World Environment Week 2024 begins at Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development

Indore

Today's program was started by Dr. Bharat Rawat by blowing the conch.

Carolina, along with her son and daughter, sang the Baha'i prayer to seek blessings and guidance from God. The group of musicians of Gautam Kale's Sangeet Gurukul thanked nature by singing. Sang the glory of Mother Narmada inspired to love the environment. Dr. Bharat Rawat said that we will have to learn to live like Janak Didi. If we keep Mother Earth's health good, all will be well. Dr. Janak Palta McGilligan welcomed everyone and shared her experience of land restoration of barren land twice in the four decades she came to serve as a Baha'i pioneer. Earlier, from 1985 to 2011, due to the tireless efforts of her husband, a British Baha'i pioneer, 6 acres of barren land was given for training tribal women. An old dry well of hers was made green with the help of a rainwater system, which had 6-7 trees. They planted and raised about 900 trees, solar kitchen, water conservation facilities, environmental protection, water and soil conservation, tree plantation, by Sustainable living tRAINING Barli Institute .AFTER retirement, second time, they baught a piece of a barren hillock in Sanwadiya village was converted into a Sustainable Campus by restoring the land. Since 2011, she is leading a sustainable life and after the demise of her husband Jimmy McGilligan, she started the Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development in his name.

Jimmy McGilligan was a mountaineer and environmentalist who had restored 76 acres of land in Gwalior. She told that living in harmony with all the people, now thinking globally, acting locally ,she is leading a life free of cost by doing solar cooking, zero waste organic food, waste and chemicals at the local level without any financial help from anyone. She has been giving 19 street lights free of cost to 50 tribal families for the last 14 years. She has taught environmental conservation, sustainable living to lakhs of people.

She said: For the past 32 years, she conducts environmental discourse for a week every year in which water and soil conservation, tree plantation and how air pollution can be reduced are discussed and in view of the rising temperature and the current situation, she appealed for the participation of the general public. We have to reduce our consumption.

We will protect Mother Earth at our own level and with collective responsibility.

The senior trustee of the foundation, Mr. Virendra Goyal, told that it is not hidden from anyone how much harm plastic has caused to living beings in the whole world. Plastic bottles and other plastic items are being used on a large scale. The mindset of use and throw has reached our country from other countries. If we can drink tap water in Europe and America, then we cannot, millions of people are travelling in trains where tap water can be used instead of plastic bottles.

Environmentalist O.P. Joshi, retired principal of Gujarati College, told that Naulakha in Indore was named so because of the presence of 9 lakh trees, similarly Indore was called the city of trees and gardens because of the presence of many gardens like Manikbagh, Lalbagh. In Indore, where there was 30% greenery in 1970, 22% in 1980, currently only 8-10% greenery is left. The crisis of greenery is increasing in Indore, so now not only planning but also implementation is necessary. Plans should be flexible and it should be in favor of greenery, no development should be done at the cost of reducing greenery.

Geologist Dr. Sudhinder Mohan told that the next world war will be for water. For the last 40 years, 3 countries Syria, Iraq and Turkey are fighting for the water of two rivers in the world, whereas these countries are sitting on the most expensive resource oil but are not fighting for it. On hearing the word water, the first thought in the mind of the common man is thirst, in the mind of the farmer it is water for crops, in the mind of the geologist it is well, in the mind of the environmentalist it is water for trees, that is, water is universal. Apart from this, he told that virtual transfer is very high in India, that is, if wheat is being grown in Sehore, rice in Punjab, then it is being consumed in Indore. We have to think that how much water is spent from growing a kilo of rice to cooking and eating it, so that we do not waste it and use minimum water in daily activities.

Mr. Dilip Vaghela, retired officer of MP Pollution Control Board, tested the water and air of Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development Campus and presented its report to everyone. He told that the tubewell water here is pure drinkable, the quality of which is also very good, in which The air is also absolutely clean and pure index is only 50. Along with this, he told some ways to keep the air clean like not allowing dust to fly, burning garbage is very toxic, so do not do this, if there is anyone, then you can complain to the Municipal Corporation on 311 app. Dr. Sandhya Jain, Dean of Indore Dental College, told that with the inspiration of Janak Didi, we have started steel utensils and water pots. Dr Kuldeep Rana was also very happy .

The chief guest of the program, DAV Vice Chancellor Dr. Renu Jain said that environment is a matter of concern for the whole world, for which especially the youth need to be aware and also they will have to minimize their needs. Resources are limited therefore population control will also have to be paid attention to. She resolved to make DAVV a zero waste campus. The program was concluded with a wonderful and mesmerizing performance by the group of Sangeet Gurukul. Today in this program, Reeti Sethi of Indore got admission in Yale University on the economic benefits of sustainable living after doing an internship with Janak Didi and also got a full scholarship and she said that her basis is the Janak Didi model.

In today's program, environmentalist, solar engineer Sushmita Bhattacharya, Monica and Kasturba Gram College Principal Dr. Rasina and her staff, Sanawadiya's social worker Mahendra Dhakad, Janak Didi 's interns Master of Social Work's Nilesh, and Economics Honors' Sidharth Lodhi and Pooja all environment youth workers, environment lovers were present. Mr. Virendra Goyal expressed his gratitude.