The Climate Reality Project India
Newsletter (Nov-Dec) 2022
Our newsletter will provide updates from our programs, our fellow Climate Reality Leaders who are making difference and how each one of us can act to solve the crisis. And, we would love to know your story and act of leadership, because every action does matter.
MOU Signed with Chitkara University and International Schools
On 16th November 2022, The Climate Project Foundation (TCPF) signed an MOU with two Chitkara International Schools and Chitkara University.
Chitkara International School stakeholders, Dr. Niyati Chitkara, Director of Chitkara International Schools, Chandigarh and Panchkula, signed the MoU with TCPF, which was executed in the Chandigarh school campus in the presence of Mr Aditya Pundir, Director – India & South Asia, TCPF and Ms. Rekha Lalla, Green School Programme Manager, TCPF. Another MOU was signed at the Chitkara College of Education, and in collaboration with Chitkara School of Psychology by Dr. Madhu. A counselling session, “an Expert Talk on Understanding the Climate Crises" was also organised.
Paryavaran Rakshak Programme -
A Nukkad Natak Competition
As a part of its annual flagship event, GRIHA Summit 2022 (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment), GRIHA Council organized “Paryavaran Rakshak Programme, a Nukkad Natak Competition” in partnership with The Climate Project Foundation (TCPF) with an objective to highlight the needs of involvement of students in sustainable development.
The 14th GRIHA Summit was held on December 15th -16th, 2022 at the India Habitat Center, New Delhi. It anchored on the theme, “Towards Net Positive Habitats”. Ms Rekha Lalla, Manager – Green Campus Program, TCPF participated in the event and also served as a “Jury Member” for Nukkad Nataks that were presented in the prelude days of the summit, i.e. on November 18, 2022 at the Open Amphitheatre (OAT), India Habitat Centre. Nukkad Natak competition was based on the theme “Earth ko Anarth se Bachaye”.
Save Aravalli Walk
“Save Aravalli Walk” took place on 27th November 2022. The walk started with an orientation from Mr. Jitender Bhadana, co - founder of Save Aravalli Trust, about the richness of biodiversity in the area and also threw light on the waste management practices currently followed by people and how it is finding its last resting place in the Aravalli’s, unfortunately as they are the only open spaces available in the NCR belt.
The 6-kilometres trail got to an exciting start with an identification quiz of local vs vilayati ‘kikar’ that was
introduced some decades ago which created imbalance with local flora and fauna. Goats, cows, camels and other animals eat desi kikar leaves fondly leaving other variants totally untouched, hence its abundance. Moreover, the thorny bushes are a threat to wildlife as well with reported injuries to leopard cubs, deers and other bird species. Beautiful viewpoints/ selfie points came on the way as elevation was gained, including the beautiful cactus garden and the group-built comradeship among fellow trekkers, some of whom were as young as eighty years old.
The discussions were also held about proposing a site for garbage in Bandwari, which is witnessing some resistance as it is releasing leachate into the soil threating the soil quality and water bodies. Bhavesh Swami, Lead Clean Energy and Engagement, The Climate Project Foundation (TCPF) shared how TCPF is bringing positive change in the society by empowering schools and colleges. The walk saw 100+ participants.
Cleanliness Drive in Pune
A “Cleanliness Drive Campaign” was organized in Viman Nagar, Pune with the help of youth. The drive aimed at generating awareness amongst the community to bring out clean initiatives in the locality.
It was conducted as a part of Adar Poonawalla Clean City Initiative in collaboration with The Climate Project Foundation (TCPF). Along with the representatives from Adar Poonawalla, 100+ students from Symbiosis University were present in the event. The drive resulted in the collection of 300 kgs waste from the trail.
Webinar on National Energy
Conservation Day
An online seminar on the eve of National Energy Conservation Day was held on 14th December 2022 to commemorate the National Energy Conservation Day 2022 with the theme “Energy Conservation in India 2022: Present and Future Trends.” The webinar was organized by Chitkara University and Association of Professional Social Workers & Development Practitioners (APSWDP) in partnership with The Climate Project Foundation (TCPF).
The webinar was driven to talk about the understanding of energy conservation and restoration, the way forward for future trends in energy usage patterns. Mr. Bhavesh Swami, Lead Clean Energy and Engagements, TCPF, delivered a talk about what energy is and built a holistic viewpoint onto its world perspective and importance for a country like India. He threw light on what student community should be doing to be more aware in their daily lives and how small ‘driven’ actions taken individually at home
or at school/university level can bring a drastic change. An interactive question and answer session was conducted with 50+ students joined the session and asked very practical questions to understand the changes they collectively need to take up as students and as groups to make a shift towards sustainable energy sources.
Green Jobs Conclave 2022
On 15th December 2022, The Green Jobs conclave was held at the Symbiosis Centre for Management Studies, Pune in collaboration with The Climate Project Foundation & Adar Poonawalla Clean City and ExploreiT. It was organized to enlighten the students about Green Jobs and how they can plan their career in this domain. The Conclave started with the national anthem followed by the hosts giving a brief about the theme of the conclave.
The session was organized to help the participants in building their knowledge around green economy, green careers, and green courses with experts from various colleges/universities offering allied courses. Additionally, they were also elaborated about the required skillsets. Dr. Adya Sharma, the director of SCMS Pune and the academic host for the event, addressed the audience and facilitated the guest panel.
A Workshop on Green Campus Program in Gyan Anant Vidyalaya
On 3rd December, a workshop was conducted in the Gyan Aanant Vidyalaya by Mobius Foundation in collaboration with The Climate Project Foundation (TCPF). The objective of the session was to introduce the teachers to our Green Campus Program so that they can carry out the audit in their premises, while explaining the audit to the Green Campus Committee.
Ms. Rekha Lalla, Manager – Green Campus Program, TCPF hosted the workshop. She conducted workshops for all 40 teachers present there and gave them ideas to use the resources present in the school campus to connect students to the environment. The teachers were divided into 7 groups-Air, Water, Waste, Energy, Biodiversity, Climate innovation and Community Outreach to work with a group of students to do the audit of their existing school infrastructure. They were shown videos and work of other schools too.
Teachers of each group will now have an online workshop with Mrs. Rekha Lalla to understand the process of audit and their respective topic.