#OneEarthOneEnvironment

With the increasing stake of environmental problems around the city, the EMERALD sustainable foundation, CPRA, and MCGM Corporator, Ms. Harshita Narwekar, organised a tree plantation drive on the 5th of June 2022 – World Environment Day at CPRA Greens garden. Manshika & Lahar from grade 11 and Mr. Siddhesh volunteered to highlight that small endeavours are the stepping stones to combat climate change & pollution – the bigger issues of our environment.

On Sunday, 5th June, we were invited to participate in a tree plantation activity in CPRA. It started off with an introduction of the various noble people involved in the process of making this event a reality. We were then taught how to plant the saplings the Japanese way and then water them. Our goal was to complete planting 25 trees per person, which we did. In all honesty, this was a breathtaking experience. I enjoyed the hours we spent apart from our phones and materialistic items and instead did something to help our earth, our environment, and our community. Trees not only provide us with oxygen but also act as a carbon sink. With the upcoming metro, which irradiated thousands of trees in its process, I was glad to be able to act sustainably by trying to at least plant a few thousand trees if not all, a step we shall all take. I really thank Siddhesh Sir for inviting us to participate in this activity and showing us the goodness of giving back. It really felt great to plant trees and I can not wait to go back a year later and see how much they have grown!

Manshika and I were invited to participate in a free plantation event on the 5th of June. We were accompanied by our ESS teacher Mr. Siddesh Parab. It was a very exciting experience for us both. The tree plantation activity started with their opening ceremony where we got to know the people who made this event happen. We were taught how to plant the tree following the Miyawaki method. We together helped plant 50 trees. There were various other activities planned for the people who came for the same cause as we did. This activity took place on the CPRA ground and their mission was to plant 8000 trees in that area. They explained the benefits of planting these trees, one of them being preventing the Cuffe Parade from floods as it is surrounded by water on all its sides and the trees help do so. Overall we learned something valuable and enjoyed ourselves while we did so.

Tribes for Good: Community Project

Through our partnership with Tribes For Good, Grade 11 student Vipanshi Agarwal designed and led a series of workshops for women with skills in beauty and makeup — combining financial literacy, confidence-building, and awareness of cruelty-free practices. What she found was that the skills were already there. What was missing was someone connecting those skills to the idea of income. This is her reflection on what it means to create impact, and what she learned when she stopped trying to teach and started listening.

Zine, Cosmetics of Capitalism – A passion project

Cosmetics of Capitalism began with two things that had always run parallel in Vipanshi’s life: a deep commitment to animal welfare and a growing curiosity about the economic systems that allow cruelty to persist. In this zine, Vipanshi Agarwal investigates the ethical and economic costs of animal testing in the cosmetics industry — an issue she argues is as much a business question as a moral one.