His name is Abdul Muqeet. He is a normal boy living in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates.
On February 4, 2010, when he was 8 years old, his school had a “No Plastic Day,” which sparked questions in him.
He asked his mother why he should not use plastic bags, and she explained the damage they do to the environment, including the lethal effects on various animals. This frightened him.
And spurred him to take action.
He thought, why can’t we recycle old newspapers and make paper bags? So he did just that.
Since those early days over four years ago, he has made thousands of paper bags from recycled newspapers and distributed them to local shopkeepers throughout Abu Dhabi.
In this video, Abdul tells his story in his own words:
( Video link: http://youtu.be/qWW7tuNaV3w )
He has won numerous awards for his socially innovative activism and has become something of an international phenomenon, earning the nickname, “Paper Bag Boy,” and being recognized by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
In a video made about him upon his winning the Abu Dhabi Award he says: “I believe that if you have something good in your mind, convert it into an action, then you can change the world and serve the community.” He cites as part of his inspiration the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
We were recently approached by the organizers of Technex 2015, an annual techno-management festival and conference taking place in Varanasi, India, this year from February 27th to March 1st. It is organized by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, an engineering college located in Varanasi, India, and one among the prestigious chain of “Indian Institutes of Technology.” The college was established in 1919, and the festival itself has a legacy of 75 years.
The conference includes a social initiative, and this year, inspired by Abdul, they have launched a Paper Bag Campaign, with Abdul as the Campaign Ambassador. The Campaign is called “Kagaaz,” which means “paper” in Hindi. Plastic bag pollution is a serious problem in India, and this is how they describe the Campaign:
We aim to reduce polyethylene consumption and reduce the waste it generates by making paper bags and distributing them throughout the country. We plan to involve the whole student community of India, from graduate colleges to senior secondary schools, to be involved in the campaign and make bags out of old newspapers. These bags will be distributed to shopkeepers, vendors, grocery shops, etc. and further usage by them will send a strong message to the masses to stop using plastic bags. We wish to bring about a change in the mindsets of people.
They are already off to a strong inspiring start. On November 8, 2014, they held a paper bag making event at the IIT campus in Varanasi. About 1000 students made 10000+ paper bags within one hour. And they even flew in Abdul, now 13-years old, from Abu Dhabi to take part in the event and receive an award of recognition for being the proactive change he wished to see in the world, and the inspiration for the Campaign.
Check out this funky 90 second time lapse video of the beautifully-organized event, which shows the visual scale of bags produced by these hard-working, passionate students inspired by Abdul’s elegant vision.
( Video link: http://youtu.be/4mqEbvJntuw )
The organizers of Technex 2015 have invited us to be a Social Campaign Partner for Technex 2015 to help promote the Paper Bag Campaign, and of course we have accepted and are honoured to help out. Their plan is to spread the Campaign across India through other campuses, with an initial potential reach of 500,000 students. That’s a lot of powerful awareness-building.
Most recently, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has recognized the Paper Bag Campaign as an event for World Environment Day 2015.
The message behind this Campaign is simple:
Like Abdul, anyone with vision and passion can have a global impact on environmental awareness, so we all should be stepping up to make a difference. And it can start with one paper bag.
Please share this post with anyone you think might be inspired by the Paper Bag Boy, a vibrant example of what it means to BE the change you wish to see in the world.
(Photo credits: Gulf News, The American Bazaar)