Sustainability

Sustainability is my favourite topic. I would like to get more and more information on sustainability.

Sustainability encompasses the balance of environmental protection, social equity and economic viability to ensure resources are available for future generations. While corporates are forced to focus on the topic of sustainabilty due to Government laws and through UN’s Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs), many targtes are not on track and significant work remains. There is a lot common people can contribute towards this topic by litle change in their daily habits, like Say No to Plastics and discipline in waste segregration at source.

I will share a story of our contribution to sustainability, while I was working in the corporate.

This stroy is almost 4 years old. Out plant was in a cooperative Industrial park near Chakan, Pune. The road to the industrial park used to pass through a heap of garbage and it used to stink when you pass through that road. This was the only available entry point for our company.

One day, me and our MD ( Managing Director ) were traveling in a car to visit nearby industry. The moment we crossed that dirty patch of the road where garbage was thrown by all the inductries and public, my MD asked the driver to stop the vehicle at the garbage dump and asked me, Mukund can we do something about it? I said we can convert this place to a beautiful garden and he was delighted to hear that. Though both of us knew it’s an Herculean task. We could not stand there because of the dirty smell but the spark was ignited in our minds about converting that Garbage Yard into a beautiful garden. My MD said let us discuss with our HR and do something.

Next day we met our HR and told him about the idea. At first he laughed on us for brnging such an impossible project, but we insisted on him to find out the details of land owner and procedure to acquire that land. He reluctuntly agreed.

Then the struggle started to achieve impossible. The land was owned by Government and they expressed their inability to handover the land to us even if we pay. There was some legal issue. But we never gave up and kept persuing for the alternatives so that we can convert that place into a beautiful garden.

The land was used by all the public for throwing garbage and it was used by the local gangsters to carry out their illegal activities. There was a stone quarry inside that place and the rainwater collected used to remain there throughout the year. But the water was completely polluted due to illegal activities.

We fought for two year relentlessly and got the lease agreement for that land on our name. Then the real struggle started. Fight with local gangsters for the land and cleaning that piece of land etc. We removed almost 80 trucks load of garbage from that place and got it fenced. The water was purified with guidance from experts so that the water will be used for the flora and fauna.

Then a beautiful landscape was planned with the help of architect and then the tireless efforrts strated to convert that land into a Biodiversity Park. Me n my MD has endless discussions on the development plan. We also consulted the forest restoration agency for the guidance and then planted the trees. Whenever I used to go for a long drive near Pune, I used to bring saplings of native trees for our park.

Today it is a beautiful Bio-diversity Park hosting Miyawaki Forest of natieve trees, Spice Garden and Medicinal plants area. The water body is house to variety of fishes and tortoise. It is attraction for all the nearby industries. Many of them joined hands with us for the development and maintenance of that park.

Whenever I visit that place I am so happy to see the tall trees and beautiful flowers and birds. I remember the day we were standing there and looking at the garbage and dreaming impossible.

This was a true example of Visionary Leadership ( our MD ) who saw a Park in the heap of garbage, and I was lucky to implement the idea with my passion for nature.

Thank you my readers for stopping by

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