Local sustainability initiatives 6
But you don’t have to be an entrepreneurial engineer to make a difference to both your community and the environment!
Many governmental and NGO’s have implemented clean-up schemes within slum communities to raise awareness and educate on the effects of mass-waste. An example of this is in the Sabarmati area of Ahmedabad city, where local residents have created a garden where a garbage dump used to be. An accumulation of waste near to the vegetable market of Ramnagar enraged the locals and from this a cleanliness drive was created, with the aid of corporation officers. Hemant Vyas, the young man responsible for the change, and friends then decided to develop a park and build a public toilet in order to deter further waste being discarded there. Today, the area is known as “Sai Garden” and is a beloved hangout spot for the kids of the town.
This small sample of local sustainability can be found, and more so, implemented in many corners of the world. We are all citizens of the earth and have a duty to preserve and try and reduce our selfish impacts in all the ways we can; whether it be buying our weekly veggie on a Sunday from the Maharashtra Nature Park or trying to dress ourselves in clothes that care much more than whether or not your bum looks big!
India, a country that makes up for 2.4% of the world land, yet it supports 16% of its population. Over the course of the last decade, India’s exceptional growth has seen more employment opportunities and paved the way for millions of its natives to escape the claws of poverty.
However, with every silver lining there is always associated, a cloud. Well, this one is laced with carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter of various classifications.
The World Bank conducted a survey on the environments of 178 countries and India was ranked 155 th overall and almost last in air pollution exposure. In addition to this, another survey on the G-20 economies found that 13 of the 20 most polluted cities are found in India.
India, a country that makes up for 2.4% of the world land, yet it supports 16% of its population. Over the course of the last decade, India’s exceptional growth has seen more employment opportunities and paved the way for millions of its natives to escape the claws of poverty.
However, with every silver lining there is always associated, a cloud. Well, this one is laced with carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter of various classifications.
The World Bank conducted a survey on the environments of 178 countries and India was ranked 155 th overall and almost last in air pollution exposure. In addition to this, another survey on the G-20 economies found that 13 of the 20 most polluted cities are found in India.
To regurgitate the classic tagline of environmentalists everywhere –
“Think global, act local” , we all have to start somewhere. And why not make that ‘somewhere’ here.
Want me to start you off? Okay, the weekly Farmers Market in Maharashtra Nature Park, Mumbai. Every Sunday morning from October to March, local farmers and residents from Mumbai congregate at the Farmers Market for a feast of organically grown fruits & veggies for sale.
Farmers Markets are great places to shop organically, as well as meeting like-minded people and contributing directly to your community. To accompany the abundance of goodness and greens, the market also hosts other local treats such as relaxing foot massages, music from the Natural Streets for Performing Arts (NSPA) and workshops for kids.