Laying foundation for a green future

The Times of India , Friday, November 28, 2014
Correspondent : Abhishek Choudhari
Nagpur: Very few NGOs can boast of the zeal and commitment that members of Green Vigil Foundation exude. Under the leadership of Kaustav Chatterjee and his wife Kavita Rattan, the NGO has been taking active steps to not only create awareness but also undertake the ground work needed to save the environment.

Green Vigil specializes in environmental conservation and believes in a vision of a shared sustainable future on the planet through education and mobilization of all stakeholder groups. Green Vigil's work focuses on the challenges faced by our planet — from climate change, water sustainability, food security to ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss and nature conservation, energy efficiency and use of non-conventional energy sources and sustainable green living practices.

For Chatterjee and Rattan, Green Vigil is not just their NGO but a passion to ensure that we leave the planet in a better shape for the future generations. Chatterjee says, "With the vision of a shared sustainable future on the planet, we facilitate community education and mobilization, connecting all stakeholders to bring transformational change for achieving environmental protection and sustainable development leading to a revolution. 'Be the Change' is our solution for the irreversible damage caused by us humans to our planet, from climate change, global warming to biodiversity loss."

Green Vigil Foundation is completely self funded and has not received any financial support for its programmes since inception, claims Chatterjee, with all expenses borne by the founders.

The academic expertise of the two founders too is related to the field. Chatterjee is a post graduate in environmental science and has more than 20 years of experience in the field of wastewater treatment and environmental management. He has spearheaded the construction and commissioning of more than 50 effluent treatment plants within and outside the country. He has guided 21 research students at post graduate level in environmental sciences and has many publications to his credit.

His wife Rattan is a doctorate in environmental biotechnology from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and has research, teaching and consulting experience of more than 15 years. She also has a patent and a number of national and international publications to her credit.

Green Vigil Foundation also boasts of a technical team, where most members are post graduates and graduates from various science faculties. Daksha Borkar, a member of Green Vigil, says, "Kaustav sir has been leading us from the front and we are highly motivated being around him."

The NGO has been at the forefront of the fight in Nagpur to save the Nag River and other water bodies. It has all its members on the ground every year to convince people to stop immersing plaster of Paris idols into the lakes during Ganesh and Durga festivals. It has also campaigned against instances of indiscriminate cutting of trees, whether by the civic body or private individuals.

Green Vigil is attempting to create awareness about environmental protection through social networking too. It maintains a digital database of citizens interested in conservation initiatives to send relevant communications through emails and text messages. It's actively working throughout Central India, including Nagpur, Amravati, Wardha (Sevagram), Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Chhindwara and Raipur, to engage and mobilize citizens for environmental protection and sustainability. Its focus is on engaging local communities to care for natural ecosystems and resources to achieve sustainable development and green growth.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Laying-foundation-for-a-green-future/articleshow/45301750.cms
 


Back to pevious page



The NetworkAbout Us  |  Our Partners  |  Concepts   
Resources :  Databases  |  Publications  |  Media Guide  |  Suggested Links
Happenings :  News  |  Events  |  Opinion Polls  |  Case Studies
Contact :  Guest Book  |  FAQs |  Email Us