ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN BY VASUNDHARA MEMBERS DURING SUMMER (May- July 2000)
1. Participation of 2 Vasundhara Members in the SAARC Congress on Youth and Nature
Organized by WWF-INDIA and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in collaboration with the Jawaharlal Nehru Youth Centre
organized a 2-day youth congress on 5th-6th June in New Delhi to commemorate World Environment day. The conference
focused on youth role in nature conservation and was attended by youth representatives from all the SAARC nations.
Two members from Vasundhara, Nitya Malik and Dhruv Malhotra, both from Class 10 were invited to participate in this congress. While Nitya was one of the representatives of the Delhi Chapter of the NCI (Nature Clubs of India) Movement of which the Nature Club is an active part, Dhruv was one of the guest presenters on behalf of India. Dhruv's paper, which he presented at the inaugural session of the congress,
focused on the solutions to Conservation issues through Youth. Mrs Jyoti Venkatesh, our club advisor was also invited to attend the
inaugural session of the congress.
Both Nitya and Dhruv were active participants in the theme groups and planarians
of the congress. While Nitya participated in the group focusing on the issues, concerns and Expectations in Nature Conservation, Dhruv was one of the group
conveners for the group focusing on Education, Awareness and Action for sustainable development and environmental conservation.
Along with Shiban Khan from IUCN Bangladesh, Dhruv presented the "Youth Charter for Nature" that was formulated by the congress participants to the
Honorable Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports who had kindly consented to preside over the valedictory session of the congress.
2. Run for a Clean and Green Environment organized by WWF-INDIA and Hôtel Maurya Sheraton-5th June
As part of its efforts to promote environmental consciousness amongst the hotel industry, Hotel Maurya Sheraton
organizes a run for A Clean and Green Environment annually on the 5th of June to commemorate World Environment Day. This year members of the NCI Movement were invited to participate in this run. 11 students from Vasundhara took part in this event. After the run, the students also planted saplings at the
Sanskriti School in the same area. The valedictory function was presided by Ms. Renuka Chaudhary, former cabinet minister for health, who gave an inspring and captivating speech. The event ended with breakfast and momento presentation.
3. Cleanliness Drive-10th June 2000
The club's motto has always been "Think Globally, Act Locally". Thus while providing an input and participation in various national and international fora, the club pays equal importance to its grassroots campaigns. In this spirit, a Cleanliness Drive was organised by Nupur Sahai and Aditi Rao at Cantt. (area). Lots of waste had been rotting in this area for over an year and was thus defiling the atmosphere of the adjoining colonies. 20 students participated in this drive and they collected over 18 kg of waste includig paper and plastic. This waste was subsequently send to Vatavaran, a
recycling unit in JNU campus.