Events

SPJIMR’s Centre for Innovation in Sustainable Development (CISD) regularly organises beach clean-up activities in collaboration with the well-known Afroz Shah Foundation (ASF) on Mumbai’s Versova beach. This Foundation has been removing and recycling an average of 368,404 pieces of plastic and 378,351 kgs of garbage per week through their various beach clean-up drives across Mumbai, including Borivali forest, Mithi river, Dana Pani Beach, Versova Beach, and remote islands.

SPJIMR participants volunteer in these initiatives that advance Goals 13 and 14 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which deal with climate action and life below water, respectively. The participants gain a great deal of knowledge from seasoned Foundation volunteers about the types of garbage that are typically produced and the Foundation’s efforts to ensure proper waste management in urban and semi-urban households.

One key experiential learning was that daily use packets, wrappers, and clothing were the waste that was most frequently picked up. Due to a lack of appropriate waste management procedures and collection infrastructure, these items were typically thrown into the drains.

CISD plans to expand its scope in future engagements where the students not only volunteer to collect waste and create awareness but also learn about the different ways of managing that waste, waste recycling practices, and end-of-life plastic management for dissemination to relevant stakeholders.