Mandeep Shangwan didn’t wait for change to occur on his school; instead, he made it happen. By creating two vertical gardens out of throwaway bottles, Delhi School of Social Work’s first eco club, “Green Dreams,” is encouraging students to create a greener campus.
Mandeep Shangwan, 24, noticed the dearth of natural space and environment in the national capital amidst the traffic and pollution when he relocated from Haryana to Delhi for his master’s degree.
As a passionate gardener, Mandeep recognized that the Delhi School of Social Work’s campus lacked a deliberate attempt at sustainability as soon as he observed the piles of plastic debris placed there.
Instead of waiting for things to change, he started Green Dreams, the college’s first eco-club since 1946, in 2024 by planting a vertical garden and raising awareness of environmental issues.
Making use of plastic bottles
Mandeep, 26, has always had a deep passion for gardening and the natural world. “I have done everything,” Mandeep asserts, “from taking saplings from our neighbor’s yard when I was a kid to growing hundreds of plants from a few spider and shade plant cuttings given by my grandmother.”
In order to improve his gardening abilities during COVID-19, Mandeep enrolled in an organic farming course at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). “I now understand the distinction between conventional and organic practices, as well as the health advantages of eating food that is grown organically,” he says.
All that Mandeep saw when he arrived at the Delhi campus was plastic debris, particularly bottles, scattered around and detracting from the atmosphere. These bottles brought back memories of a vertical gardening project I had previously completed with motor oil cans. Out of 500 virtual exhibitors, the project was chosen as one of the top two entries. I so reasoned, “Why not apply the same here?” Mandeep explains the concept of Green Dreams.
Green Dreams and their activities
Green Dreams began as a student-led project in 2024 with the straightforward yet impactful objective of promoting sustainability and engaging in environmentally friendly activities on campus. “We are a team of fifty-five volunteers who are social work students,” Mandeep explains.
Prof. Sanjay Roy, the chair of the Department of Social Work, says, “I was pleased when Mandeep took the initiative to start an eco club in the department.”
“There was some greenery at the college, but it was just trees,” Sanjay says. Sanjay, a college alumnus, continues, “Green Dreams was essential, not only for the campus’s beautification but also to remind students not to take nature for granted, as someone who has witnessed how the campus has changed.”
Reusing plastic bottles to create a vertical garden was Green Dreams’ first initiative. Mandeep adds, “We gathered the used plastic bottles from the campus, cleaned them, and used the funnel part of the bottle.” This served as each sapling’s holder. “We constructed about 20 of these holders using the bottles, put the sapling inside the mud-filled holder, and then hung each one separately on a campus wall.”
Green Dreams’ introduction of vertical gardens and eco-friendly Teacher’s Day celebration significantly increased participation in what started out as a tiny effort with 18 members.
According to club volunteer Vidushi Sharma, “We raised money through internal contributions and held a sustainable event with games and food stalls.” Their observable result of earning Rs 2000 in profit after deducting costs demonstrated the volunteers’ commitment and earnestness.
After this celebration, the group was successful in setting up its second vertical garden near the pledge board of the school. According to Mandeep, “faculty and students appreciated the imaginative and beautiful use of trash.” He makes an effort to host one eco-event per month.
Getting over vertical gardening
Although Mandeep and Piyush are the creators of Green Dreams, the group functions as a flat organization. Mandeep continues, “We have maintained it this way to encourage people to take initiative beyond their designated role and suggest new ideas that can be implemented.”
Additionally, we made hanging plant baskets that are displayed on each classroom window. One of our volunteers came up with this concept,” he continues.
The volunteers have been careful to give Ramveer, Chander Prakash, and Nandlal Pal, the gardeners who have been keeping the campus green for 20 years, the credit they deserve since the club’s founding.
To honor their dedication and acknowledge their effort, we are planning an appreciation celebration. According to Mandeep, they actually have the largest impact on the ecosystem of our college.
The group has been proactive in soliciting and assiduously putting suggestions and criticism into practice. “Our gardeners identified a problem where students were damaging the lawn by cutting across the grass rather than using the paved path to the hostel.”
They all agreed to refrain from dancing on the grass during college events like the freshmen’s party and to stick on the pavement to preserve it after realizing that their activities had serious repercussions for the plants. Mandeep grinned and said, “Now that the lawn is growing, it serves as a reminder that respect for nature begins with small, thoughtful choices.”
The club has also hosted guest speakers, such as Dr. Santhosh G, Founder of We Plant, who led a session titled “Saving the Seeds, Sowing Hope: Seed Bank Initiative,” and Dr. Ekta Saroha, Epidemiologist and Public Health Expert from IIHMR, who examined “Environment Health and Social Work Practice,” both of whom have a primary focus on practical implementation.
Planting a sapling for every company that has been coming to the campus for placements is one of their newest initiatives. “We add the logo of the company on the sapling, which marks their presence amidst our greenery,” shares Mandeep.
Motivating the upcoming class of pupils
Mandeep has been putting in a lot of effort to make sure that the transfer to the next group of volunteers goes smoothly, as he and his fellow classmates are graduating in May. “I hope that the next generation is as motivated as we are and raises awareness of sustainability and eco-consciousness, both practically and conceptually,” the 24-year-old states.
“We didn’t succeed in establishing a butterfly garden on campus previously, so I want to try to do that before I graduate. That would be a significant accomplishment for our team,” he continues.
Mandeep intends to incorporate Green Dreams into the department’s orientation program as part of his goal to leave a lasting legacy. “I want to encourage future members to learn the art of fundraising by leaving a small amount of money for the next batch from our first salaries after landing a job.”
What modest changes can we make to our homes, workplaces, and colleges today if a group of students can change their campus?
