Climate Ambassadors Mumbai – Stockholm (a climate education and action project with young people) is a unique project being implemented by Srushtidnyan in association with a Swedish organization called KlimatAktion. The project aims at raising awareness about the climate issues among the young people of schools and colleges of both cities and villages. The project also intends to build capacities among these young people to take relevant actions as an answer to climate change. The project involves various programmes like capacity building workshops, teachers training workshops, Climate Ambassadors Students Conference, interactive learning sessions on saving soil-water-electricity; plantation campaigns, climate awareness rallies, street-play, poster exhibitions, seed bank, bio-diversity field studies, waste management, energy saving solutions, etc. There are schools and colleges from Mumbai and Stockholm involved in this project. The Indian students are interacting and sharing their experiences with Swedish students about the activities undertaken on climate issues.
A CLIMATE EDUCATION AND ACTION PROJECT WITH YOUNG PEOPLE
Forest & Biodiversity Regeneration at Parshramwadi School
Children, teachers and parents together raised a forests planting 300 local forests trees, introducing around 30 species of local plant varieties. The plantation site was first prepared with organic content of soil mixing soil-cow dung-leaf litters. The plantation was done by also involving villagers, local political leaders, funding partners, local college youth. Organic manure was prepared by the children and applied regularly with continuous monitoring of plant growth. The result is visible to see the healthy growth of trees, birds and butterflies flying around and happy faces of children who made it possible.
Miyawaki Forests
Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist popularized a fast growing method of forests plantation in small pieces of land. This was the first successful project by the children in school. First in itself in District Ratnagiri of Maharashtra State, India.
DAUGHTERS OF THE EARTH
women decided to promote organic farming
150 women from various walks of life, farmers, activists, academician, economists, politicians came together to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, 2022 at village Angavali in Devrukh Region. The issue of climate change and its impact on women’s health was highlighted. The organic farmer women were felicitated by distributing farming tools for their valuable contribution to the sustainable farming practices. Some of them have decided to go for organic millet cultivation this season in the context of International Millet Year 2023.
Women Farmers
Women from villages namely Angavali, Sonarwadi, Bondye, Nigudwadi, Bamnoli and Devrukh town are actively involved in practicing the organic farming and consuming climate-friendly nutritious foodgrain & vegetables cultivated in the local farms.
OUR SEEDS – OUR STRENGTH
Indigenous seeds exhibition in devrukh on national farmers day
Around 200 farmer men & women participated in Indigenous seeds’ exhibition on December 25, 2022 at Devrukh. The guest, Mr. Sanjay Patil from Bharatiya Agro-Industries Foundation (BAIF), who has contributed to protect hundreds of rice & millet seeds in Maharashtra. He had a detailed dialogue & answered the myths associated with the seed conservation by the farmers. Srushtidnyan has been propagating & collecting hundreds of seed varieties of rice, millets & beans that were exhibited along with other farmers’ seeds. The farmers were also encouraged to sell their organic food grain and food products in the exhibition.
Collaboration
Around 200 farmer men & women participated in Indigenous seeds’ exhibition on December 25, 2022 at Devrukh. The guest, Mr. Sanjay Patil from Bharatiya Agro-Industries Foundation (BAIF), who has contributed to protect hundreds of rice & millet seeds in Maharashtra. He had a detailed dialogue & answered the myths associated with the seed conservation by the farmers. Srushtidnyan has been propagating & collecting hundreds of seed varieties of rice, millets & beans that were exhibited along with other farmers’ seeds. The farmers were also encouraged to sell their organic food grain and food products in the exhibition.
POST-PANDEMIC HEALTH CARE & CLIMATE CHANGE
Dialogues and medical guidance on climate-friendly and healthy life
Srushtidnyan organized a series of dialogue with the men and women to talk about importance of farmers taking care of their health by having local food. There was also a support offered from KEM Hospital, Mumbai with a blood-sugar testing kit and medical doctor and social worker coming to the villages. It was very important to assess the state of health of the people in the post-pandemic time. Srushtidnyan team was assisted by Dr. Kamakshi Bhaate and Mr. Vijay Jawlekar to discuss the importance of healthy food at the time of breakfast, regular fitness exercise and organic food cultivation.
Reaching Out to Unreached
Srushtidnyan has reached to more than 1000 people (mostly women) through this dialogue series. People living in remote hamlets were attended and addressed the health complications associated with farming occupation.
CHILDREN’S CLIMATE MAPPING STATION
coasline sea-water temperature & humidity measurement project
Srushtidnyan has began its Mumbai work with small steps to bring the climate education and action project activities with young people. The start up with the one that Srushtidnyan has invested years of involvement i.e. PRAGNYA BODHINI HIGH SCHOOL, Goregaon, Mumbai and APJ ABDUL KALAM MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL, Ghatkopar, Mumbai. Children were engaged in measuring the temperature, humidity & salinity of water. The students were noting down the data with calculated analysis and later be communicating to a renowned organization named The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI) to upload it on the website of NASA next year.
Teachers Conference on Climate Change
Srushtidnyan was a part of Inter-state teachers conference titled “The National Launchpad” on climate change at PRAGNYA BODHINI HIGH SCHOOL, Goregaon, Mumbai on December 10, 2022. Swedish Interns did a presentation on climate education in Sweden.
FUTURE EARTH ASIA NETWORK
Annual Regional Assembly 2022, Mumbai, India
Srushtidnyan hosted this Annual Regional Assembly in Mumbai. The members from Framtidsjorden, Sweden, Asia network members from North and South, and Swedish Interns spent good time to discuss and plan for the next five years programme. Some members from Sweden and Sri Lanka were joined through online interface. The second half consisted of building capacities through presentations and discussions of strengthening our understanding fund raising challenges; CSR funds; women and child health status in the context of climate change. And a field visit to Srushtidnyan’s project stakeholder school in Mumbai.
Theory Of Change 2023-2027
Statement: A science for climate education & awareness; a tool for adaptation – mitigation – resilience for local communities; a vision for practicing climate-friendly lifestyle as an answer to the global crisis of climate change.
