Elder Abuse Essay Competition 2009 Results Announced

On the occasion of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 15th June 2009, Silver Inning Foundation (SIF), a dedicated organization for senior citizens and their family members had hosted various events to commemorate Elder Abuse Awareness Week from 13th June to 19th June 2009.

One of the event was Essay Competition on ELDER ABUSE.SIF invited an Essay of 1000 words on the topic of "Elder Abuse: Role of Civil Society and Government ".

From all over the World 25 Essay were submitted including 2 entries from class 10th students of Deepalaya School, Kalkaji Extn N, Delhi.

We take this opportunity to Thank all the Participation for giving their valuable support.


Best 3 Essay are as following:
1. Dr. P.V. Vaidyanathan : vaidyanathan.pv@gmail.com
2. Dr. P Vyasamoorthy : vyasamoorthy@gmail.com
3. Mrs. N.M. Helen Dorothy : maryhelendy@yahoo.co.in


Following Best of 10 will get the Participation Certificate:
1. Dr. P.V. Vaidyanathan
2. Dr. P Vyasamoorthy
3. Mrs. N.M. Helen Dorothy
4. Mr.Subrahmanian S H
5. Mrs Kokila Mani
6. Mrs.Shobha Mathur
7. Ms.Ritu Priya Gurtoo
8. Mr.M.V.Ruparelia
9. Tannu Gurung
10.Jyoti Sharma


Silver Inning Foundation WEAAD 2009 Essay Competition Essay are now ONLINE.

Read Best Three Essay on Elder Abuse: "Elder Abuse: Role of Civil Society and Government ".


Dr. P.V. Vaidyanathan :http://silverinnings.blogspot.com/2009/06/elder-abuse-essay-1st-best-role-of.html

Dr. P Vyasamoorthy :
http://silverinnings.blogspot.com/2009/06/elder-abuse-essay-2nd-best-role-of.html

Mrs. N.M. Helen Dorothy :
http://silverinnings.blogspot.com/2009/06/elder-abuse-essay-3rd-best-role-of.html


STOP ELDER ABUSE.

This Programme was organized by Silver Inning Foundation and promoted by INPEA (International Network for Prevention of Elder Abuse) Indian Chapter through Development, Welfare and Research Foundation (DWARF) and 'Little Things Matter Initiatives' (LTMI), Mahakali Senior Citizens Association, Apne Aap, ARDSI Greater Mumbai Cosmopolitan School and AISCCON (All India Senior Citizens' Confederation).


“My World… Your World… Our World – Free of Elder Abuse”


Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

Scheme for Financial Assistance to Voluntary Organsiations for Book Promotional Activities

National Book Trust, India (NBT), an autonomous organisation of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, implements a Scheme for financial assistance for any one or more of the following Book Promotional Activities:

(a) To orgainse seminars of Indian Authors/Publishers/ Booksellers on subjects which have direct bearing on book promotion in India.
(b) To organize training courses on a subject directly related to book promotion.
(c) To organize Annual Conventions/ Conferences of Writers/Publishers/ Printers/Bookseller s.
(d) To conduct research/survey connected with book industry.
(e) Any other activity which may be found conducive to the development of book industry, etc.

The basic terms and conditions for submitting application for the Grant are as under
1. Voluntary organizations of writers, publishers and booksellers and others engaged in the book promotional activities which are registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (Act XXI of 1960) and are in existence at least for three years.
2. Before the amount is paid, a bond has to be executed by the organization in respect of the grant. The organization receiving grant shall have to give a undertaking that no grant-in-aid has been received from any other authority of the Central/State Government and that a grant or aid for the same purpose has not been applied for by the organization any of those authorities.
3. The organization shall have to give an undertaking that the grant shall be utilized for the purpose it is sanctioned. Failure to do so will render the organization liable to refund to the Trust grant in full with penal interest thereon as the Trust may decide
4. An amount equivalent to at least 25% of the actual expenditure shall be contributed by the organization from its own sources, falling which proportionate amount will be refunded to the Trust.
5. The grant for organising the Seminars/Workshops/ Training Courses/Conventions is subject to the ceiling of expenditure on each item approved by the NBT.
6. Any organisation in receipt of the financial assistance shall be open to inspection by an officer of the National Book Trust, India or an Officer of Indian Audit and Accounts Department.

