August 15th, India's Independence Day, exhibits nationwide patriotism and pride.  People wave flags freely to show their love and appreciation for our country.  However, these patriotic expressions can have harmful effects-especially when plastic flags are left and litter the ground.  Recognizing this, LEADer Minuddin from Anjuman Degree College, Dharwad wanted to do his part in making Independence Day more eco-friendly.  On August 13th and 14th, he visited 9 colleges and 13 schools in Dharwad to create awareness about the environmental dangers of using plastic flags.  He told people to opt for flags made from khadi material instead. He also distributed flyers to people near the KSRTC public bus stop, hospitals, and traffic signals, and told them to avoid using plastic flags on Independence Day.  Minuddin's initiative led to significant impact.  In past years following Independence Day, newspapers would post sad stories of hundreds of plastic flags thrown and forgotten about, and left on the ground-a disrespect for Indian patriotism as well as the environment.  This year, Dharwad newspapers published no such stories.  In fact, it was recorded that usage of plastic flags had been reduced by 80%.