Patna, Jan. 21: Innovative ideas from school children left a group of foreign delegates amazed over the level of awareness and seriousness among the students about environmental issues.

Around 400 students from Mar Gregorius Mission School took part in a workshop organised by Tarumitra, a non-government organisation.

A students’ delegation from the USA was invited to the workshop. Nivando from Panama, Luis from El Salvador, Alberto from Mexico and Yanira from Belite, all students aged 21 to 25 from Zamorano University in Honduras, are in India for their internship.

The American students shared their views with the children on environment and pollution for about an hour on the school premises.

The foreign students are in Patna till April this year. The members have already visited three schools in the city — AVN School, Hardman School and Mar Gregorius Mission School — and would be visiting many others in the next three months.

The students were very excited to meet their American friends. Many students raised their hands when the delegates invited suggestions from them. One of the students, Monika from Class VI, said: “If somebody cuts down a tree, I will plant ten tress.” Her answer brought a smile on the faces of the delegates.

Ten-year-old Shivam Kumar said that he will stop using plastic and will ask others to do the same.

Jyoti Kumari, a student, said: “We can’t afford to waste paper as thousands of trees are being felled for producing paper.”

Kumari Rupali, a Class II student, said she was ready to cut down on her TV watching hours to save electricity. She said she learnt at the workshop that 1 unit of electricity is produced by using 52kg of coal. “Now that I know that my move can save electricity consumption, at least I can try to contribute to the green cause,” said eight-year-old Kumari Rupali.

The American delegates made a power point presentation to show the flourishing biodiversity and the scenic beauty of their country.

Yanira, one of the delegates, said: “Wherever we went people have been extremely hospitable. We have already visited Mumbai, Jaipur and Delhi and now we are in Patna. One thing that took me by surprise was the number of cars running on the roads. In our country, they are very few in number.”

She appreciated the teachers who are supporting the students and also making them aware of environmental threats.