Detailed terms and conditions and prescribed form for submitting application may be obtained from the Deputy Director (Exhibition) , National Book Trust, India, Nehru Bhawan, 5 Institutional Area, Phase-II, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070 on any working day between 9-30 am and 5 p.m. The Application Forms can also be downloaded from our website www.nbtindia.org.in.

The voluntary organisations who fulfil the terms and conditions may submit their applications to the Director, National Book Trust, India, Nehru Bhawan, 5 Institutional Area, Phase-II, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070 which should reach the Trust latest by 15 July 2009. Applications received after prescribed date will not be considered for grant-in-aid during the financial year 2009-10.

Source: http://indiansocialworker.blogspot.com/2009/06/scheme-for-financial-assistance-to.html



Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

Green House - A new concept for Elder Care

THE GREEN HOUSE® model creates a small intentional community for a group of elders and staff. It is a place that focuses on life, and its heart is found in the relationships that flourish there. A radical departure from traditional skilled nursing homes and assisted living facilities, The Green House model alters facility size, interior design, staffing patterns, and methods of delivering skilled professional services. Its primary purpose is to serve as a place where elders can receive assistance and support with activities of daily living and clinical care, without the assistance and care becoming the focus of their existence. Developed by Dr. William Thomas and rooted in the tradition of the Eden Alternative, a model for cultural change within nursing facilities, The Green House model is intended to de-institutionalize long-term care by eliminating large nursing facilities and creating habilitative, social settings.


Architecture - Warm, Smart, and Green
The Green House residence is designed to be a home for six to ten elders. It blends architecturally with neighboring homes, includes vibrant outdoor space, and utilizes aesthetically appealing interior features. Each elder has a private room or unit with a private bathroom. Elders' rooms receive high levels of sunlight and are situated around the hearth, an open kitchen and dining area. While adhering to all codes required by regulations, Green House homes look and feel like a home, and contain few medical signposts.

•Warm: Warmth is created by the floor plan, decor, furnishings, and the people.
•Smart: Use of cost effective, smart technology-computers, wireless pagers, electronic ceiling lifts, and adaptive devices.
•Green: Sunlight, plants, and access to outdoor spaces.

Green House® Life - It's a Home
Each elder enjoys a private room or unit with a private bath which they decorate with their own belongings. There is easy access to all areas of the house including the kitchen and laundry, outdoor garden and patio. Safety features are built into the house to minimize injury. The small size of The Green House home promotes less use of wheelchairs. The elder is free from the limitations of an institutional schedule and lives a comfortable daily life - sleeping, eating, and engaging in activities as they choose. Meals are prepared in the open kitchen and served at a large dining table where staff, elders and visitors enjoy pleasant dining (called CONVIVIUM). This is characterized by good fresh food, a well set table often with music and flowers, and good conversation with people who care about one another. Meal times can be over an hour and appetites are good.


Source: http://www.ncbcapitalimpact.org/default.aspx?id=148




Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

NGO JOB: PROJECT OFFICER

ORGANIZATION: WOMEN WEAVE


Third Sector Partners, a leading CxO and board search firm in the Not for Profit sector has been retained by Women Weave to recruit the Project Officer for the Gudi Mudi Project in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh.


OVERVIEW

Women Weave came into existence in 1998, under the leadership of Sally Holkar, a political science graduate from Stanford University. She has a long history with handloom and with the weaving community of Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh. Sally is well known in the not- for-profit society for more than 30 years with consistent developmental work in design, marketing and quality control.

The Women Weave (WW) mission is to support and sustain women who weave on handlooms around the world. Through inclusive and participatory processes, they strive to empower these women to access markets effectively and to derive the best value for their labor. WW works on developing principles of fair trade and lasting and durable change to sustain the livelihood of women handloom weavers. WW strives to achieve dignity and respect for micro entrepreneurs. The principal focus of WW’s efforts is to create an atmosphere where women handloom weavers could seek the highest market value for their production and foster sustainable linkages with the marketplace.
Gudi Mudi Project is training and production project in Maheshwar, MP, the objective of which is to ensure sustainable income for marginalized women in the area in spinning and hand weaving of the local cotton. At present a staff of 6 is involved in managing the production of hand-woven khadi with approximately 60 women in one unit at Maheshwar.


