Earth Day Network, India conducted 49- Cities contest entitled Sheher Green Karo – It’s Our Turn to Lead to commemorate the 49th Anniversary of Earth Day, held on April 22, 2019. 49 cities with population over one million participated in the contest.
The pan India contest asks citizens to compete to make their city ‘Swachh’ and ‘Green’. The contest was based on efforts been taken to clean and beautify the city, manage waste, sustain resources, add to the green cover, reduce carbon emissions, shift to renewable energies, protect our species, etc.
Earth Day Network, based at Washington, DC,  is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 75,000 partners in nearly 192 countries to build environmental democracy. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.
Nagpur Municipal Corporation & Green Vigil Foundation participated in Sheher Green Karo Contest and has made it to ten winning cities. Nagpur Municipal Corporation & Green Vigil Foundation have been declared the winner of the contest for relentless efforts being taken for a Greener and Cleaner Nagpur city. Constant observance of Poornima Diwas Campaign, advocating Energy Saving, reducing carbon emission, shift towards renewable energy sources and natural resource conservation has been major breakthrough for the contest.
Efforts to maintain Green Cover of Nagpur by keeping a check on rampant illegal tree felling, a mega project of dechoking of trees, and policy changing by introducing a Simple Operating Procedure, making illegal tree felling (even a branch) extremely difficult and permission contingent on a compensatory plantation. Reviving a 150 yr old banyan tree by building up a concrete wall and filling it with soil and fertilizer at Ambazari Garden whose majority roots were exposed by construction activity have made a significant impact for a greener city.
School education programs, student’s Parliament and citizen outreach campaign reaching masses and creating awareness towards sustainable lifestyles were other programs to be highlighted.
Other Winners of the contest are – Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Raipur, and Varanasi.
Mrs Karuna Singh, Country Director, India congratulated Nagpur Municipal Corporation and Green Vigil Foundation for joint efforts taken for making Nagpur Clean & Green and setting up an example of NGO and civic body working in co-ordination for the betterment of the city.
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