Kolkata:
Honouring planet earth that is battling the impact of climate change, the city celebrated Earth Day with stress on novel ideas and strategies that can be adopted by its residents for a sustainable future.
Themed "Faces of Climate Change", the 43rd Earth Day was observed on Monday.
Targeted at small urban living spaces, the concept of vertical gardens was pitched in to school students in a workshop organised by American Centre and ITC Sonar hotel.
The 'go green' initiative was also taken up at iconic Victoria Memorial Hall through its Activity Club that conducted a workshop where school children crafted souvenirs out of waste.
"Two artists taught children how to recycle waste into useful things," said the memorial's education officer Piyasi Bharasa.
NGO Garbage Free India, undertook a spot cleaning activity at a dirty stretch between Russel Street and Park Street, in the city centre with the help of volunteers and members of Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
Tapping into the potential of visual media as way of spreading awareness, several short films on environmental issues, made by school students of around 20 city schools, were screened by Institute of Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Development (iLEAD) in collaboration with Earth Day Network and Bichitra Pathshala.
Children participated in online quizzes as well as debates on issues of climate change in various nature clubs.
Earth Day is an annual day on which events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and is celebrated in more than 192 countries every year.