To celebrate World Environment Day 2024, the Parami student-led Environmental Club brought the first Responsible Market to Taunggyi, Myanmar, in collaboration with Prevent Plastics Myanmar at Cafe' Sake. For this event, Prevent Plastics Myanmar provided material assistance, and Cafe' Sake provided the marketplace free of charge. It was a fruitful event, bringing together the youth of Taunggyi from various circles as well as other interested individuals.
The Responsible Market is an innovative plastics prevention project initiated by Prevent Plastics Myanmar. It focuses on promoting sustainable and eco-friendly market systems and encouraging the reduction of plastic pollution in Myanmar by showcasing alternative packaging options to replace plastics and empower responsible producers among SMEs. Leveraging the power of youth networks, "our mission for this two-day event is to raise environmental awareness and introduce sustainable packaging options among vendors and consumers,” explained Htet Wai Yan Linn, Vice President of the Environmental Club. The two-day event had a higher-than-expected turnout, showing strong interest of youth in the issue.
During the event, the team distributed reusable tote bags from Prevent Plastics Myanmar to the participants who had won quiz sessions. It was a good opportunity to introduce the sustainable market style to the local community of Taunggyi and work with Prevent Plastics Myanmar for future environmental collaborations.
Ling Htang Ling, a club member, stated, "The event helped me notice the treasure trash around me. Eco-friendly and recycled products are the alternative ways of positively approaching the reduction of plastic production. A reduction in plastic usage will greatly contribute to the mitigation of global climate change. As a learner, I am inspired by those meaningful reflections; as a member contributing to the club, I am proud that this event spread awareness about eco-friendly innovations that could add to a sustainable society."
The event resulted in meaningful engagement of the youth in alternative sustainable approaches. The team highlighted the importance of fostering a sustainable future in which the world's resources are not exploited and are used efficiently.
"It is the responsibility of the producers to produce sustainable products with fair labor pay, efficient resource use, and to be transparent of the production process so that the consumers will have clear information about the product they consume. In return, consumers are responsible for making better/sustainable consumption choices. At the same time, since the choices the consumers make are not always autonomous, and they are often influenced by social norms and standards, it is necessary to educate society to be critical of our values and priorities," said Su Pyo, a first year Parami student who volunteered at the event.
Environmental Club at Parami University
The Parami's student-led Environmental Club has been collaborating with the student-led Environmental Club from Cherry Myay Academy, a community-based school in Taunggyi Shan State, to support capacity and learning for youth empowerment across the Taunggyi region and the larger southeast Shan state.
Environmental Club is formed as a network of students to dive into the issues outside of the Parami classrooms. It is Empowering, Engaging, and Uniting the power of the youths, community, and the people. This includes thinking about not only the environmental conservation from the upper layer of the iceberg but also the deep layer of the environmental issues and applying the lens of critical thinking and system thinking. Environmental Club's objectives are to encourage the youth to become responsible and critical citizens in environmental issues, raise environmental education awareness, and lift the role of youth in environmental challenges and changes.
Comments