Recently I came across the most inspirational story of an environmentalist that I must share with my Tunza members and ambassadors.

On October 2015 two people from Mumbai, India initiated a clean up drive in Versova Beach in Mumbai. What started off as an inspirational clean-up drive has now transcended into a worldwide movement involving 12,000 citizens working for a common environmental cause, clearing trash from Versova Beach in Mumbai.

Large amount of garbage being pulled in by the sea and on Versova beach, annoyed Shah, and his 84-year-old neighbour, Harbansh Mathur (who passed away last year) so much that they began clearing the 2.5-km strand of litter, including plastic bags, cement sacks, glass bottles, pieces of clothing, and shoes.

City-based lawyer and now beach cleanup crusader Afroz Shah, completed his week 100  International Coastal Cleanup Day recently. The group, which has been joined by over 10,000 school students, civic officials, police personnel, bank employees, lawyers, doctors and various other professionals from all walks of society, has cleared a total of 7.2 million kg trash so far.

In December last year, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called it the world's largest beach cleanup in history, and awarded Shah UN's top environmental accolade – Champions of the Earth award at Cancun, Mexico, making him the first Indian to achieve such a feat.

The cleanup is an example of how citizens can work in tandem to find solutions to problems that plague a city.  Even though Municipality does its duty to clean the beaches but taking individual responsibility rather than wining about the state of affairs, it makes larger impact. Residents coming in large numbers is an inspirational sight for everyone.  

Each year, people around the world produce nearly 300 million tons of plastic, and a similar amount of plastic waste. Of that, as much as 13 million tons finds its way into our oceans. The plastic wreaks havoc on our fisheries, marine ecosystems and economies, costing up to $13 billion per year in environmental damage. Citizens of Versova have done an exemplary work to save our marine environment. It is an extremely sustainable model that can be replicated by the residents of other coastal cities of the world.

Credits- Hindustan times