How One Enterprising Woman From Kochi is Solving Questions of Environmental Importance
- 04 Dec 2016
- Rheanna Mathews
- Features
The woman I spoke to was vociferous about the ills of plastic and the damaging effect it has on the environment. She sounded passionate about her work, yet aggrieved that matters had reached such a state that such work needed to be done.
Lakshmi Menon has been lauded for her ecological and social projects such as Entree, Rolapena and Wicksdom. Her latest project, Pen Drive, seeks to build awareness about the amount of disposable plastic pens generated as waste. She hopes to help people decrease their usage of plastic pens and go back to using reusable ink pens, or biodegradable ones.
Pen Drive calls for people to collect and send in disposable plastic pens (to the address given below) which shall be turned into an art installation. It has been recognized by the Kochi-Muziris Biennale Foundation as a collateral exhibition. Once the pens have been collected, the KMB Foundation shall help with the conceptualisation of the installation and provide support, artistic and otherwise.
A designer by profession, Lakshmi manages to balance her work with her environmental projects by simply prioritising. She says that her work for society and environment is a calling and time management is key to getting everything done.
She says that she has undertaken different projects because the people’s response in Kochi and elsewhere has been really good. It encouraged her to develop new ideas. Speaking of ideas, Lakshmi firmly believes in the power of an idea to drive people forward. She doesn’t work out of an office or with a particular team. All she needs to do is speak to people about an idea and they carry it forward because, she says, they recognize the need of the hour. They are drawn to the idea and are willing to do what is possible to address the problems we face.
Pen Drive is one such idea that has been recognized as one of the largest waste management drives seen in Kerala, and is supported by the Minister for Finance, Dr. T. M. Thomas Isaac. The Kochi Municipal Corporation is in the process of finalising the site for the Pen Drive art installation which, though a collateral exhibition to the KMB, shall be a permanent addition to the cityscape.
If you feel the need to participate in this venture, please collect and send pens by 15th December, 2016, to the following address:
Pen Drive Campaign
Kochi-Muziris Biennale Foundation
1/1903 Kunnumpuram Road
Kunnumpuram
Fort Kochi – 682001
Ph: 75102 78141