THE OPPORTUNITY

Women Weave seeks to recruit a dynamic and committed individual as Project Officer for the Gudi Mudi Project, who understands the rural industry and who will be able to take on a leadership role to connect women weavers in India through innovative and productive means, and enable them to become self reliant weaving communities.
Women Weave’s activities have grown considerably since its inception in 1998. The initial phase focused on training the artisans and building trust and relationship with the community. In the subsequent years, marketing and production of the weaves has seen significant momentum.

In the current phase, the incumbent would be responsible for overseeing the production activities in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, monitor the quality standards, timelines, delivery schedules and regularize the weaving activities by setting systems and processes at the production centre.
The incumbent will interact with weavers at every stage from design, marketing to life improvement. S/he will play a pivotal role in developing the weaving community in India and link them to SHGs and microfinance organisations.
There is also a need for the incumbent to, over time, promote and initiate the Synergy Weaving Centre which envisaged as being an information and technology sharing centre for the handloom weaving industry.
For the location, Madhya Pradesh will be first preference and the position would report directly to Sally Holkar, Founder of Women Weave.


RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PROJECT OFFICER

• Responsible for managing the overall functioning of the production facility in Maheshwar. Provide Strong management direction on ground for the project.
• Know and understand the dimensions of the project and ensure scale up and stabilization of the Maheshwar project.
• Ability to be stationed in Maheshwar at least 20 days a month and travel to other handloom areas with which WW partner for projects.
• Manage the existing partners and scale the number of project members from 135 to 500 women in the next 3 years.
• Set timetable and plan for major project activities based on project proposal, implementation plan, and relevant consultant, weaver cluster or partner group.
• Implement program activities in cooperation with weaver clusters.
• Assist in transforming Women Weave from a small scale unit to a medium scale unit.
• Manage the rural enterprise with a strong focus on people, accounting, and general management.
• Assist in forming links with the Microfinance organizations for the second phase of Women Weave’s growth.
• Interface with multiple stakeholders including clients, local government, weaver groups, community partners and staff members, amongst others. Assume a key representational role for the organization to all external stakeholders.
• Over time, give impetus to the Synergy Weaving Centre: envisaged to be an information and technology sharing centre for handloom weavers in India.


MUST HAVE

• An overall experience of 5+ years in the rural sector of which at least two years experience in managing and running any rural production unit/program.
• It would be preferable for the incumbent to have demonstrated skills in running programs aimed at making rural communities self reliant.
• Skills in building and strengthening networks and partnerships with multiple stakeholders with the ability to communicate effectively with people from across segments (clients, customers, strategic partners, community groups, local government, to name a few)
• Excellent written and spoken communication skill: English & Hindi
• Excellent computer skills.
• Readiness to live and work in Rural India.


COMPENSATION DETAILS:

The compensation is commensurate with qualification and experience.


Interested individuals may please submit their CV, a cover note and 3 references by email to womenweave.po@gmail.com with the subject line indicating Project Officer - WW. Please note that only short listed candidates will be contacted.





Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

UN appeals all to join its 'Billion Tree Campaign'

UN Environment Programme takes its ‘Billion Tree Campaign’ to a popular social networking site to achieve the goal of planting seven billion trees before the Copenhagen summit in December this year. The initiative would send a message to world leaders on the need to seal the post-Kyoto climate deal.

Ahead of World Environment Day, celebrated globally on June 5, the United Nations today announced an ambitious tree-planting target in a bid to push governments into reaching agreement on a climate change pact in Copenhagen this December.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has appealed to the world to help its effort to plant seven billion trees by the end of the year, coinciding with the UN Climate Change Conference which aims to draw up a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

To date, some 3.1 billion trees have been planted in 166 countries, and “whether you choose to plant one tree or thousands,” UNEP would like you to register your tree planting pledge on its Billion Tree Campaign website, it said a news release.

In addition, the agency has pledged to plant a tree for each person who joins its campaign on the internet-based social networking site “Twitter” between now and 5 June. UNEP hopes to attract 100,000 people on Twitter by World Environment Day and in turn plant the same number of trees for its Billion Tree Campaign.

