Make a difference
Suresh Ramakrishnan
Executive Director @ Trinity Academy & EduRiser | PGDM, Marketing
Several organisations (possibly millions) work towards human, animal, and climate welfare worldwide. Each alleviates a particular problem or a set of problems. The hard work of selfless welfare makes the world a better place to live.
Some projects caught my fancy. There could be many others that I may have yet to come across but are making an equally significant impact. This article may ignite your thinking or urge you to feature more.
I have been following the Ocean Clean Up project and watching their videos posted on LinkedIn and YouTube. I just happened to scan their last annual report, and the statistics of their work amazed me. I present a snapshot below—yes, you read it right. It's 8.3 million kg of plastic cleanup, and the quantum keeps increasing each year. Several large organisations have associated themselves with this project over the last few years.
This idea came to Boyan Slat at 16 when he was scuba diving in Greece and saw more plastic than fish. He dedicated his high school project to discovering how to clean the ocean. To a sane mind, it seems impossible, but he researched in depth to figure out that there are five garbage accumulation patches worldwide. He devised a passive concentration technique to make the garbage come to him using ocean currents.
You can read more about him and his project on this link here
To help this man, the least we can do to make a difference is to dispose of plastic in the designated area.
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I have been associated with PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) for over a decade. I am more of a passive participant. Their newsletters (they send quite a few in a year) detail their projects and how they have rehabilitated animals in pain or being ill-treated.
As a first of sorts, I received a goodie bag from them last year. It contained various items, which are ideally made from leather. They showed how plant-based materials could make the same items valuable and elegant. I continue to use a key chain that was part of the hamper made using some fibre.
A few years back, while driving (albeit at low speed), a dog came from nowhere and got hit by my car. I was terrified, and my conscience didn't allow me to drive further. I parked on one side of the road and called the animal activists. Some people came over in no time, thoroughly scanned the area, and told me that maybe the dog wasn't injured or hurt; otherwise, it would have been whimpering nearby. The dedication and alacrity left me with a sense of pride that I was indeed associated with the proper organisation.
Please take a look at their timeline. They have been working to make a difference for the last 40+ years.
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Many years back, we wondered how to get rid of our old clothes (all in good condition), mainly because we had two growing boys whose earlier clothes wouldn't fit them anymore.
While searching the web, I came across this 'for-profit' venture started by a young lady named Anushka Jain: SADS (Share at your Doorstep). Her concept is simple: You fill out a form on the web and pay some handling/carriage charges. Her organisation arranges a pick up at a designated date and time. The clothes are passed on to people in need through several NGOs. More than one hundred thousand people have benefitted, and close to thirty thousand households have donated clothes, furniture, toys, etc.
This is a proper business, mind you. But if you look at the number of problems it solves or the people (organisations' CSR initiatives) it benefits, you wouldn't mind having such people in your society working towards making a difference.
If you wish to dispose of your old items, click on this link
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So, how many more such ventures and initiatives have you come across?
Do share.
Thanks for reading