Mumbai, June 4, 2019: On World Environment Day, the Mahindra Group reinforced its long term commitment toward the environment with the announcement of its citizens movement’ initiative – #CelebrateDifferently. Part of the larger theme of #RiseAgainstClimateChange, Mahindra’s new initiative aims to motivate citizens to plant a tree to celebrate the joyous milestones in their lives. Alternately, individuals who are not able to do so, can simply like, share or comment on #CelebrateDifferently and Mahindra will plant a tree on their behalf as a part of the Mahindra Hariyali initiative.
Planting trees, including improving forest management, conservation, and regeneration, will help offset India’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, as well as providing a host of wider environmental and socio-economic benefits.
Reiterating his thoughts on environment preservation, Anirban Ghosh, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra Group, stated, “We will truly overcome the challenges posed by climate change only if we engage every citizen of India to join the movement. We are delighted to provide a platform for fellow Indians, particularly millennials, to contribute towards building a greener India. This would also enable the nation to meet its commitment to create a carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tons as promised in the Paris Climate Change Agreement. We are all in it together to #CelebrateDifferently by giving back more than we take from our planet.”
“The world will always need people who think differently – what better way to celebrate a birthday than by planting a tree? Our commitment is to support them, for the benefit of everyone,” said Ruzbeh Irani, President Group Communications and Ethics & Chief Brand Officer, Mahindra Group.
Under the Mahindra Hariyali project, the Group has planted more than 16 million trees in the past 12 years with an annual commitment to plant one million trees every year. With this campaign, Mahindra Group aims to motivate every citizen to be a part of this action, which will lead to realising the aspiration i.e. ‘A Tree for Every Indian.’
Bittu Sahgal, Editor Sanctuary Asia and Founder, Sanctuary Nature Foundation, added, “Our climate crisis is real, and India is on track to be one of the most affected nations in the world on account of our large population that is cramped into a finite subcontinent. But within our cultures and our values lies the power to unite and fix what must be recognised as an existential problem.The opportunity lies in naturally regenerating India’s ecological systems – mountains, coasts, forests, grasslands, rivers, wetlands and lakes – that gave rise to our ancient civilisation and making it a part of our celebration is a good starting point.”
The biggest challenge from a climate perspective is to become net carbon neutral or net carbon positive by the second half of the century, and all of Mahindra’s commitments are a step towards this goal. Mahindra Group is committed to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2040. Twenty companies of the Mahindra Group have committed to science-based targets that are in line with the decarbonisation required to keep global temperature increase below 2°C.
