Newsletter (September-October) 2023
Our newsletter provides updates on our programs, and fellow Climate Reality Leaders who are making a difference. It carries a gamut of activities carried out in two months' time, showing how each one of us can act to solve the crisis together. We would love to hear from you, your story and acts of leadership in the journey of sustainability. Every action matters!
Climate Change and Social Service-Challenges & Action Orientation at Chitkara University
A “Climate Change and Social Service-Challenges & Action Orientation” was held on 28th September 2023, at Chitkara University, Chandigarh Punjab. This one-day orientation program was conducted by the Chitkara University in association with APSWDP and The Climate Project Foundation (TCPF). The speakers for the session were: Ms. Rekha Trivedi from APSWDP, who spoke on Social-prenuer; Hitesh Kumar Gulati from APSWDP, who spoke about PCR Mindset; and Bhavesh Swami from TCPF, who spoke about Climate Change Reporting.
As a speaker, Hitesh K Gulati, who is also our Climate Reality Leader, spoke about the Progressive-collaborative & Resilience) mindset approach, and introduced the concept of “Joy of Confusion” when we move towards green & sustainable initiatives. The session was attended by two more Climate Reality Leaders, Vivek Trivedi & Rajiv Kumar. The orientation program was held for the students, teaching & non-teaching staff community. We carried out an e-feedback & analysis, according to which 95.05% of participants felt happy with content & structure and 93.68% of participants felt happy with knowledge & session, so overall feedback was excellent.
Green Campus Program Awards Announced
The GCP awards, given biannually, decided by school/college audit submissions. The program aids institutions in meeting NAAC's VII criteria, ensuring data organization and fulfilment of this requirement. In the latest cycle, we welcomed Kashmir College from Pulwama, marking a historic moment with the creation of a composting pit, a first in any Kashmiri college. They also engaged in our Faculty Development Program across five domains. With each biannual audit submission, we continue to expand across various states. Notably, St. Mary's School, Dwarka, re-applied after four years, upgrading from their 2019 Silver rating to achieve Platinum. Change and progress are evident in the surrounding areas of these institutions.
Meet & Greet with Kashmir Team
All the team members of Kashmir gathered in The Climate Reality Project’s office in Barakhambha, New Delhi to discuss the roadmap of climate action in Kashmir. The Kashmir Team delivered presentations highlighting their commendable efforts in Kashmir, where they have been conducting Teachers’ Training Program to enhance knowledge and raise awareness about critical environmental topics such as air quality, waste management, water conservation, energy efficiency, and biodiversity. Notably, they shared their efforts towards getting approval for 100 government schools in Kashmir, from the Government to join the Green Campus Program (GCP), aiming to comprehensively transform these educational institutions and engage them in various eco-friendly initiatives and community projects.
Having already initiated work in 27 schools, the team outlined their concerns and the challenges they encounter in the region. These challenges include navigating difficult terrain due to the region's uneven landscape and the absence of adequate facilities for conducting effective teacher training programs in the schools.
Kashmir’s team members also visited the Tagore International School, East of Kailash, Delhi during their stay. Tagore International School is a Gold-rated GCP Certified school, which serves as a Living Lab for many. the objective of the visit was to make the team members understand how a transformed campus looks like since GCP has recently kick-started in Kashmir, the completion of transformed campuses is yet to take place. This visit has helped them learn about our school's sustainable practices and how Green Campus Program helped in transformation of the school, students, parents, and related communities.
Exclusive Orientation for GD Goenka University on Net Zero & Carbon Neutrality in Campuses
The GD Goenka University, Sohna Road, Haryana invited The Climate Project Foundation (TCPF) for a workshop on Green Campus Program focusing on the Net Zero & Carbon Neutrality. Officials from admin staff gathered for an introduction to the Green Campus Program and to know how to do the green audit-and what other colleges and Universities have done. A sample of audit done by the winning educational institutions of the past years was also showcased to the committee for a better understanding.
