The world is getting younger! And that’s not a vague assumption, but a statement backed by various facts, reports and assessments by reputed and trustworthy institutions like the UN. The world is, in fact, getting younger and if there’s one region in the world that’s the biggest contributor to this phenomenon, it’s South Asia!
India especially, has an unrivalled youth demographic: 65% of its population is 35 or under, and half the country's population of 1.25 billion people is under 25 years of age and that is a huge number, a number big enough to justify the fact that for any positive step that the region takes, in any field, it has to have youth playing a big role in it, be it the economy, health or the environment!
While the number of youth in the region is on an upswing, the environment, which has a direct impact on not just the current generation, but even more on the generations to come, is on a decline and it is a huge challenge for us to not just ensure a healthy environment for ourselves but also for generations to come.
It is with this belief that the South Asia Youth Environment Conclave, sponsored by the American Center, in partnership with the Earth Day Network, South Asia youth Environment Network (SAYEN) and the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) has been envisaged. The conclave is aimed at developing leadership skills among youth in the region, since they are ready to take on leadership roles and guide the region into the future, it is also very important that they understand the value of sustainability and why we must move forward in a sustainable manner, so that the youth of tomorrow have a future, just as bright as them, if not brighter!
The Contest
As a lead up to the Conclave a contest for college youth was organized where youth were asked to share their proposals of the positive steps they intend to take in order to spread awareness about and to mitigate Climate Change, which is one of the major threats to the environment today. These entries were then judged and winners were announced. These winners then implemented their plans and regularly reported on their activities. Based on these reports the best implementers were selected in August, 2015 to represent their country and state at the Conclave.
The Conclave
The South Asia Youth Environment Conclave was sponsored by the American Center, in partnership with the Earth Day Network, – India, Centre for Environment Education (CEE) and South Asia Youth Environment Network (SAYEN) at the American center, New Delhi on 29 – 30 September, 2015, with an aim to engage, empower and encourage youth with an interest in and working on spreading awareness through action about sustainability issues like climate change in their college and community.
The Conclave saw participation from over 70 motivated youth from 5 countries, namely – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The Conclave was preceded by a contest to help determine the finalists. Over 200 youth applied with proposals of action projects they pledged to undertake in over a month preceding the conference. An international jury consisting of representatives from all organizing partners shortlisted the finalists based on their reports on the implementations of proposals. The selected participants, representing 5 countries, 22 Indian states and the host city, New Delhi participated in the Conclave, sharing their work with each other, networking and strategizing on how to take their work forward.
Day 1
The first day of the Conclave saw the participants putting up exhibits of their work, followed by them being divided into working groups based on the themes depicting the field of environment conservation they worked in during the contest stage.
Themes
The participants were divided into 10 working groups, according to themes, namely, Awareness in Campus Awareness in Communities, Communication, Cleaning Up, Energy Management, Natural Resource Management, Planting, Protecting Biodiversity, Recycling, Waste Management. The participants then discussed the work done by each one of them in their group and later presented it in front of experts in a panel discussion.
Day 2
The second day focused more on sustainability and was started by an informative session by Mr. Kartikeya. V. Sarabhai, Director, Centre for Environment Education (CEE) on ways youth can work for a Sustainable Environment, his session was followed by a question and answer round with the participants, who asked questions ranging from the global scenario to local actions.
The students then got back into working groups again, this time focusing on finding synergies between their work and focusing on networking and making their action projects sustainable. The Conclave concluded with presentations by the groups and an open mike session, where all participants shared their experience and feedback and pledged to take their work forward and stay connected.
Biodiversity Biological diversity - or biodiversity - is the term given to the variety of life on Earth and the natural patterns it forms. The biodiversity we see today is the fruit of billions of years of evolution, shaped by natural processes and, increasingly, by the influence of humans. It forms the web of life of which we are an integral part and upon which we so fully depend.
It is individual choices, made billions of times a day that count the most. Our small choices add up to a large impact because it is the personal consumption that drives development, which uses and pollutes nature.
Youth Initiatives
Green Gifts, Quizzes, Music Concert on Biodiversity, Tree census, Awareness on Coastal Degradation, Photography and poster making competitions, Greening Spaces, Awareness Campaigns
Waste Management
Nature doesn’t have the concept of ‘Waste’. Can humans do better?
Reducing, reusing, recycling and minimizing waste can reduce adverse impacts on the environment and us. Rational and consistent waste management practices are an opportunity to reap a range of benefits.
Youth Initiatives
Banning Polythene use, Filth Free India – Clean up movement and Spot fixing. Shifting to Cloth bags, Recycle & Reuse, Segregation, Building Illustrative and Innovative models on Waste Management .
