Enactus, a global non-profit organization, envisions to create a better, more sustainable world. Through its several undertakings around the world, it creates community outreach projects to transform the lives of people in need and shape a better world, using the power of entrepreneurial action.
Project Utthaan, an undertaking of Enactus Lady Shri Ram College for Women, conducted an environmental initiative- The Green Car Campaign, in collaboration with the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), in Delhi to raise awareness about vehicular pollution and ways in which it can be curbed.
Utthaan turning India ‘GREEN’
India is the world’s fourth-largest emitter of carbon dioxide. According to the Carbon Brief, India’s Carbon Dioxide emissions grew by an estimated 4.6% since 2017, despite having turbulent times for the economy. Keeping in mind this calamitous issue, Utthaan decided to start the Green Car initiative, in collaboration with EDMC, to spread awareness about its project and its importance in today’s time of increasing air pollution. Through initiatives, products and services like vertical gardening, landscaping, air pollution masks, U-breathe technologies, and the Tree tag Campaign, Utthaan is spearheading a movement to turn Delhi’s idle rooftops and urban spaces into gardens to help residents reconnect with nature and make the national capital more liveable.
Team Utthaan was inspired by the Green Taxi in Kolkata, started by Mr. Dhananjay Chakraborty who turned his taxi into a miniature, mobile garden and showed the world that it does not take a huge amount of space to make an impact. Utthaan innovated and collaborated with various local vendors, to make the Green Car in Delhi. They sourced the Nilgiri grass from local nursery workers that they support and worked with local automobile designers to design an effective way of growing and irrigating the plants on top of a car. Project Utthaan aims to significantly improve the lives of its beneficiaries by assisting them, overcoming challenges of rent payment during lean season and competition from free-market players.
In Utthaan’s unique idea to start a Green Car initiative in Delhi, they were helped, guided, supported and funded by Mr. Pradeep Khandelwal, an officer in the EDMC. On getting to know about the kind of work Team Utthaan has done in Delhi, the EDMC was more than happy to support a community of passionate students committed to creating a new generation of socially responsible leaders. It is the EDMC’s constant endeavor to make their wards greener and cleaner and champion the cause of air pollution like Utthaan.
The Green Car Initiative by Team Utthaan and EDMC has a lot of benefits. It not only helps in saving the environment but also offers year-round sound insulation. Green roofs can improve the thermal resistance of the roof assembly throughout the year, especially in summer months by helping to reduce cooling costs, saving fuel. Plants produce oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the air. They also trap up to 85% of airborne particulates on their leaf surfaces. Plants, soil, and air trapped in the soil are great acoustic insulators, too.
The Vision
Team Utthaan believes that air pollution is a disease that can only be prevented and hence such steps taken by them will help reduce the alarming levels of air pollution in Delhi and spread awareness about the urgent need to reduce it – and thanks to EDMC for supporting them in their efforts. It is their vision to diversify the use of nurseries for economic growth, skill enhancement of the community and tackling the problem of air pollution via creating green spaces in urban cities. This purpose-built project revolves around the theme of ‘Earth, Equality, and Ethics’ and is a significant step in empowering lesser privileged communities. Enactus LSR hopes to work with the same zeal honoring the vision of Enactus, ‘Creating a better and more sustainable world.’