One collaborative possibility that appears here is the “Idea Exchange” programs from other institutes can be facilitated where central kitchen / low carbon projects like concentrated solar are being used for cooking food. Other waste management practices like recycling of paper can also be thought of (to be used as paper board/files for university's official usage). Committee members agreed & showed interest for a student centric sensitization program/event on introduction to climate change for Engineering & Agricultural stream student community. TCPF consents for it, to be done on any date provided by Dr. Nihal Siddiqui that is convenient for all.
They shared about the sustainable practices and treatment units installed at their campus and showed interest for having paper recycling unit at their campus and ready to be crusaders of sustainability.
Click here to have a glimpse of the same.
Teachers’ Training Program at
Scholars Global School
The Teachers’ Training Program (TTP) is one of our key mitigation-based programs on The Climate Project Foundation, which creates a formative step of the Green Campus Program. Recently, we organized TTP at the Scholars Global School, Bahadurgarh. The objective of the program was to explain the Climate Change and its effect with an introduction of Green Campus Program to the stakeholders. 45 teachers attended TTP. They were immensely excited to bring in a change in school, lifestyle as well as motivate others in their network. They liked the interactive style of workshop.
World EV Day Celebration with
OMI Foundation
The Climate Project Foundation (TCPF) and Ola Mobility Institute (OMI Foundation) collaborated on 'World EV Day' (9th Sep 2023), bringing together diverse stakeholders to discuss the maturation of the EV sector. Aishwarya Raman, Executive Director, OMI Foundation highlighted India's rapid EV market growth, with some metros achieving double-digit sales increases. Akash Gupta, CEO, Zypp Electric emphasized their focus on heavier payload vehicles and increased mileage per charge. Timsee from Race Energy noted the role of statistics and AI in future vehicle development.
Aditya Pundir, Director – India & South Asia - TCPF shared their EV journey, focusing on collaboration with the government to promote schemes and incentives through social media. Dr. Annika Bose Styczynski, Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, OP Jindal Global University discussed the Green Jobs vertical in the EV sector. Bhavesh from TCPF addressed government initiatives in metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune, and Ahmedabad, highlighting the significant presence of EV buses in public transport.
Ashish Kundra, IAS, Principal Secretary and Commissioner, Department of Transport, Government of NCT of Delhi discussed the success of the lease model in Delhi's Department of Transport, while Narendra Nath Veluri, IFS, CEO, ANERT, Government of Kerala highlighted Kerala's acceptance of the 'Water Metro' concept. Mr. Vishnu V., IAS, MD and CEO, Guidance Tamil Nadu, Government of Tamil Nadu shared insights on incentives provided to the manufacturing sector, and governments initiatives. Dr. Christoph Wolff, , CEO, Smart Freight Centre, Amsterdam discussed international collaborations and tech transfer opportunities.
The program, conducted on Twitter/X Spaces, was well-received by over a hundred participants, catering to the on-the-move audience.
Youth For Earth 2023
Youth For Earth (Y4E) 2023 edition jointly organized by The Mobius Foundation and The Climate Project Foundation unites youth from India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka to present climate change solutions. This year too was filled with unwavering enthusiasm that deserved a grand celebration.
This year’s theme was SDG 13: Climate Action. All the students from schools (aged 13-18), university students, and groups formed from independent organisation up to the age of 3o had participated from across South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka). More than 200+ students registered for the projects from all over South Asia and inspired 75+ project submissions for this year’s edition. There were 12 winners, who were felicitated at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi during the ICSE Conference 2023 on 20 September 2023.
Junior Category winners:
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5th Prize (Consolation): Project Finobadi from Govt. Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya
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4th Prize (Consolation): Project Beejgole from the students of Adarsh Vidyamandir Satara, Maharashtra
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3rd Prize: Project Passionately Natural from TVS Academy Hosur
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2nd Prize: Project BacWP from The Iconic School, Bhopal
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1st Prize: Project Neeraja from Tribal Residential School, Rohile, Trimbakeshwar, Nashik, Maharashtra
We gave a special mention to SD Vidya School, Ambala who has been consistent throughout the earlier editions of the campaign.
