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SPROUTS Environment Trust is a registered, Mumbai-based environmental NGO that works towards raising awareness about environmental issues among adults and children and consists of highly qualified and motivated professionals, based all over India. Its mission is to impart knowledge and skills to children, youth and adults through participatory methods to create interest, awareness and ownership of our Environment and its resources through education and action in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), irrespective of their financial or social status, with the vision of achieving ‘A sustainable environment for all’. Our three programmes – Eco-School, Eco-Leadership Internship and Green Communities – are the mainstays of our mission. The Earth Mela, along with our other activities (Events), viz. Wader & Flamingo Watch, Urban Farming, Eco-Ganesha (#GodSaveTheOcean) and Beach & Forest Clean-ups are an integral part of our Green Community initiatives. SPROUTS Environment Trust was also the Knowledge Partner for the 1200km ‘Save Our Sahyadri’ (SOS) Cycle Rally, organised in Dec 2016.

advocacy

Earth Mela

With this intention of creating interest and increasing awareness about the environment, SPROUTS Environment Trust has been conducting a nature fest titled ‘EARTH MELA’ for the past 10 years. It has been reaching out to the masses with themes such as Conservation (2020), Marine Diversity (2018), Responsible Tourism (2017), Soils (2015), Islands (2014), Food Security & Conservation (2013, Day 1 & Day 2), Green Economies (2012, Day 1 & Day 2), Conservation of Indian Forests (2011), Indian Wildlife (2010), Carbon Reversal Movement (2009) & Biodiversity Conservation (2008).

It has witnessed participants of all age groups and backgrounds. Lectures, Poster Presentations and Workshops by eminent Environmentalists and young Scientists ensure that the theme is vigorously discussed and the structured workshops encourage discussions and learning through hands-on experiences. The variety of stalls display eco-friendly products and services, which help make better choices in life.

The carefully curated and captioned photography exhibition shares with the visitors some of the finest moments in nature and city environment captured by the photographer’s lens – professional and budding. These, along with the nature trails, sensitise visitors and share more knowledge on the annual theme in the larger context of the environment.

You can get a glimpse of the Earth Melas, as well as SPROUTS’ various other activities, in this PPT.

Eco-Leadership Internship

SPROUTS believes in having trained volunteers for their workshops and activities. Through our Eco-leadership Programme, we create eco-leaders via management and communication skills, personality development, research and documentation, plans, budgets and resources, events, workshops, festivals, lectures and entrepreneurship!

This program covers areas viz. Biodiversity Orientation & Details (Identification & Information); team-building & co-ordination; communication skills (report writing, self introduction); research methods; skills-building (Paper Mache, City Farming, Aquarium Maintenance, Creation of Newsletters, Posters, Booklets, Database Creation & Management; basics of photography; basics of post-processing; basics of First Aid; basics of web/print designing; basics of camping; social media handling; sales & marketing, creating literature, maintaining records & accounting; wildlife laws and ethics; and most importantly careers in environment.

Mumbai, as an extension of the Western Ghats, boasts of phenomenal biodiversity, and a staggering amount of data has been collectively captured by Mumbaikars over time. However, this data has been lying hidden in their computers and hard-disks, unedited, unshared and in many cases unidentified. Thus so much of knowledge and amazement is stuck in a dead-end space.
To undo this, we have started the #MumbaiBiodiversityProject (MBP), Northern Western Ghats Biodiversity Conservation Project (NWGBCP) & Marine Biodiversity Project (MP). wherein we will be further documenting Mumbai’s Biodiversity and have also decided to dig out our amazing photos, study them, identify them (with books, internet searches and help from experts) and share them with some basic level of introductory information. Currently, the information is in English, but soon we plan to put up multi-lingual information sheets. You can also view NWGBCP videos, in Marathi & English.
We hope these on-going projects will also add new information to the various databases that are compiling information on taxon groups, habitats, bio-geographic zones, Urban biodiversity, and protected areas, and encourage people (both students and adults) to learn, admire, document and thus protect or conserve the species found in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the Northern Western Ghats as well as their homes.
You too can contribute to the MBP, NWGBCP or MP! If you have clicked a photo of any plant or animal species in MMR or Northern Western Ghats that hasn’t been covered in our MBP/NWGBCP/MP records, you can submit it to us and we’ll add it into the MBP/NWGBCP/MP records after identifying it! You’ll be credited for your contribution.

Beach Cleanups

For the last 15 years SPROUTS Environment Trust has been conducting a Beach Clean-Up Activity after Ganesha Visarjan. The immersion of Plaster Of Paris (POP) Ganeshas by Sarvajanik Mandals and idols painted with toxic colours causes serious hazards to marine creatures.

The Beach Clean-up and Awareness drive at Girgaum Chowpatty not only helps to remove the broken idols which float out of the seas or lie strewn along the coastline, but also engages more people in being friendly to our seas. This activity gives back to nature and shows that you care for the environment. It will be an opportunity to rub shoulders with environmentally conscious individuals and truly make a difference to sea creatures, to the Earth and to all fellow Earthlings, who have lived and roamed this planet way before us and will do so way after us (hopefully)…
Click here to see albums of Sep 2014, Sep 2013, Feb 2013, 2010 & 2009 Clean-Ups.

Awaaz Bandh

Loud noises are rampant and we encounter them on a daily basis. Due to their frequency, we have become habituated and don’t even realize the harm it does to us and to creatures in our surroundings. To create awareness and curb the crisis of noise pollution, SPROUTS Environment Trust joined hands with Awaaz Foundation and initiated the #AwaazBandh Campaign. #AwaazBandh Campaign was a part of the celebration on April 26, 2017 which is designated as International Noise Awareness Day. The campaign was supported by many individuals and organizations across the globe, via simple social media interventions, such as a change in their profile picture showing them ‘covering their ears’, and thus engaging public in discussions and debates on these sites. This was supplemented by many public posts on various social media, awareness marches, workshops, and creation of posters and poems highlighting the menace of excess noise within our lives.
Click to watch the AwaazBandh videos.

Monthly Lecture Series

With the intention to create awareness, develop skills, to impart training, higher scientific acumen and to highlight the conservation related work of researchers, amateurs and motivate people to take legal action against environmentally damaging actions by corporates, individuals or government agencies, SPROUTS Environment Trust has been conducting monthly sessions including workshops, lectures and hands-on demonstrations, targeting different audiences from lay-people, students, teachers, researchers, media and policy makers.
Since these events are currently unsponsored and participants may have to incur small expenses towards expert fees, venue, refreshments and resource materials, we are looking for donors, sponsors and any other logistic support from individuals, corporates and any other suitable agencies.

You can view the lectures on The Green Channel