more-in Haritha Nagarotsavam camps will be held for high school students during the summer vacations under the aegis of the city Corporation’s Green Army initiative. At least 10 such camps are planned. This was decided at a workshop to review the activities of the Green Army and plan future initiatives here on Tuesday. Four such camps were held last summer. It was decided to observe April 23 — the day the Green Army came into being — as Green Army Day. The camps this year will conclude on Green Army Day. Addressing the workshop, Mayor V.K. Prasanth said the presence of the Green Army would be expanded from the current 26 schools to 300 schools. Training camps would be held for Green Army mentors and volunteers. ‘No-burn campaign’ The Mayor said the Corporation would launch a ‘No-burn campaign’ in a bid to curb burning of plastic and degradable waste such as dry leaves swept up from roads. The possibility of setting up centres for collection of dry leaves and handing them over to aerobic bins would be considered. Green initiatives centred around markets to reduce the amount of waste generated will be launched. A campaign would be taken up against non-woven polypropylene bags that were being used in many places despite a ban by the Corporation. Activities to familiarise alternatives to plastic and disposable products would be held. These included a stall on such products at the Putharikandam grounds in connection with Attukal Pongala. The Corporation will also launch units for manufacturing 25 lakh cloth bags. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) that was first experimented with at an India-New Zealand T20 cricket match at the greenfield stadium at Karyavattom would be taken forward, the Mayor said. Talks would be held with margin-free shops and supermarkets so that they can take back plastic packaging from consumers. The plastic collected at such stores would be picked up by the Corporation staff, he said. Activities would also be taken up for cleaning and preservation of the Amayizhanjan canal. The Mayor honoured non-governmental organisations that were leading the Green Army activities. These included Thanal, Sahridaya, Make a Difference, Care Others Too, Recycle Bin, Prakruthi, Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad, and Indus Cycling Embassy. For details on the Haritha Nagarotsavam camps, call 9496 434434 and 9496434461.

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