Here is a list of the Senior Category winners:
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5th Prize (Consolation): Team Common Future from Charusat University
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4th Prize (Consolation): Team Beat Plastic Pollution from Earkai Paathukaappu Sangam (Nature Protection Society)
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3rd Prize: Team Polyfueler from Sershah Engineering College, Sasaram.
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2nd Prize: Team Nirmiti from St. Josephs’ University
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1st Prize: Team Tamira SES from Ashoka Trust from Research in Ecology and Environment
Ms. Alka Tomar, Dr. BC Sabat, Ms. Neha Raghav and Ms. Madhu Bhatnagar came on stage & described the evaluation process of the Youth for Earth Championship, shared uniqueness in the project and emphasized that how participating becomes more important than winning. Followed by this, Ms. Iwona Gin, Head of European Projects at Nausicaa, National Sea Experience Centre, France shared her views on Youth for Ocean platform.
A book launch session was held for two authors who instilled their symbolic ideas into transformative books.
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Mr. Anand Pendharakar, one of our Climate Reality Leaders who is also the co-author of the book, “Climate Actioneers’ Primer: A Beginner’s Toolkit”
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Mr. Parvaiz Yousuf, one of the Consultants of Green Campus Program, who Authored the book “Birds of Jammu and Kashmir – including Ladakh.”
Click here to view how Youth For Earth 2023 went.
Youth Engagement to Accelerate Climate Action at K. R. Mangalam University
Recently, we organized, a one-day orientation program for K.R. Mangalam University (KRMU) to share knowledge about Climate Change & Role of Youth in addressing it. The audience included students & faculty of Basic & Applied Sciences Department.
Bhavesh Swami from TCPF, cited sustainable solutions like sustainable technologies, EVs, solar, eco-tourism, etc., while setting the tone about climate crisis, and the concerned areas. Rakesh Chandra Agrawal, Executive Chairman at The Environment and Consumer Foundation underlined the need of the hour in terms of climate action for youth, and motivated students to proactively join the journey. Mr. Satpal, (Retd.) Lecturer & an Active Representative from Ghamroj Village (adopted by KRMU), Gurugram, Haryana shared about the activities taking place in the village.
Dr. Sakshi Grover, Environment Consultant from TCPF, explained Green Campus Program and its stages of implementation, plan of action & auditing procedure to the new committee other stakeholders present there.
GCP Orientation with Mumbai University
Green Campus Programme is NAAC-VII compliant and supports the educational institutions in treading greener path. Recently, we conducted an online orientation session on “Green Campus Program and Role of Universities,” for Mumbai University.
During the session, Ms. Rekha Lalla from TCPF explained about GCP and how it can be implemented. She highlighted the need for formulating a Green Campus Policy, which envisions clean and green campuses that undertake sustainable and eco-friendly practices, combined with education to promote a healthy and sustainable future.
The session was organized under the guidance of Mr. Sushil Jajoo Senate Member (Mumbai University) & Director - My Green Society, Mumbai. 65+ educators from different colleges of Mumbai University participated in this interactive session.
MoU Signed with Vignana Jyothi Institute of Management, Hyderabad
TCPF has signed an MoU with Vignana Jyothi Institute of Management, Hyderabad taking a step further towards sustainable future while accelerating SDG 4.7 and implementing Green Campus Program in their campus.
The objectives of the MoU are:
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To spread awareness in the students, faculty, stakeholders, and surrounding communities related to the environmental issues.
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TCPF to help the Institute/college/University in implementing “Green Campus Program” in their campuses.
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Develop strategic content for pedagogical support and for the dissemination of information on the environmental issues and make it readily available and easily accessible to the institute/college/University for implementation through digital platforms.
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Undertake skill and knowledge building exercises like seminars, workshops, conclaves, training, meetings, campaigns and conferences in collaborations and partnerships with government and non-government agencies on the climatic issues and environmental concern.
