From tackling plastic menace to improving eye health: top SocialStories this week
This week saw stories ranging from solutions to avoid plastic usage to knowing about the UV rays and their effect on the eyes.
Plastic waste disposal is one of the key issues faced by the world today.
While Shailendra Singh Rao shares insights into how to tackle this plastic menace, Priyanka Jhaveri discusses her sustainable packaging startup that is trying to eliminate the plastic usage by brands in their packaging.
This startup hopes to pack a punch with sustainable packaging products
During the 2020 lockdown, when Prianka Jhaveri opened a box of supplies and necessities that she had ordered, she found a packet of batteries wrapped in layers of plastic bubble wrap, amidst mounds of paper void fills.
This prompted Prianka and her friends from college, Rishika Reddy and Rhea Kothari, to come up with an efficient and sustainable way to pack items.
Slowly, the trio started building a catalogue of products and materials, including clothes and bio waste, that could cater to different industries, businesses, and use cases. This led to the birth of . According to Prianka, this is India’s first sustainable packaging company.
Plastic credit model: An opportunity to bring a change and tackle India’s plastic problem
Just like carbon emissions, plastic waste is getting worse day by day. One of the main reasons behind this plastic epidemic is the irresponsible use of the material.
The global plastic waste management market size is expected to reach $41.58 billion by 2027. Global plastic production was 368 million tons in 2019. In 2022, plastic production is still on the rise, and the alarming statistics show that there are about 450 million tons of plastic produced each year and that the production is set to double by 2045.
The problem needs a sustainable and effective solution to address the hazardous effects of plastic on the ecosystem.
Beyond disability: How this autistic, visually-impaired singer battled all odds with music
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”
Shibani Ghosh’s life is an embodiment of children’s author Dr Seuss’ words as she has braved challenges throughout her life—dealing with autism and visual impairment, only to shine through with her talent.
Shibani hails from Krishnanagar, a small town in West Bengal, where her father Asim Kumar Ghosh is the headmaster of a school and her mother Sujata Ghosh, worked as an accountant. Living in a conservative society, Shibani’s mother was often ill-advised by relatives and neighbours to give her child away to an orphanage due to her disabilities. Some even went to the extent of calling Shibani “useless”.
Domino effect: How climate change, UV rays can impact eye health
The effects of climate change are evident across the globe. With extreme occurrences of melting glaciers, severe droughts, frequent storms, and deadly wildfires, climate change is leaving a long-lasting and devastating mark on our environment.
While environmental changes may be easy to notice, how climate change affects human health remains mostly unnoticeable.
Eye health has become a major concern due to rising levels of air pollution and environmental degradation. Global warming is contributing to the early outset and progression of cataracts as the ozone layer gradually depletes and the harmful UV rays cause ocular damage.
Edited by Affirunisa Kankudti
