The Day 2 at Delhi Secretariat, IP Extension commenced with a plenary session on role of corporate initiatives in sustainability. Mr. Jaideep Gokhale, Environment and Communication Director, South Asia, Tetra Pak India began by talking about Tetra Pak, the world's leading food processing and packaging solutions company. Working on close terms with customers, the company provides pro-environmental products meeting the needs of people across the globe.
Mr Pranshu Singhal, India Environmental Manager (Markets) Nokia, India referred to the waste hierarchy -Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We also learnt that in Europe the waste hierarchy has 5 steps: reduce, reuse, recycle, recovery and disposal. He also stressed on e-waste management and said that at Nokia, they believe it’s their responsibility to make it as easy as possible to recycle mobile devices that are no longer in use. To recycle one's phone, battery or charger all one has to do is give it at any Nokia recycling point.
The tea break was followed by the much awaited Youth Express in which the six groups out of the original twenty groups projected their posters using innovative means of PowerPoint presentations and small theatre acts.
After having presented our poster, we reached the last plenary session that featured panelists who put forward perspectives from media, NGOs and youth bodies.
The speakers in form of Ibrahim Rehman, Director, Social Transformation, TERI and Dr Sudhanshu Sinha, Head Climate Change British Council touched down points ranging from the role of media, its social obligations, privatization of its content and whether commercialization has led to the loss of social values. They also deliberated upon the point that how the definition of media has expanded and has come to involve networking sites in the like of Facebook and Twitter.
The audience also got to hear experiences of young environmental enthusiasts who were also part of International Climate Champions Programme. This programme is part of British Council's global project called 'Climate Generation' that features a close network of Climate Champions across 60 countries and 8 Regions. One of the International Climate Champions Shinaz Patel enthralled the audience with his slideshow of pictures capturing the splendour and beauty of Malaysia. The Eastern Peninsular Malaysia area has a very diverse coral fauna. Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are three countries that have the greatest coral diversity known on earth, and are known as the “Coral Triangle." The pictures of corals exhibiting mass bleaching due to high water temperatures took us by surprise.
On both the days, each session was followed by a round of open discussion in which the audience got a chance to interact with the speakers. They shared their experiences, discussed their journeys and warmly answered questions put forward by the eager listeners.
Delivering the valedictory address, Dr R K Pachauri, Director-General, TERI, and Chairman, Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change said, “I believe the only way one could bring about change in the world is by reaching out to the youth. It is very potent and potentially a very powerful force for bringing about action globally.” He further said, "In its third year, YUVA has proven to be a successful platform for the young to voice their opinions, discuss their concerns and solutions, and share the responsibilities with regards to environment."
In her address, the Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit urged the students to come forward and channelize their creative energies in creating a more sustainable Earth.
“Based on the UN definition of youth (persons between the ages of 15and 24 years), the global youth population is an estimated 1.03 billion or 18% of the people inhabiting the earth.”
In this respect, she asked them to resort to the three R's -Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in order to combat environmental degradation.
The very presence of the Chief Minister and Dr Pachauri in the programme inspite of their busy schedules is a reflection of the importance that is attached to the commitment to the environment.
Livleen Kalon, Fellow and Area Convenor -EEYS, TERI delivered the Vote of thanks. The large scale of the event was evident with partners like Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, British Council India, Department of Environment, Government of NCT Delhi, Dell Global Giving, Government of India, Regional Center of Expertise and United Nations University-Institute of Advanced Studies.
Over tea, we collected the participation certificates. Earlier, we had also been given Tshirt and calendars that carried pictures of posters by school children and a citizen guide for energy and water conservation by Bhagidhari, the citizen- govt partnership, Dept of Envt & forests.
We also clicked pictures to preserve the memories of this event and bid adieu to our new friends. Many of us saw this as not the end but the beginning. How rightly, Mahatma Gandhi had said back then, ““Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Mr Pranshu Singhal, India Environmental Manager (Markets) Nokia, India referred to the waste hierarchy -Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We also learnt that in Europe the waste hierarchy has 5 steps: reduce, reuse, recycle, recovery and disposal. He also stressed on e-waste management and said that at Nokia, they believe it’s their responsibility to make it as easy as possible to recycle mobile devices that are no longer in use. To recycle one's phone, battery or charger all one has to do is give it at any Nokia recycling point.
The tea break was followed by the much awaited Youth Express in which the six groups out of the original twenty groups projected their posters using innovative means of PowerPoint presentations and small theatre acts.
After having presented our poster, we reached the last plenary session that featured panelists who put forward perspectives from media, NGOs and youth bodies.
The speakers in form of Ibrahim Rehman, Director, Social Transformation, TERI and Dr Sudhanshu Sinha, Head Climate Change British Council touched down points ranging from the role of media, its social obligations, privatization of its content and whether commercialization has led to the loss of social values. They also deliberated upon the point that how the definition of media has expanded and has come to involve networking sites in the like of Facebook and Twitter.
The audience also got to hear experiences of young environmental enthusiasts who were also part of International Climate Champions Programme. This programme is part of British Council's global project called 'Climate Generation' that features a close network of Climate Champions across 60 countries and 8 Regions. One of the International Climate Champions Shinaz Patel enthralled the audience with his slideshow of pictures capturing the splendour and beauty of Malaysia. The Eastern Peninsular Malaysia area has a very diverse coral fauna. Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are three countries that have the greatest coral diversity known on earth, and are known as the “Coral Triangle." The pictures of corals exhibiting mass bleaching due to high water temperatures took us by surprise.
On both the days, each session was followed by a round of open discussion in which the audience got a chance to interact with the speakers. They shared their experiences, discussed their journeys and warmly answered questions put forward by the eager listeners.
In her address, the Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit urged the students to come forward and channelize their creative energies in creating a more sustainable Earth.
“Based on the UN definition of youth (persons between the ages of 15and 24 years), the global youth population is an estimated 1.03 billion or 18% of the people inhabiting the earth.”
In this respect, she asked them to resort to the three R's -Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in order to combat environmental degradation.
The very presence of the Chief Minister and Dr Pachauri in the programme inspite of their busy schedules is a reflection of the importance that is attached to the commitment to the environment.
Livleen Kalon, Fellow and Area Convenor -EEYS, TERI delivered the Vote of thanks. The large scale of the event was evident with partners like Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, British Council India, Department of Environment, Government of NCT Delhi, Dell Global Giving, Government of India, Regional Center of Expertise and United Nations University-Institute of Advanced Studies.
Over tea, we collected the participation certificates. Earlier, we had also been given Tshirt and calendars that carried pictures of posters by school children and a citizen guide for energy and water conservation by Bhagidhari, the citizen- govt partnership, Dept of Envt & forests.
We also clicked pictures to preserve the memories of this event and bid adieu to our new friends. Many of us saw this as not the end but the beginning. How rightly, Mahatma Gandhi had said back then, ““Be the change you want to see in the world.”
I appreciate reading this. I have applied for the YUVA meet 2014, i am a Nigerian, i hope to benefit from the experience of the meet.
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