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Undertake any other allied activities and share programs and resources that will address the sustainability education, climate change and other environmental issues for the betterment of the students, faculty and community on a larger canvas.
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To create measurable and effective impacts by virtue of all the intended initiatives.
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Both the organizations have come forward to tread the journey together.
Climate Change Summit with CII-Young Indians & The Design Village
The Climate Project Foundation and CII - Young Indians came forward to conduct, "Climate Change Summit on Unlocking Opportunities in Sustainability," in October 2023, hosted by The Design Village (TDV).
As a next step to our MoU signed with CII-Young Indians, we organized a Climate Summit on “Unlocking Opportunities Around Sustainability” for students of Design Village Noida. The Summit aimed to bring together the nation’s youth and engage them in positive climate action. The goal was to deepen their understanding of climate change, its impacts, and consequences, while viewing sustainability through the lens of design and as a global challenge.
The initiative focused on fostering a deeper understanding of climate change, its sweeping impacts, and the consequential challenges we face in the modern world. Through an innovative approach, the program aimed to empower young minds with the knowledge and skills required to address global sustainability issues through the transformative lens of design.
The summit started with a presentation on Climate Change by Mr Bhavesh Swami, followed by a GCP presentation of Rekha Lalla.
The Summit concluded with a panel discussion- discussing the importance of sustainability in the field of design, career opportunities, global sustainability challenges, as well as business strategies and planning. Ms. Smruti Sweta, Mr. Samarth Khanna, Mr Pradip Karuturi and Nikhil Kamath the Climate reality leaders participated in the panel discussion.
Our Foray into Bangladesh
The Climate Reality Project India and South Asia organized "International Seminar on Climate Change: Empowering Change for a Sustainable Tomorrow," a three-day seminar in various educational institutions in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The seminars were structured in a systematic way which could help us garner insights into the quality of climate change education in the following institutions:
The seminars were conducted in the following institutions:
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School: Rampura Ekramunnesa Boys High School (students below 16 years)
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College: Mohanagar College Merul Badda (students between 16-18 years)
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University: Independent University Dhaka (students between the ages of 19 to 25)
Along with this, we had meetings with various organizations which helped us understand the local perspective of climate change-induced areas in different parts of the country.
On the first day of visit, Climate Change Dialogue on Our Changing World and Role of Universities," was organized by the students of Green Planet Club, Independent University Bangladesh. Wherein Mr. Aditya Pundir gave a presentation on climate change and the way forward. While our Country Coordinator - Mr. Zahurul Haque; talked about the solutions through the Green Campus Program.
On 2nd day, event was organized in the Mohanagar College, Merul Badda, Dhaka for 150+ students from class XI and XII. The principal was present along with the teachers from the college. An interactive dialogue took place with the students about the importance of keeping the campuses green and clean. Mr. Sifur Rahman from Eco Concern Association and Ms. Shawoni Chowdhury were present as our support partner from the NGO - Eco Concern.
On 3rd day, an event was conducted in Rampura Ekramunnesa Boys High School, which was attended by around 200+ students from 10th standard, who joined the session on Green and Clean Campuses. The Headmistress, municipal counsellors, and other educators from the school joined the session. The event was conducted by all the chief guests by discussing about climate change and what students can do from and individual and community perspective.
We also set up a meeting with the Climate Reality Leaders of Bangladesh to discuss and understand more about their work and areas to move ahead with our Climate Reality Leaders’ expertise in the local aspect of climate change mitigation in Bangladesh.
Principals’ Conclave on Climate Education and Green Campuses for Safer Planet” at Rayat Shikshan Sanstha, Satara
The Climate Project Foundation organized Principals’ Conclave on Climate Education and Green Campuses for Safer Planet” at Rayat Shikshan Sanstha, Satara in the month of October, 2023. In the academic year 2023-24, TCPF is working with 50 campuses of Rayat Shikshan Sanstha on teachers’ training program. Hence, principal conclave for principal of 50 campuses organised at Satara. Total 51 participant took part in the conclave.
