June 5 is celebrated as World Environment Day across the world to remind people about the importance of nature. It is celebrated across the globe to tell people that nature should not be taken for granted and must be respected for its value.
With the coronavirus outbreak and people being confined indoors, the environment and mother earth seem to have benefitted slightly. In the absence of human activities amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown, nature is getting time to clean itself and reclaim its space.
World Environment Day is one of the biggest annual events organised by the United Nations (UN) around a particular theme. The theme of World Environment Day 2021 is ‘Ecosystem Restoration.’
On this occasion, let us see how India Inc. is celebrating World Environment Day this year.
Blue Dart
Blue Dart has announced paperless transactions on their new Digital Portal for all its Vendor Partners this World Environment Day on 5th June 2021. The online launch event of this paperless technology is a registered event with UNEP for the celebrations of World Environment Day. Under the Group’s New Sustainability Roadmap, Blue Dart has made significant investments in developing future-ready technology that can protect the environment and at the same time deliver excellence in a sustainable way.
The United Nations has proclaimed 2021- 2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Blue Dart has committed this decade to its efforts towards ecosystem restoration.
Blue Dart recognises the importance to fight climate change and is integrating robust ESG mechanisms into this decade of ecosystem restoration. Blue Dart has executed over 50% of its customer invoices online and is working towards achieving a 100% transition. Manufacturing paper is energy-intensive; one A4 sheet requires approximately 50 watt-hours. Going paperless will help conserve energy, reduce CO2 emissions, avoid deforestation, protect the natural habitat and strengthen forest-based livelihood opportunities for the surrounding communities. Through this initiative, Blue Dart will not only protect the environment but also commits to planting a significant number of trees every year. Currently, Blue Dart plants 111,000 trees every year, in order to offset 22,20,000 kg carbon per year on maturity.
In addition to this, the company has said that it aims to make all their owned or leased facilities operate at Net Zero Carbon by 2025, drive increased efficiency and use cleaner fuels within their fleet of 6 Boeing 757 freighters, support customers with sustainable and optimized packaging solutions and design greener products and services through their comprehensive solutions.
Tata Power
Tata Power stepped up to conserve the endangered Mahseer – also known as Tiger of the freshwaters – fifty years ago. On World Environment 2021, the company has announced that the Blue-Finned (Tor Khudree) – one of the two Mahseer species being bred at Tata Power’s Walvan Hatchery in Lonavala – is now off the IUCN red list. The IUCN has granted it the status of ‘Least Concern’ which in effect means it is no longer in danger of being extinct, and has warmly acknowledged the role Tata Power has played in the Blue-Finned’s captive breeding and stock enhancement.
Mahseer is a unique fish which is very sensitive to dissolved oxygen levels, water temperature and sudden climatic changes. It just cannot bear pollution. So when waste is spewed into rivers, we are not only sounding a death knell for the Mahseer, we are also losing an important indicator of freshwater ecosystems. So it cuts both ways.
Also, the current pandemic has taught us that by hunting animals and indiscriminate fishing we are destroying entire habitats and ecosystems. Thus making it easier for diseases to spread from one animal or bird or fish to another, and then spill over onto humans.
It follows then, that conserving the Mahseer, increasing its numbers, and getting it off the IUCN red list is even more important today than ever before. To stabilise the disturbed environment, to preserve the bio-diversity, and to ultimately save lives. The initiative that Tata Power began fifty years ago, now has an urgency to succeed like never before. If nothing else, we owe it to our children to make this world more ecologically balanced and disease-free. And this can only happen by preserving crucial species like the Mahseer.
Tata Power has developed an ingenious method to breed 4-5 lakh Mahseer hatchlings at a time at its Walvan Hatchery in Lonavala. The century old company has created a huge lake by damming the Indrayani River. It is here that the Blue-Finned and Golden species of Mahseer congregate, attracted by the sound of the highly oxygenated water in the lake.
The brooder fish (that are used to spawn hatchlings) are collected from here and introduced into ponds or lakes that have gushing water falling from heights to mimic the sounds of monsoon and waterfalls (since this stimulates the brooder’s reproductive process).