Sustainable Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is the act of farming based on an understanding of ecosystem services, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment. Organic gardening is one of the many ways in which we can get our share from the earth as well as preserve it for future generations. Not only is it safe, but it also does not harm the soil, the habitat or the environment.
Youth Initiatives
Promoting vermicomposting against chemical fertilizers, Social awareness campaign against wheat (crops) residue burning, Organic Vegetable farming.
Water
While the earth may be mostly water, only about 2-1/2 percent of it is fresh water. Of that 2.5%, even less is considered to be potable. Potable water is water that is considered to be safe to drink and cook with. While many countries are working to build water treatment plants, the fact is that due to changes in the climate the amount of rain and ice melts from winter have dropped off and lowered the reserve supplies of freshwater to be treated.
Youth Initiatives
Drip Irrigation, Water Quality Testing, Preserving Wetlands and lakes and Exploring innovative water conservation techniques.
Energy Energy saved is energy produced.
This is not just a physics fact, but a crucial detail to remember while speaking of conservation. Most of the power generated in the world today comes from fossil fuels.
Youth Initiatives
Spreading awareness about Energy Star rated appliances, Building 100 percent Energy Efficient Campus, Conducting Green Audit using Solar panels and pumps in campuses.
Transport
Buses, ferries, trains and cycles are the forgotten gems of mobility in many parts of the World. Transportation sector accounts for 14% of the Global Green House Gas emissions according to the Synthesis Report, Fifth Assesment Report, Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC), 2010.
Youth Initiatives
Switch to Carpooling, Promoting Cycling and use of Public Transport.
Participant Profile
Ananya is a strong believer in the efficacy of plants and that is why all her gifts to teachers and friends are green gifts – pots of plants. To benefit the general public as well, Ananya plants Soursop (Annona muricata) in parks as well as in her institute’s campus. Impressed by the medicinal properties of many plants, she has created posters that describe the plants and their benefits.
140 students from various disciplines, including Bhawani Shankar Nirola, participated in the exhibition in Bhutan to help promote eco-friendly measures in the community via illustrative and innovative models on the theme of the four 'R's viz. Reduce, Reuse, Recover and Recycle waste. The models included ideas on use of plastic waste in road paving, self-sustaining communities, recycle of paper waste, segregation of waste and composting. Bhawani will also be attending the South Asia Youth Environment Conclave in Delhi on 29-30 September with other students from the SAARC countries.
Niraj Kumar is the team leader of team Sanjeevni of the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru. They have worked towards achieving a cleaner, greener, sustainable campus for their project for the South Asia Youth Environment Conclave.
Being public policy students, they organised brainstorming and debates, agenda setting, execution and evaluation for a waste management system in the university campus.
Priya Chawla, student of Kamala Nehru College, Delhi University has organized several waste-awareness sessions, where she convinced people to segregate waste. She distributed green ribbon rolls to each household that agreed to take part in the project and told them to tie it on the bags containing green waste.
Rumit Walia and his team members of H.R Institute of Technology, Ghaziabad, are doing planting, promoting the use of renewable energy resources, community work, conducting awareness programs such as normal and simple ways to save water, 4re formula, the advantages of switching to led, trying to make his world free from polybags, and much more…..
Jainil Shah and his fellow students of the Eco Club of H L College of Commerce, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, are vigorously working towards creating awareness regarding the dangers of burning waste. Waste must be properly disposed in residential colonies and societies. Burning waste can lead to many dangerous health conditions caused by inhaling or ingesting even small amounts of toxic pollutants.
Ravi Kiran Junjupelli and other students of Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, have been enthusiastic in their efforts in commemorating Earth Day in April 2015 with a Total Waste Solution campaign, cleaning and greening their surroundings. They have recently organised a Liter of Light workshop to make solar powered lighting solutions.
Kavita Gala and her group of fellow students from K.C.College, Mumbai, carried out green activities such as poster making, essay competitions, making paper bags, recycling unused papers of notebooks, holding workshops on climate change, a rally, tree plantation and conservation, vermi composting and kitchen farming, as well as solar lamp distribution.
Archana V and Geetha T of Sri Venkateswara College Of Engineering had an interesting project to submit for the South Asia Youth Environment Conclave. The idea was of an artificial recharge of a dry bore-well to not only improve the underground water level, but also decrease the earth's temperature. The project has been successfully implemented by them in Katrapakkam Panchayat, Sriperumbudur, Kanchipuram district, Tamilnadu with the help of the villagers.
