Impact
Green Kerala Clean-up Dive
Problem Statement:
Environmental Sustainability is inevitable for preventing global warming and climate change. Cleaning up our surroundings and our cities, which are bulk generators of waste, is the easiest yet an impactful strategy to incorporate it into our lives and spread the message to our local communities. This would not only help the environment to return to its shape but to bring communities together for a better cause and common goal, which in turn positively impacts local bodies, tourism, and well-being of local ecosystems. Kochi City has been infamously known for its poor waste management situation for years. The issue garnered national attention in March 2023 with the massive fires that erupted in India's largest waste management plant situated in Brahmapuram in Kochi. This calls for a community-led effort to be conscious of the amount of waste produced in the city, awareness about its management, and part-take with the government efforts to address the issue more effectively.
Objectives:
By starting off in our hometown, the project hopes to inspire an all-Kerala civic sense about the topic of waste generation and climate change. The project aims to directly target individuals passionate about climate change, and consequently through them also the larger community that the participants can reach out to for part-taking in clean-up drives in the city of Kochi. The project also hopes to inspire similar action in connection with other shaper hubs in Kerala and achieve similar impact through their local efforts. The hub proposes to use the approach of "community engagement" and "learning by doing" to spread the message of waste generation in the city of Kochi and its management.
Through beach cleanups, the hub members and partner organizations plan to actively discuss the scenario of waste management in the city, invite perspectives of participants and also provide a platform for knowledgeable and interested community members to use their ideas to support project goals. The approach is visualized as a mutual learning and hands-on method, which would leave a lasting mark on the participants who would also act as larger influencers to spread the project goals to their own communities.
Activities:
Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium Clean up drive: Global Shapers Kochi partnered with Bhumi NGO, Northamps and Suchitwa mission - Kochi Cooperation to bring Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi Clean up drive to action.
- Date: 04 June 2023 / Time: 7:00 am - 9:30 am
- No. of volunteers present (in total): 56
- Stakeholders/Organizations involved: Bhumi NGO, Northamps Suchitwa mission - Kochi Cooperation, Captains Social Foundation, Volunteer for India, Ocean Conservancy, GIZ JCI Cochin and Nehru Yuva Kendra, Ernakulam.
- Amount of waste collected: 576 kg (includes plastic wrappers, plastic and glass bottles, e-waste, etc.)
The hub also led campaigns along with partner organizations to support the topic of climate change, waste management and sustainability.
Desired Outcomes:
- Undertake the clean-up of public areas that have seen poor waste management and disposal in Kochi city.
- Create and pathway to instill sustainable methods to ensure proper disposal of waste and connect with public actors to seek their support in ensuring the same.
- Create a platform for fellow sustainability enthusiasts and concerned citizens in the city and instill a sense of civic citizenship.
- Create avenues for partnerships with project participants to take up educational methods to bring in positive behavioral trends of waste disposal and management in the city among citizens.
Available Metrics:
- No: of participants attending clean-up events
- Testimonials of project participants
- Citizenship-led campaigns to support the topic of climate change, waste management and sustainability, on-ground and social media:
- No: of participants
- Reach of social media posts
- Sustainability of change in areas cleaned as part of project
- Involvement of public actors in the issue
