Green Action Week (GAW)

OVERVIEW

Green Action Week (GAW) is a global campaign held every year in October. It is an initiative by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) and is carried out in coordination with Consumers International (CI). The theme of Green Action Week in 2019 is Sharing Community, extension of the same theme that was in 2018.

AIM

To ignite cultures of sharing and collaboration and to make sure everyone has sustainable access to goods and services. This time too Consumer VOICE is participating in the campaign through Community Sharing. Providing clear air to all is the main objective of Consumer VOICE this time, as we all know that with each passing day pollution level is rising to new heights and there is deep lack of clean and pollution free air in Delhi. The need to inculcate green practices is greater than ever before. We need to breathe clean and help others breathe as well.

WHAT IS COMMUNITY SHARING?

Not all people have equal access to the goods and services needed a decent life, and too much stress is being put on the planet. Green Action Week therefore focuses on sustainable consumption because it is crucial to tackle both the social and environmental causes of this crisis.

Through Green Action Week, Consumer VOICE wishes to reinforce the culture of sharing and giving it back to the community. One of the best tools in the fight against air pollution through community sharing is planting of trees and preserving them. Communities including school students, members of Resident Welfare associations, and women together can make a difference. A small step taken by all will result in a big change.

Student community must be encouraged to plant saplings from an early stage but it should not stop there. They should adopt the plant and be responsible for nurturing it as well.
Since the sources of pollution are diverse, a concerted effort is needed from all sections. Home -makers should be encouraged to use cleaner fuel and RWAs should also encourage residents to opt for public transport rather than personal vehicles. In a city like Delhi, where there are more cars than all the other 3 metropolitan cities put together, residents should switch to public transport atleast once a week.
Kitchen wastes should also be segregated based on degradable and non-degradable components. One of the best ways to use kitchen waste is turning it into compost which is not very difficult.

Last but not the least, gift a plant to preserve the environment!

CAMPAIGN FOCUS

To create community sharing where citizens will be putting their efforts for society where without ownership everyone will be getting benefit of clean air and environment.To create culture of sharing community through environment
To motivate, encourage and train school students/citizens towards environment protection and become volunteer for taking care of plants.
To put efforts towards pollution control through plantation of trees and saving environment.
To encourage citizens specially youngsters to come forward and take initiative towards sustainable practices through sharing community.

CHALLENGES:

Pollution level in Delhi is nothing new to the world. As per one of the studies, air pollution in Delhi is responsible for approximately 10,000 to 30,000 deaths in the city. This means the capital city loses 80 lives every day to pollution from PM 2.5. Planting of trees /anti pollution plants is one of the effective measures to tackle the problem of pollution and step towards sustainable environment.According to the latest data compiled in the IQ Air Visual 2018 World Air Quality Report and interactive world’s most polluted cities ranking, which is prepared in collaboration with Greenpeace Southeast Asia in order to reveal the state of particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution in 2018, Delhi had an average yearly PM2.5 concentration at 113.5 micrograms per cubic metre. The report is based on air quality data collected in 2018 from public monitoring sources, with a special focus on data which has been published in real-time or near real-time.

STRATEGY

In the continuation of the previous year’s activities we will be organizing three 3 follow up workshops in Delhi/NCR and one on site practical demonstration of sustainable practices by experts.
We will facilitate planting activities together which will help all the participants to grow the feeling of working together, take responsibility and fight against pollution together besides nurturing the love for nature and mother earth.
While working together participants will be encouraged to build network and bring various tools /methods and ideas to plant and preserve trees, to adopt environmental practices.
Will involve last year’s participants and local residents especially women participants for making compost and share their experiences.
Experts will be giving practical examples ,participants will be encouraged to bring waste with them ,women participants will be encouraged to share their experiences in the kitchen the ways to utilise waste
Will create an interesting quiz based application to students /participants on importance of sharing in community and saving the environment.
We will be also spreading about our activities using social media platforms of face book and twitter.
Consumer-voice.org will be our online face for all campaign updates and events.
We will also disseminate through newspapers and sensitize journalists, media about the initiative.

IMPACT:

Society will be benefited as trees /anti pollution plants give benefits to all.
Community sharing practices are helpful for people to come out of their comfort zone and shed their inhibitions and contribute to the whole society.
Youngsters (students) are going to be trained at early stage to understand the importance of sustainable practices and save environment.
Students will go back and share their experiences with their families.
Collective efforts will inculcate the habit of giving to the community.
Sharing community will increase unity in diversity.
Women will have more exposure through community efforts.