“If we are to by the crucial UN climate convention meeting in December, UNEP needs your support from schools and associations to governments, businesses and individual citizens,” said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

If half the world planted just one sapling between now and World Environment Day, it would send “a powerful statement too to world leaders and the need to seal the climate deal in less than 200 days time,” added Steiner.

The World Environment Day global tree-planting drive is the first in a series of mass participation events planned as part of the UN-led “Seal the Deal!” campaign in the lead-up the UN climate change meeting in Copenhagen.

Source: http://southasia.oneworld.net/globalheadlines/un-appeals-all-to-join-its-billion-tree-campaign


Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

Ethics for social entrepreneurs

Is there a code of behavior for social entrepreneurs?

Turn inwards where morality meets ethics, and you'll likely find some sense of what lines cannot be crossed, a moral sense -- but if you look around outside, can you also find a code that's agreed by your peers, that guides you in cases where your personal sense of morals may be conflicted -- and perhaps even instructs you to a narrower range of choices on occasion?

Does the community of entrepreneurs answering a social vision have a formal code?

Professor David Batstone offers ten Principles for entrepreneurial ethics. Reading them, I wonder how far they go towards converting an "entrepreneurial venture" into a "social entrepreneurial venture" by their very nature:
1. Company directors and management will consider their work force valuable team members, not merely hired labor.
2. A company will think of itself as a part of a community, not just a "market."
3. A company will take every possible care to ensure the quality and safety of the products it brings to the public.
4. A company will treat the environment as a silent "stakeholder," a party to which it is wholly accountable.
5. A company will strive to diversify the kind of people who lead and manage its affairs.
6. A company will pursue international trade and production based on reciprocal exchanges that respect the same rights accorded its own people.
7. A company will nurture an organizational culture that encourages its employees to give critical feedback on unethical practices, and even "blow the whistle" when their voices are ignored.
8. A company will protect the privacy rights of its suppliers, customers, and employees.
9. A company will deliver what it promises, and promise what it can deliver.
10. A company will not seek to generate any revenue from practices that threaten life.


Source:http://www.socialedge.org/discussions/responsibility/ethics-for-social-entrepreneurs


Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

Impact of Childhood history in Adults

Childhood history has a lot to do with how we live as adults because certain childhood events could trigger something that would last a life time. Take for example if a child fails at something and the parent does nothing to help the child, the child will grow up thinking that failing is alright and that he or she will have a hard time in life with their job or in school or life in general.

Many events from a persons’ life can stick with the person throughout their life like a thorn in the side. The event will every so often reappear in the persons mind when some event in the present triggers a familiarity with the past event and the person could go in to a state of worry or even worse shock. In this occurrence it could immobilize the person and result in a lackluster in the persons life and might not be able to carry on until the issue is resolved.Many events that have happened in a persons childhood could result in how they live for example: a child who lived a certain way might become a custom to that way and live like that for the rest of his or her life and may not ever come out of that comfort zone until he or she is addressed with the issue. They may not want to try new things or meet new people or anything for that matter. The childhood history also has an affect on the relationship with the persons’ parents. Events that occurred in the past redevelop and the person might love their parent or hate their parent depending on their child hood. This is also true with relationships with a life partner. However they were brought up will affect their relationship with their partner.

Many psychiatrists believe that child hood events could show want might be troubling people, and when they find out what happened they usually could solve the problem. The person’s surroundings as a child is also a factor on how the person will live when they are adults. Usually when a person is surrounded by comfort the person will be a warm gentle person, but a person who is surrounded by violence and anger as a child will usually grow up to be and angry and violent person. In conclusion I believe that the child hood of a person or persons’ will greatly decide what his or hers adult life. Their child hood memories will stick with them either in their mind which they always remember a certain event that changed their life, or a memory will stay with them subconsciously and at a certain time a event in their life might trigger that memory that was in their mind subconsciously and arise and cause some pain and might be hard for the person to deal with in their adult life. Thus we should try to live a good life and not let too many things trouble you as a child because we still have our adult life to let things trouble us.

