Clean India For A Green India Essay

When the last tree is cut and the last fish killed, the last river poisoned, then you will peck that you cant eat money. -John MayThe sluttish-India ProgrammeIndia has a population of over one billion, of which around 300 million live in around 600 t avers and cities. Unfortunately, as a result of stressed environmental conditions, most of these towns and cities ar unable to cope with the rapid pace of urbanisation. water pollution, unavailability of drinking water, hapless sanitation, open dumping of go down on, and loss of forest cover atomic number 18 some of the related problems. These countenance undecomposed consequences on the wellness of the hoi polloi and are besides an economic burden to the country. Similarly, water-borne disease like diarrhoea, bitterness and cholera are taking a heavy toll on both human health and economic productivity. This situation demands immediate intervention in the management of rapidly growing urban environmental problems. The timbe r of the environment needs to be monitored regularly and, more importantly, scientific work needs to scarper beyond the laboratory and become more community centered.While the regulatory agencies continue to play their role. Programmes that are community based are required. These will help the community understand local issues and take needful initiatives to improve their local environmental conditions and come up with new locale-specific initatives to improve their sorrounding environmental conditions. CLEAN-India (Community Led surroundings Action Network) programme was launched by Development Alternatives (DA) with the vision of developing a cleaner environment for our urban centres. This nation-wide programme managementes on environmental assessment, awareness, advocacy and action on school children who are the future citizens. The underlined acknowledgement is that each one of us is responsible for the current state of are environment and we cannot wait for mortal else to solve it.CLEAN-India MissionThe CLEAN-India programme aims to mobilise community responsibility for environmental assessment and improvement in all major towns and cities of India through schools and NGOs linked with governments, profession, academic and other institutions.CLEAN-India NetworkCLEAN-India programme partners with more than 30 like-minded NGOs, 400 schools and over one million students who coordinate the activities crossways 78 urban centres of India. They get into in various environmental activities and programmes for a cleaner greener India.CLEAN-India Thematic Areas urine quality and conservation sanitization Land use and biodiversity conservation Water conservation Air quality Energy efficiency nose candy footprint Climate convinceCLEAN-India has evolved with the get downs and learnings from the various initiatives it has taken in the ult fifteen years. It is now a front runner in the field of conservation and sustainable living. CLEAN-India programme evolv ed from DAs experience with the Delhi Environment Action Network (DEAN) programme, which began in September1996 with five schools. Over 4000 children have now been trained like a shot on environmental assessment and improvement activities. Action programmes to improve local environmental conditions have been initatiated. material waste management, plantation suffers, energy conservation, paper recycling, etc., are some activities done by the schools, Resident public assistance Associations (RWAs), business and industrial associations and individual households. This experience indicates that when environment assessment is youth and community based, it mobilises the community to inspection their local environment conditions and take the requisite measures without waiting for external support. CLEAN-India has around 30 partner NGOs who drive the CLEAN-India initiative in their urban centres.The endeavour has been well received in these areas. Many more NGOs from across the country have expressed interest to initiate the CLEAN-India programme in their own cities and towns. Over the past decade, the programme has mobilised an extensive network of environmentally conscious citizens. They have assumed responsibility and evolved solutions to their quick environmental problems. Besides the core network of 30 NGOs, thousands ofschool teachers and several other citizens groups like RWAs, parents fora, local business associations and youth clubs participate actively in the activities. The programme covers various aspects pertaining to our environment like water, air, trees and medicinal plants, waste management (composting, waste paper recycling), checking for food adulteration, bird watching, energy conservation, eco-consumerism.The CLEAN-India Programme isUnique because it involves children and yougth, the future citizens as engines of change Scientific as it is equipped with scientific tools, methods and techniques Innovative as it has a structured mannequin with flexibility to address the local needs Inclusive as it joins hands with all stakeholdersHolistic as it addresses the entire value chain from assessment to solutions Regular in creating an environmental movement combining hands-on scientific learning with civic action Effective because it creates Eco-Citizens for tomorrow Recognising the potential of the CLEAN-India Programme, the Central Pollution tick Board (CPCB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Development Alternatives to mutually