Social Awareness

First Edition Of Kolkata Earth Festival 2022 Celebrated

Y-East, EARTHDAY.ORG and SwitchON Foundation, together with Session Partners Hulladek Recycling and Ek Packet Umeed come together to commemorate the 52nd Anniversary of Earth Day

Kolkata, Y-East, EARTHDAY.ORG and SwitchON Foundation together with Session Partners Hulladek Recycling and Ek Packet Umeed, and other partners recently organized the Earth Festival 2022 to commemorate the 52nd Anniversary of Earth Day. The Earth Festival was a first-of-its-kind a multi stakeholder, high level series of panel discussions held at the Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry, following the Earth Day celebrations around the world the day before.

This was the first edition of the annual Kolkata Earth Festival organized with an attempt to highlight some of the most pressing socio-environmental issues of the region, striving to place and anchor Kolkata as an international hub for forward-looking climate dialogue. The event welcomed inspiring opening remarks from Techno India University West Bengal Co-Chancellor Prof Manoshi Roy Chowdhury and German Consul General Manfred Auster, both heavily involved in environmental education and awareness in their respective positions.

Panels throughout the day addressed crucial topics such as air pollution, sustainable mobility, investing for our planet, waste management and livelihoods. The event witnessed 5 panel discussions with participation from Government Officials, citizens, private sector, civil society organizations and experts building a strong consensus among stakeholders on the vulnerability of the city as highlighted in the latest reports published by the IPCC. There was a common demand for the urgent need for action to mitigate the risk and adapt for the city to improve its air quality, address the issues of waste management, build green jobs, sustainable mobility and drive investment towards a sustainable future for all.

“It is tremendously important for Kolkata to reclaim and to be at the forefront of international climate-focused dialogues, as it is indeed very uniquely positioned on these matters, both in terms of climate vulnerability and potential to deploy efficient solutions” said Ms Pauline Laravoire, co-founder of Y-East. Ms Karuna Singh, Regional Director Asia, Earth Day Network, highlighted the relevance of the Earth Day 2022 theme ‘Invest In Our Planet’ and appealed everyone to work together to build a partnership for the planet sighting the urgency of action to combat climate change.
“As people increasingly choose eco-friendly options in their local areas, municipalities must do their part in providing their citizens with these options. Choosing to be environmentally conscious shouldn’t sacrifice convenience and cost, and the way to do this is to enable and promote eco-friendly mobility options”, said Mr. Rajanvir Singh Kapur (IAS), MD, West Bengal Transport Corporation who delivered the keynote address for the session on Sustainable Mobility.
Other notable speakers in the programme included Mr Debashis Sen, Managing Director, HIDCO; Dr. Dipanjali Majumdar, Senior Scientist, CSIR NEERI; Dr. Arup Haldar, Woodland Hospital; Prof. Sudakshina Gupta, Calcutta University; Mr. Rajesh Ojha, AMWA Moto LLP, Ms Lipika Biswas, a cycling enthusiast; Mr Vijay Chowdhary, impact and angel investor; Mr. G.M. Kapur, INTACH State Convenor, Mr. Ranju Barman, VP- Technology E-Waste Social, Mr. Nandan Mall, Founder, Hulladek Recycling Pvt. Ltd. Ms. Priyanka Mandal, Founder ,Clan Earth; Mr. Ayush Sarda, Founder, Ek Packet Umeed; , Ms. Purvi Tanwani, Co-founder Anahat for Change Foundation; Ms. Nobina Gupta, Founder, Disappearing Dialogues Collective Founder, among others.
On the occasion of the event, Y-East, Earthday.org and SwitchOn Foundation took the opportunity to recognize the inspiring work of specific individuals and organizations, thereby awarding ESEDS, PS Group, LP4Y, Mr Debashis Sen and SolarLadder for their incredible efforts towards sustainability. BCC&I Agriculture Committee Chairperson Mr. Jayanta Chakraborty, Alliance Française du Bengale Director Mr. Nicolas Facino and Techno India Group Executive Director and Chief Innovation Officer Mr. Meghdut Roy Chowdhury offered their closing remarks at the end of the day, urging stakeholders to continue collaborating and taking bold measures towards a better future for Kolkata. On that note, the Earth Festival provided a timely platform to launch the Moving Kolkata, Kolkata Moving project which highlights Kolkata as a sustainable city
This article was shared with Prittle Prattle News as a Press Release.
Must read – Digitalization 
Follow Us: Facebook Instagram | Twitter YouTube | LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr

Related Posts

1 of 224