Source: http://indiansocialworker.blogspot.com/2009/06/impact-of-childhood-history-in-adults.html

Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

Programme Leader for Water Management Required for Indian NGO

POSITION TITLE: PROGRAM LEADER – WATER MANAGEMENT
LOCATION: Gurgaon
REPORTING TO: Group Leader

OVERVIEW:
The Sehgal Foundation is one of the leading nonprofit organizations working in the Mewat District of Haryana. It has established an Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD) in Gurgaon, Haryana which has four centers; the first one for Program Implementation, the second one for Rural Research, the third one for Policy, Governance and Advocacy, and the fourth one for Capacity Building of the villagers.

IRRAD's mission is to implement Integrated Sustainable Village Development (ISVD) in select village clusters, build capacity in rural development, undertake rural research, improve village governance, and serve as a premier knowledge institution for rural development and poverty reduction in India. IRRAD implements programs and conducts research in the following areas:
(a)Water Management; (b) Rural Health; (c) Income Enhancement including Agriculture; (d) Life Skills Education; and (e) Alternative Energy.

THE OPPORTUNITY:
The Sehgal Foundation is looking to hire their Program Leader – Water Management. The key responsibilities in this role will be as follows:
Collecting information about water related issues and create digitized mapping
Conceptualize the probable solutions to water related problems and implementation through community participation
Supervision, monitoring of projects and provide technical support to field level team
Working with community to create awareness regarding the environmental issues
Developing project plan, designing, budgeting, implementation and monitoring strategies
Training of implementation team and community groups
Studying the project outcomes and writing success stories
Networking with organizations having expertise on water related issues.
Represent the Foundation at various workshops, conferences and meetings
Development and formulation of training modules
Program documentation, writing proposals and writing research papers.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS SPECIFICATIONS:
Must Haves:
Minimum of 5 to 8 years of experience in the area of Water Management preferably in water distressed areas.
The incumbent should have demonstrated through past experience the ability to work with partners and communities to develop innovative water management models
Excellent written and verbal communication, presentation, reporting and computer skills, with fluency in English and Hindi.
· A team player with strong program management skills. Ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships, both within and outside of the organization.
· Graduate degree preferably with a specialization in Civil Engineering, Environmental Sciences or related fields.

COMPENSATION DETAILS: Commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Third Sector Partners, a leading CxO and board search firm in the Not for Profit sector has been retained by Sehgal Foundation for this search. Interested candidates can send in their CVs along with three references and a cover note to application.water@gmail.com , or Contact us at: +91 22 6660 3558/6660 3559. Only short listed candidates would be contacted. A detailed document on the mandate will be available on request. Last date for receiving applications is 25th June 2009.

Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

UNICEF, Save The Children Fund team up to eliminate child labour

Unicef and Save the Children Fund (SCF), two of the largest child rights organisations, have teamed up to start a project that will focus on eliminating child labour and running intervention programme to educate children working in the cotton growing states of India, including Gujarat.
Besides Gujarat, the project will be initiated in Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.

The two groups will also push for bringing amendments in the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act (CLPRA), 1986, which allows children to work for a stipulated time in non-hazardous work, bound by certain conditions. However, they say that it contradicts the right of every child to free and compulsory education (as per 21(a) of the Constitution). The experts are demanding that the age for work is raised to 18 and above.

As per the 2001 census, there were 4, 85,530 children below 14 years of age who were working in different sectors in the state including zari work, zardozi work, jewellery, domestic work, and at cloth markets, eateries and restaurants. Besides this, the cotton growing regions also have children employed in large numbers.

UNICEF and SCF will start the project in Kutch and Vadodara and move on to Ahmedabad, Surendranagar, Sabarkantha and Bharuch in the second phase. “The focus is to eliminate child labour from the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat,” said Mohammed Aftab of SCF.

One the NGOs that will implement the intervention programme with UNICEF and SCF, said that children working in the agriculture sector are the most affected.

“As per the government data, the maximum number of children are employed in the agriculture sector. Although the law defines the conditions under which farmers can employ children, these are never followed. The only way out is to amend the law,” said Sukhdev Patel of a partner NGO in Vadodara.

Gujarat has charted out the State Action Plan 2010 to eliminate child labour on the lines of the Central government.

“As per this plan, we will eliminate child labour in Gujarat and provide the children the right to education. We will take the help of some NGOs to execute this plan,” said RM Patel, Principal Secretary, state Labour Department.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/UNICEF--Save-The-Children-Fund-team-up-to-eliminate-child-labour/468933

Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.

