They colour the Earth green!

There are several facts about India’s environment that scares. A research work released in 2020 by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has said 30 Indian towns will face a ‘grave water risk’ by 2050 due to rapid population growth. In a worldwide survey conducted in 2019, it was determined that India had 21 of the top 30 most polluted cities. India’s total forest and tree cover today stands at 80.73 million hectares, or about 24.5% of its total land area, far short of the 33% target.

These aren’t just numbers on paper but are happening as we read, indicating the truth that we have forgotten to value nature over our materialistic needs. However, there is a slow revolution happening in which a few individuals sensitive to nature’s cause are doing their bit to colour the planet greener than what it is now. 

Nandan Bhat started EcoKaari, a social company based in Pune, intending to create a society where bottom-up development is the key to achieve a better life in a sustainable manner. EcoKaari was founded to address waste management issues, particularly non-biodegradable and difficult-to-recycle waste plastic. The initiative aims to upcycle waste plastic into beautiful, handcrafted accessories using traditional charkha and handloom techniques, allowing the participation of rural women and youth. The procedure is also environmentally friendly because no heat, electricity, or chemicals are utilised in the weaving process.

There is another unique organisation named Akshar Foundation in Pamohi, Assam. It accepts plastic waste as school fees.  Mazin Mukhtar and Parmita Sharma were very disturbed to witness plastic garbage being burned in the area and decided to take action. They decided to accept plastic as a form of payment for education. The students recycle the gathered plastic into eco-bricks, which are then used in simple construction projects.

Families are glad to send their children to school since Akshar pays them to work part-time as they teach younger students and earn. Wages for students are determined by their academic standing and teaching ability. Through their teaching concept, Akshar is addressing a variety of issues such as environmental pollution, child labour, and a lack of skills in teenagers.

Environment restoration is much talked about these days. However, Dilip Jain of VanFeva, now DJED Foundation, implements it in his work. Dilip’s work ethic revolves around the three Es- entrepreneurship, education, and environment, and the DJED Foundation focuses on the same three Es at the grassroots level. 

In the foothills of the Sahyadris, between Chinchwadi and Vare villages, he launched the DJed Foundation in 2020. The major goal is to shift the world’s focus from ‘Economy’ (part) to ‘Ecology’ (total) (whole). The current “western” belief system, which underpins the economy and all of its institutions, has proved harmful to species and society. This is a model that allows individuals to learn, be, and do things in a way that is in tune with nature and life.

“DJED foundation has adopted a village named Chinchwadi, where we are working with the local Adivasi community to tackle their basic survival problems and also uplift them in the process. We believe in a model where we empower the people of the village to bring about the change,” says Dilip Jain, about the work DJED foundation has been doing.

‘Pune Ploggers’ was founded by Vivek Gurav just after the idea of picking up plastic waste came to him during his morning jog. He has made serious efforts to protect the environment through this initiative. What started as a simple task of picking waste while jogging has now become a trend and has roughly 4,500 volunteers. “I decided to focus on the major part of waste i.e plastic. We pick up plastic and then convert them into eco-bricks by stuffing them into plastic bottles. They can then be used for small construction works,” says Vivek talking about the initiative. Pune Ploggers has now ventured on to disseminating information in and around waste management and segregation in the households of Pune. Many other cities have also replicated the model of Pune Ploggers now.

The task of ecological restoration is what motivates Kabita Ghimire. She is an environmental enthusiast, alternative educator, social worker, and sustainability enthusiast who is all ears and ready to help in the journey towards sustainability. She has been part of innumerable initiatives targeted in and around sustainability, the prominent ones being Encamp Adventures, Ramro Pads, Dubara Socho, and Spread, Love and Peace. She credits her inspiration to the lifestyle of her native in Haflong, Assam. She has adopted sustainability in her lifestyle almost completely now. “One can begin with small steps like switching the regular plastic toothbrush with the bamboo brush and not changing it every three months. Then gradually other things can follow,” she says as a basic tip on adopting sustainability.

The eco-warriors hint at the need for more people to restore the environment. Their actions have had a knock-on impact, sowing the seeds of environmental conservation. They are indeed colouring the Earth green!

Story edited by Ritu Jhingran

Video credit: Pradeep Sharma