assist and strengthen existing initiatives of community based environmental action in India. This collaboration was aimed at mobilising the school network for ceaseless monitoring of environmental quality and motivating communities to initiate activities for clean neighbourhoods.Similarly, CLEAN-India is partnering relationships with business and industry associations and entities like the federation of Indian Industries (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Indus try (FICCI), Society for Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), cover Motors and also with academic institutions like the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), and Indian Institute of Science (IISc).CLEAN-India Tools Jal-TARA Water Testing Kit helps monitor the quality of drinking water. Pawan-TARA Air Testing Kit helps assess the quality of the air we breathe. Jal-TARA Water Filter provides safe drinking water by treating pathogenic bacteria and turbidity. TARA miniskirt Paper Recycling objectt recycles waste paper generated in schools and communities which enable us to make our ownstationary.Achievements/ Milestones CLEAN Dindigul recieved the JCB Confederation of Indian Industries (CII)-Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) second runner up confront for excellence in straight waste management in 2011. CLEAN-India website won the Manthan-AIF Award for best e-content on environment in 2006. A CLEAN-Shillong (ex-CLEAN-In dia Centre) student was selected by Reuters for the Johannesburg Meet in 2000. The first DEAN CLEAN Mela was held in 1998 and included an exhibition, competitions, quiz and a public forum CLEAN-India students participated in international conferences in Edinburgh, UK and Nairobi, Kenya in 1997 and 1998. Tony Blair, Prime Minister of Britain interacted with a CLEAN-India student in Edinburgh, UK in 1997. DA was nominated as the central agency for Earth Charter for Children, South Asia. Few of our Resource Centres have helped us translate it into 6 regional languages also. We have released posters, brochures and one book on all the languages in ninth CLEAN-India Meet in 1995. Tree helpline started by Delhi disposal. PIL in Supreme Court for protection of greens / trees. A number of projects have been catalysed with agencies such as UNICEF, Water Aid, Department of Science and Technology, MoEF and Delhi Government. CLEAN-India is a part of an International young alliance Be the So lution.Support for CLEAN-India European Commission Delhi Government Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India State Governments Central Pollution Control Board Respective State Pollution Control Boards august Netherlands Embassy Foundation Ensemble Ford Motors Jocknick FoundationSuccess Stories A Solid Waste Management Plan for Jhansi is being developed in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation of Jhansi and Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board. Ten deflouridation filters were provided by the manufacturer and 70 filters have been organise up with the initiative of CLEAN members by Rural Water Supply Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh. CLEAN-India Delhi Chapter initiated and facilitated in setting up of a tree helpline. CLEAN-India Mysore Chapter has networked with Mysore City Corporation for solid waste management. They have also networked with a womens Self Help Group (SHG), to convert all resource campa ign material into mats and other decorative items. CLEAN-India Pune Chapter was successful in the Eco-visarjan campaign. The authorities banned the use of idols make of plaster of paris painted with toxic colours. Unbaked clay idols were made available and proper arrangements were made for immersions. CLEAN-India Dindigul Chapter has set up a residual recycling plant in tanneries as an outcome result of a campaign by school students.Harnessing Youth Power Way AheadYoung people take a shit a large part of the worlds population. India has the largest youth population in the world. Nearly 40 per cent of the Indian population is aged between 13 to 35 years, and are defined as youth in the National Youth Policy.A large population, especially young people and children, are particularly vulnerable to environmental risks, for example, access to clean and safe drinking water. In addition, young people will have to live with the consequences of current environmental actions and decisions ta ken by their elders. Future generations will also be affected by these decisions and the extent to which they have been addressed. Their concerns would be on depletion of resources, the loss of biodiversity, and radioactive wastes.Youth have both special concerns and special responsibilities in relation to the environment. Young people will occupy in new forms of action and activism that will generate effective responses to environmental challenges. CLEAN-India will now focus on youth and provide them with an opportunity to associate with it. It will direct their efforts towards eliciting a positive change in urban society.In the past 16 years of its existence, CLEAN-India has traversed a long way in pursuit of its mission to mobilise community responsibility for environmental assessment and improvement, which has also earned it numerous laurels from both within as well as beyond its shores. But a greater opportunity of work and engagement still awaits our footsteps and we are comm itted to take it further in the years to come