I want to create a world where the
environment doesn’t need to be protected
good morning I am he ever see good
morning i omnia verse t stand here today
with this belief that you and me
together can make this happen
at the age of 14 in my school video
Garifuna the two-minute video that I
made was awarded at a national level
that answered the question as to how all
of us together could contribute in
saving the Antarctic yo I was
unflinchingly supported by my two gurus
Nalini sang Gupta and Seema Sharma and
of course my family whose love and
support kindled the love for environment
in me your was where it all started
sorry she always where it all started
the award meant that I was appointed as
one of the 26 student ambassadors for
tetrapack which is a Swedish packaging
company that highly promotes environment
friendly recycling processes to keep my
efforts persistent towards being an
environmental Crusader and if one failed
my role as an ambassador I started an
initiative called the recycle army the
recycle army was a group of children
that came together and went out with the
slogan cycle to recycle as the name
suggests we cycle around the
neighborhood spreading the awareness
about the importance of recycling we
took up initiatives like waterless holy
trackless Diwali cleaning tiny hilltops
as well as residential areas every
Sunday and encouraging people to avoid
using motored vehicles as well and
instead use bicycles for short distances
all this was very soon recognized by the
local media and Terry the energy and
resources Institute it even caught the
attention of the man
who in history is the first ever human
to have gone to the North and the South
Pole on foot unsupported an inspiring
personality who was motivated so many
more environmental Crusaders like me to
take forward the baton of the leadership
on the edge program the man who since
the age of eleven has relentlessly
worked towards saving the environment my
idol my mentor
Robert Swan in October 2015
I received an email from him personally
informing me that out of six thousand
applicants applicants from across the
globe I had been pre-selected that means
I had been hand-picked on the base of my
persistent efforts towards being an
environmental Crusader well the cherry
on the cake was that 50% of my
expedition cost was going to be covered
by his team the 2041 team and suddenly
my four years long dream was going to
come true this was the sign that I was
on the right track now it is very
important for all of us to understand as
to what 2041 actually stands for
2041 is a very pivotal euro for our
planet that here will mark the end of a
50-yard agreement nothing that keeps
Antarctica free of exploitation the
foundation strongly believes that if
renewable energy is used to its fullest
potential then there’s no reason as to
why the Antarctic should be exploited
the foundation along with the 52 other
signatories of the treaty aim at
extending the treaty in order to
continue maintaining the measures to
preserve the icy continent huge areas of
ice which are as big earth tiny nations
are breaking off from the Antarctic
mainland we 143 representatives we won
forty-three representatives from 30
different nations came together debated
discussed and receive fourth hand
information of of the devastating
effects of the depleting ice cover which
was very evident
we witnessed how the rise in temperature
has battered the icy continent our name
of this expedition was to learn about
trying to change sustainability and the
effective use of renewable energy and
how they affect us worldwide and what we
can do to protect the Antarctic during
this journey we were a part of various
multimedia lectures given by global
experts about Antarctica including its
geology wildlife 50 and ography well now
it’s really obvious by Oldfield
as to why on earth would a girl a
student like me talk about Antarctica a
place which is 11,000 and 84 kilometers
away from this very auditorium you
wouldn’t even want to give it a second
thought
as to why the depleting highs covers of
Antarctica would affect you or your life
but just because you cannot see just
because you cannot see does not mean
it’s not happening NASA confirmed in
2014 that no matter what the sea level
is definitely going to rise by one meter
tomate to a common man arise in one
meter would mean that areas that are
above the sea level of one meter would
be submerged so what’s all the fuss
about well the problem is far greater
than that to accommodate such drastic
increases in the sea level shorelines
we’ll have to receive four kilometers
altogether submerging habitats and land
crops and civilians but for a country
like India the pedal is even greater
since India is a peninsula the southern
parts of the country are going to are
going to be adversely affected to bring
it to proportion the flight imagine this
states like Goa
Kerala Tamil Nadu
we lose major parts of their population
due to the receding shorelines
it wasn’t a trip or an excursion it was
an expedition an expedition that taught
me more than just about the threats
faced by the icy continent it was a long
journey the beforehand preparations
right from convincing people and
corporates response for me to garner the
adequate equipment the actually
collecting the appropriate clothing for
the freezing temperature when I required
at least a good seven layers to keep
myself even mildly warm so why on earth
would a thin petite girl a student like
you go to go to the Antarctic and I’m
quoting this these are the precise
questions asked me by many besides
traveling all the way alone from Pune
via Paris to the southernmost city of
the world also known as the end of the
world
whoosh wyah and then to step out into
the icy wilderness was something beyond
what people could further but then again
the expedition by itself was the
cakewalk either the stormy crossing of
the Drake Passage the freezing chill
factor of the gusty winds the endless
sight of only and only water the thought
of being so far away from land nothing
could beat the happiness of sighting the
first ice book the reason I was asked to
be a part of this expedition was to take
up a responsibility the responsibility
of fighting for a better environment we
ourselves witness something firsthand
that not many humans have seen which is
unimaginable massive icebergs crashing
into the icy waters the drawer was
deafening we were stunned into silence
this is happening under 10 times faster
rate than what is
we thought well we can definitely look
this up on the Internet
but we the expeditioners have been dead
we’ve seen this happen and it was
terrifying if the entire continent of
Antarctica means the sea level is going
to rise by a good 68 meters do you know
what that means that means you are not
going to have to go all the way up to
capo beach for a beautiful seashore this
is going to follow you back to multiply
because monopile is just 73 meters above
sea level the expedition was a platform
which taught me about the depleting
which taught me about the depleting
continent and it was the leadership
forum it taught us to overcome of yours
steam mile apart from our families with
no contact whatsoever just to come
together with people of similar thoughts
to make this planet a better place it is
us who need the environment and not the
environment that needs us this is a
statement that I’ve believed in for a
long time now but unfortunately now it
is time that the environment needs us
but that one visit to the icy continent
has made this belief much stronger that
we need to work for the environment let
us not give up on the environment
because if the environment gives up on
us it’s not going to be a good site now
after this long talk probably all are
thinking what can I do how can I help
we don’t need a New Year’s Eve or the
first anjaan to make resolutions and
even if they’re made most of them are
personal and sell them for a common good
so let us resolve you right now in the
study auditorium you follow these tiny
steps which can go a very long way a
complete nor plastic bags don’t ask for
one don’t give one insist on drip
irrigation
in and around the areas that you still
insist on rainwater harvesting please
try and segregate width and dry waste
please use solar energies for heating
water and to produce electricity follow
the simple 3 R’s reuse reduce recycle
and lastly and very simple saves paper
all of us need to be considered and
sensitive towards the environment it
could be in the smallest way possible
plop probably by switching off the
lights when unnecessary switching over
to led lights or probably using solar
panels
let us not ask what the world is doing
let us not ask what the government is
doing
let us not ask what our college is doing
let us ask ourselves what am i doing
so with this I would like to leave you
with one question are we ready to given
that 1% thank you [Applause]