Yumnam Gyanendra, a student in Manipur has done various green projects to compete for the South Asia Youth Environment Conclave. Starting with cleaning and greening their campus and the locality, he and his team also organised a painting competition in schools on the themes of climate change and clean environment, an awareness programme about the changes in Loktak Lake due to climate change as well as other awareness campaigns for the locals about environmental issues.
Fergus Mark Anthony from Bilaspur Chhattisgarh is a Fourth Year student of B.Sc Forestry, Wildlife and Environmental Science. Engaged with ZIDD, every Sunday they conduct spot fixes in any dirty, unhygienic and garbage laden spot. They use paints to beautify that place so that no one dirties it again.
Divya Sharma organised tree planting activities in Meerut. She planted trees in a park with her family and reached out to schools. She spoke to children about climate change and environment. She says that the kids were very excited to plant trees and were determined to save Mother Earth.
Biological diversity - or biodiversity - is the term given to the variety of life on Earth and the natural patterns it forms. The biodiversity we see today is the fruit of billions of years of evolution, shaped by natural processes and, increasingly, by the influence of humans. It forms the web of life of which we are an integral part and upon which we so fully depend. 
Nature doesn’t have the concept of ‘Waste’. Can humans do better? 
Sustainable agriculture is the act of farming based on an understanding of ecosystem services, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment. Organic gardening is one of the many ways in which we can get our share from the earth as well as preserve it for future generations. Not only is it safe, but it also does not harm the soil, the habitat or the environment. 
While the earth may be mostly water, only about 2-1/2 percent of it is fresh water. Of that 2.5%, even less is considered to be potable. Potable water is water that is considered to be safe to drink and cook with. While many countries are working to build water treatment plants, the fact is that due to changes in the climate the amount of rain and ice melts from winter have dropped off and lowered the reserve supplies of freshwater to be treated. 
Energy saved is energy produced. 
Buses, ferries, trains and cycles are the forgotten gems of mobility in many parts of the World. Transportation sector accounts for 14% of the Global Green House Gas emissions according to the Synthesis Report, Fifth Assesment Report, Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC), 2010.
Ananya is a strong believer in the efficacy of plants and that is why all her gifts to teachers and friends are green gifts – pots of plants. To benefit the general public as well, Ananya plants Soursop (Annona muricata) in parks as well as in her institute’s campus. Impressed by the medicinal properties of many plants, she has created posters that describe the plants and their benefits. 
Niraj Kumar is the team leader of team Sanjeevni of the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru. They have worked towards achieving a cleaner, greener, sustainable campus for their project for the South Asia Youth Environment Conclave.
Jainil Shah and his fellow students of the Eco Club of H L College of Commerce, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, are vigorously working towards creating awareness regarding the dangers of burning waste. Waste must be properly disposed in residential colonies and societies. Burning waste can lead to many dangerous health conditions caused by inhaling or ingesting even small amounts of toxic pollutants. 
Ravi Kiran Junjupelli and other students of Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, have been enthusiastic in their efforts in commemorating Earth Day in April 2015 with a Total Waste Solution campaign, cleaning and greening their surroundings. They have recently organised a Liter of Light workshop to make solar powered lighting solutions. 
Kavita Gala and her group of fellow students from K.C.College, Mumbai, carried out green activities such as poster making, essay competitions, making paper bags, recycling unused papers of notebooks, holding workshops on climate change, a rally, tree plantation and conservation, vermi composting and kitchen farming, as well as solar lamp distribution. 
Archana V and Geetha T of Sri Venkateswara College Of Engineering had an interesting project to submit for the South Asia Youth Environment Conclave. The idea was of an artificial recharge of a dry bore-well to not only improve the underground water level, but also decrease the earth's temperature. The project has been successfully implemented by them in Katrapakkam Panchayat, Sriperumbudur, Kanchipuram district, Tamilnadu with the help of the villagers. 
Yumnam Gyanendra, a student in Manipur has done various green projects to compete for the South Asia Youth Environment Conclave. Starting with cleaning and greening their campus and the locality, he and his team also organised a painting competition in schools on the themes of climate change and clean environment, an awareness programme about the changes in Loktak Lake due to climate change as well as other awareness campaigns for the locals about environmental issues
Fergus Mark Anthony from Bilaspur Chhattisgarh is a Fourth Year student of B.Sc Forestry, Wildlife and Environmental Science. Engaged with 
Divya Sharma organised tree planting activities in Meerut. She planted trees in a park with her family and reached out to schools. She spoke to children about climate change and environment. She says that the kids were very excited to plant trees and were determined to save Mother Earth.