Time to adapt and ensure a cleaner future

Efforts for cleaner, greener energies and sustainability may still seem undersized but their underlying concepts have been around for quite some time. Actually, April 22 this year marked the forty-second anniversary of Earth Day celebrations, created in 1970 as a yearly occasion to increase awareness and appreciation of the Earth’s natural environment.

A landmark event for environmental protection, Earth day is also the perfect opportunity to pass the torch to new generations and inspire them with hopes of a sustainable future. This year in India, Earth day took a new dimension thanks to a common initiative by the Indian Youth Climate Network in partnership with CLEAN-India (Community Led Environment Action network), the program of Development Alternatives (DA) and the Earth day Network. The alliance launched a yearlong program, two days before the worldwide celebrations, called “iAdapt – for a carbon CLEAN-India”.

Aside from support from NGOs and citizen-led initiatives, the event was officially sponsored by the Department of Environment. Its purpose was to educate youth and students on the impact of their acts on the environment and the need for a sustainable approach to development and growth. More specifically, the program focused on biomimicry, i.e. taking inspiration from nature’s process to address human problems, an innovative idea based on the fact that children generally learn best through imitation. If we can inspire them to imitate nature’s intricate ways, then maybe they will be ‘naturally’ led to live a more sustainable life.

For its Earth day inspired launch, iAdapt featured a variety of workshops and competitions, involving a multitude of very keen children. Musical performances took place during the day, further lightening the mood and instilling a general atmosphere of hopefulness.