Move for Earth: Kolkata based organisation launches programme to spread awareness about Climate Action

Climate action or tackling climate change is part of The Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by all United Nation (UN) Member States in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which set out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals.

Kolkata-based SwitchON Foundation, on Thursday, launched the ‘Move for Earth’ movement to take forward the principles of Climate Action and announced the schedule of a six-day Cycle Yatra across West Bengal as part of the programme.

This award-winning not-for-profit entity has been working across four verticals – Clean Energy, Water, Climate Smart Agriculture, Skilling and Sustainable Cities – for the past 15 years.

Present at the launch were Assistant Chief Secretary of the state’s power department, Suresh Kumar, IAS; Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) Professor Dr Saugata Roy, among others.

According to the announcement, Vinay Jaju, co-founder of SwitchON Foundation, will be cycling over 3,000 km across different states in eastern India, including around 800km in West Bengal.

The aim is to connect with over 10,000 farmers, women and youth, and address issues such as clean air and sustainable mobility, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, the organisation said in a release.

According to the organisers, in each state, the ride will conclude with a Citizens Jury for Earth in which small groups of farmers and urban youth will interact with experts and get involved in the process of making recommendations as part of the action.

The West Bengal leg of the Cycle Yatra will commence on February 6, 2023, from Kolkata and will be flagged off by the city’s mayor, Firhad Hakim.

It will pass through Ranaghat, Krishnanagar, Burdwan, Durgapur, Asansol, Purulia and end in Bankura on February 11, 2023.

Said Jaju, “In 2008, we, the founding team of SwitchON Foundation had set out on a bicycle ride from Kolkata to New Delhi. The ride inspired and sparked the impetus to a 15-year-journey of serving and strengthening communities through clean energy and other sustainable ways of living.”

Today, in the face of a devastating climate crisis, they have decided to take on a similar ride to inspire climate action, he said.