Eco-Consciousness through ‘Bhagidari’ (Partnership) with Delhi’s Citizens

One of the most difficult tasks in achieving a greener and more resource efficient life on planet Earth is changing inherent patterns or attitudes in each and everyone of us. Because it is the direct grand collective impact of our actions in regards to resource usage and consumption that will determine the future of Earth’s environment. Creating awareness and eco-consciousness is a critical first step in this. The Bhagidari of Delhi (India) Government, a citizen-government partnership initiative, has been making serious attempts at creating awareness amongst the citizens of Delhi regarding environment and pushing them towards more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

In a manner, it is also a matter of honing the consciousness in a particular direction. I am reminded of the Delhi bill-boards that I had barely glanced at as I drove by – “I will use jute-bags” or “Light-up a smile” or “I will not use the shower.” My fleeting first look had left me wondering. As I had better chances to read th “e bill-boards more closely, things started to fall in place and I was left with a different kind of wonderment.

The Bhagidari (rooted in sharing and meaning partnership) was launched in December 1998 by Delhi government for citizens’ partnership in Governance. Though initially it started as a mechanism for allowing citizens and citizen bodies to voice their grievances, it has overtime it has evolved into a process with multiple stakeholder in Delhi’s governance including citizen groups, NGOs and the Government itself. It is the manner in which the Bhagidari, the partnership, is being leveraged to hone the eco-consciousness of the citizens, which is impressively striking. The school children in association with NGO’s have been spearheading the ‘Save Water’ campaign. Spreading the message and distributing pamphlets, educating people about the importance of conserving water to the numerous lanes and by-lanes of the city. And as they have canvassed through the streets of Delhi, the student volunteers also screened for simple water wastage incidents such as overflowing tanks, leaking water coolers and pleaded with the dwellers to get the leaks plugged.

Included in partnership, in Bhagidari, are the Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) from different regions of Delhi. RWAs are playing increasingly significant role in water conservation as well. In partnership with Delhi Jal (Water) Board (DJB), RWAs are getting involved in installation of Rain Water-Harvesting, replacing old water distribution pipes and de-silting of sewers. Just like the school children, RWA’s have also been instrumental in the impressing upon the citizens the need for conserving water as well as in providing simple tips for water conservation, like turning off the tap while shaving or using bucket for taking a bath instead of using a shower. Similarly under the “Save Energy” campaign, RWA’s have been helping out with finding faulty meters to avoid energy pilferage or help with replacement of low tension wires. Critically, also, educating people about benefits of using CFL bulbs instead of regular bulbs.

At the same time the Delhi government is advertising heavily to sharpen the people’s conciousness in a particular direction. Bill-boards that had always (in my memory) been an instrument of commercial advertising were serving as vehicles for greater social awareness. I have been wondering about the tremendous expense certain political parties must have incurred for their bill-board campaigns in recent parliamentary elections in India. But I am wondering more about the recent public awareness initiatives. On bill-boards – big or small, prominent roadside ones or tucked inside the bus-stops – Delhi government’s campaign for environment and planet’s precious resources looks valiant. I am sure it will provide much fodder to those minds that otherwise would not even have wandered in that direction: “I will not use the shower but bathe using bucket and mug” (Save Water campaign); “I will use CFLs” (Save Electricity campaign); “If I don’t use plastic bags, drains won’t get clogged and Delhi will be a cleaner city” (Save Our Environment campaign).

Another small step comes to mind. The beautification of the old style street electric boxes in Palo Alto was another interesting campaign. Finding the old-style electric boxes in downtown Palo Alto an eye-sore, some artists had picked their brushes to paint them pretty. Closer look usually reveals a message in similar, save-our-environment vein.

It is very hard to know how much of a dividend these awareness campaigns will yield and whether it will justify the outlay towards such advertising. But in a more fundamental sense, creation of awareness and change of behavior are really hard to achieve. Even limited success of these campaigns by changing inherent patterns or attitudes (in even a few people) could be a useful contribution. Hopefully these small steps will build towards a big march for improvements in our environment.

Source: http://ecoworldly.com/2009/05/31/eco-consciousness-through-bhagidari-partnership-with-delhis-citizens/

Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.