During the Conclave, a presentation about climate change: science, impacts and solutions was given by Mr. Ganesh Satav. Dr. Amruta Deshmukh gave a presentation on Teachers’ Training Program and Role of Principals. Hon’ble Joint Secretary (secondary education) Rayat Shikshan Sanstha Mr. B. N. Pawar; Auditor Dr. Menkudale, Rayat Shikshan Sanstha; and Rayat Shiksan Sanstha’s Green Campus Program - Coordinator, Dr. Sudhir Kumbhar; provided valuable guidance during the Conclave.
The objective of this Conclave was to spread awareness about climate change and ways to deal with it; introduce one of our key programs i.e., Teachers’ Training Program, and how Principals can catalyze momentum in the same while throwing light on the roadmap; and also, to provide guidance to participants through the officials of Rayat Shikshan Sanstha for smooth implementation of the program. The Principals’ Conclave went well, and it was insightful for all the attendees there.
Here is a glimpse of the same.
Acts of Leadership by
Climate Reality Leaders
Prof. B. V. Subba Rao
Institute of Town Planners, India – Telangana Regional Chapter (ITPI-TRC) conducted a one-day seminar on November 8, 2023 (Wednesday) on, "Climate Change" in the premises of the ITPI-TRC building located at Begumpet, Hyderabad. Prof. B. V. Subba Rao was invited to the seminar as a speaker, wherein he shared about the grave concerns of climate crisis; how we can mitigate them.
Vijay Pal Singh Baghel
Vijay Pal Singh Baghel, Green Man and one of our Climate Reality Leaders was featured in Dainik Bhaskar for promoting Ghaziabad municipality in waste segregation and management to make the environment clean during festivals like Diwali & Chhat Pooja, in which lots of waste is used to generate.
Anand Pendharkar
Anand Pendharkar, Co-Authored ‘Climate Actioneers’ Primer: A Beginners' Toolkit’ with Mr. Rahul Palekar and Amruta Padgaonkar, launched it on 16 September in Mumbai followed by another release on 19th September 2023 in Delhi. It is a free access book having 600 climate actions one could take towards the greening of our Earth.
The 'Climate Actioneers' Primer: A Beginner's Toolkit' is a Comprehensive Guide to Tackling Climate Change is all about having no-excuse solutions for all the planet-dwellers. In a world that
is facing the pressing challenges of climate change, three visionary authors, Anand, Rahul, and Amruta of SPROUTS have come up with a booklet that has solid grounds on Climate Action. This is the first part of the SPROUTS' Climate Action Series. The book is a testament to the authors' deep commitment to addressing climate change, and is supported by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, India office, as part of their social-ecological transformation work.
Elsie Gabriel
Elsie Gabriel was invited by the United Nations Organization at the special screening of Wildlife Media's award-winning new documentary, “Collision” (2023). The screening was at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris with the Intergovernmental Oceanic Commission, followed by discussions with Director and Producer Philip Hamilton, scientific experts, NGOS, civil society and representatives of the shipping industry. A huge audience filled the iconic plenary room at UNESCO HQ.
Collision focuses on the grossly under-reported issue of fatal ship strikes on whales, suggesting solutions to minimize the problems. Watch it and trigger change!! Ms. Gabriel underlined the role of Ocean Literacy and adoption in curriculums by global governments.
Nitish Barole
Participated in “Flood Green Guide Youth Champions Program”, a youth engagement program that meaningfully incorporates the knowledge and ideas of youth at the forefront of the climate crisis by WWF. He is one among nine young leaders from Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The workshop included a site visit to explore Colombo’s urban wetlands, including Diyasura Park, to inspect nature-based flood management in action. It included capacity building for the community, establishing youth-focused spaces & targeted funding.
Nita Ganguly
Nita Ganguly has conducted several workshops in the schools of Mumbai and Delhi, wherein she shared twelve effective teaching methodologies that can be adopted to teach any topic from the school curriculum and integrate it with climate change education! She also introduced the schools to the Green Campus Program, which would provide a larger perspective on understanding
climate change and the practices needed to reach the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
