepers to reduce consumption of plastic.

“Our beaches and mountains are as littered with wastes as are our cities and neighbourhoods,” said a group of students. And, StoPlastic Manipal aims to achieve near-zero plastic consumption in Manipal by both encouraging stakeholders to act and facilitate the change.

To begin with, StoPlastic Manipal has already started aggressive digital campaign to show the prevalence of plastic in our lives. The publicity stunt that took place today was to catch the public eye.

Groups of students from MIC were found placed in the busiest areas around Manipal, wearing garbage bags over their heads and standing still amidst the passing crowd. The idea of this demonstration was to show how the growing menace of plastic is “choking” us human beings.

The groups were spread across thirteen hotspots – Student Plaza, Inox, Tiger Circle, in front of Cupzo Cafe, Upendra Pai Circle, MIT Main Gate, Canara Mall, International Students Hostel, Within End Point, Saralabettu Road, in front of MIT Hostel Block 13, in front of the Edu Building, and KMC.

Pedestrians and passers-by naturally became curious by the demonstration, which led them to ask questions regarding the act. They were answered with an introduction to the campaign, and what it stood for. This was the first time that an awareness campaign was carried out in this manner in Manipal.

The students were able to impress the people with their stunt. That was discernible by the way a lot of them reacted. They agreed that the need of the hour was to eliminate plastic from our lives. A lot of them even agreed to spread the word and ensure Manipal is plastic free.