Experienced fishermen then strip the brooders of eggs and sperm in a delicate and expert operation. The eggs and sperm are then placed together in large breeding trays to fertilise. Here again, good eggs which are golden in colour are given pride of place.
Once the eggs are fertilised, (over the last 50 years there have been 15 million of them), the baby hatchlings emerge within 72-96 hours and search for dark places to hide. They seem a bit shy at first, but after a month the hatchlings (or fry, as they are called) are about a centimetre long and move around vigorously. And at the end of 4-6 months, they are ready to be handed over to various fisheries departments across the country, who in turn introduce them into lakes and rivers in their states. This too is a very careful and well-coordinated effort between Tata Power and the Fisheries Departments and over the years has resulted in some 11.6 million hatchlings making their homes in waters all over India and growing into awe-inspiring specimens that can measure up to 9 feet long weighing up to 33 kilograms!
Recycle Green
Recycle Green, a green startup based in Ahmedabad has launched the world’s first eco-friendly circular economy based app that will now allow citizens from the city to sell their waste as well as buy products from the platform to promote zero waste and sustainable practices. The app, launched on the Google Play store, connects consumers, waste collection partners, product delivery partners, recyclers, zero waste product manufacturers, sellers, artisans, manufacturing brands with each other.
Speaking about the initiative, Hardik Shah, Founder of Recycle Green commented, “The rationale behind launching Recycle Green was simple. We wanted to create an impact on environmental sustainability by bringing together all the discerning citizens of Ahmedabad. We want the whole Ahmedabad community to be a part of this revolutionary circular economy initiative and showcase to the world that ecological balance can be achieved by being more mindful about our practices and how we consume things.”
“To kickstart the momentum, we are even pledging to plant 1 tree for every first order by a customer on our app. We intend to divert all waste created by mainstream materials towards innovating recycled products in our lifestyles. All our products are recycled, and recyclable zero waste products. When the usage is over, customers can give us the used products back and even earn cashback from them. One of the biggest culprits of today’s ecological crisis is single, fast usage and linear economy and this is the cycle that we are trying to reinvent.” he further added.
Recycle Green has not only activated a revolutionary circular economy but has also launched unique mechanisms like PayByWasteTM — wherein consumers can encash their segregated wastes and buy products using the PayByWasteTM cash received on the app. When the use of a certain product is over, just give it back to Recycle.green and earn cashback. Recycle.green also collects the product waste as well as the packaging waste from consumers and offers them exciting cashback in return & even provides certificates of recycling and environmental savings.
They also reward their customers on the number of environments they save. (Eg – Like save 1 tree and get Rs.1000 cashback.)This is done by measuring the Environment Saving Values (ESV™) of a product as well as of a customer. The ESV™ concept is patented by Recycle Green. The system is implemented for the first time in any city of the world, where consumers will not throw any waste into landfill, rather exchange them against recycled products and ensure recycling of waste.
Recycle Green is planning to expand this much-needed service in Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot in the first year & in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pan India in the coming years. Recycle Green also has the vision to be able to serve in global cities as well by 2025. They also have the vision to have maximum recycled products available for consumers so that their lifestyle will have minimal impact on the environment.
Recycle.green also connects to recyclers, where they get pure, clean, non-contaminated waste for recycling, as well as promotes sustainable businesses, artisans, sellers who ultimately help the planet to sustain more. They also welcome brands who are conscious about their city environment, where the brands can take back their packaging waste through our app and pass on cashback to their customers. This activity will not just get the benefit of EPR for brands but will ensure the comeback of their customers to use encash cashback.
AG&P Pratham
On the occasion of World Environment Day, AG&P Pratham has redoubled its commitment to Swachh India, a clean India for all. AG&P is a leader in providing piped natural gas (PNG) connections to people’s homes and businesses in multiple districts in South and Northwest India, where PNG is replacing traditional LPG bottles which are cumbersome, more expensive and less clean. As part of its effort, the company has launched its campaign ‘One Tree for One PNG Connection’, to drive a sustainable environment direction in India. In line with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), AG&P, under this initiative, plans to plant a minimum of one million trees across five states including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan over this coming decade.
