The goal of the Mega Beach Clean Up event was to sensitise and create awareness about the environmental impact of marine garbage and to motivate people to take action to prevent it
Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, and Ministry of Labour and Employment, took part in the G20 Mega Beach Clean Up initiative today at Juhu Beach in Mumbai. Yadav congratulated everyone who participated in the campaign in G20 countries and 37 venues around the country. Ramesh Bais, Governor of Maharashtra; Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, Minister of State, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Minister, Government of Maharashtra and Environment Secretary Leena Nandan, as well as senior officials from the central and state governments, attended the event.
The G20 Mega Beach Clean Up event, organised by the G20 India Presidency, drew a large number of G20 countries, invitee countries, state government officials, international organisations, and delegates to the 3rd ECSWG meeting, highlighting the global commitment to preserving coastal and marine ecosystems.
The goal of the Mega Beach Clean Up event was to sensitise and create awareness about the environmental impact of marine garbage and to motivate people to take action to prevent it. This gathering emphasised the importance of individual efforts and community cooperation in alleviating this environmental crisis.
Twenty countries participated enthusiastically in the event on a global scale. Argentina, Australia, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America comprise the 14 G20 countries, with Egypt, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, and Singapore serving as invitees. Back home, beach clean-up efforts were held in all 13 coastal states and 9 Union Territories.
The event, which was perhaps one of the biggest displays of 'Jan Bhagidari' under the Indian G20 Presidency so far, had active participation from all stakeholders.
The selfie spot on the beach was a big draw, followed by the kiosk selling recyclable plastic products.
The stall displayed recycled plastic products such as benches, automobile dustbins and other similar stuff. To raise awareness, the plastic debris gathered from Juhu beach was recovered utilising recycling machines stationed at the beach.
The dignitaries helped with the cleanup, wrote on the pledge wall, and admired the schoolchildren's artwork on exhibit. Sudarsan Pattnaik, a renowned sand artist, created beautiful sand art on the beach in keeping with the event's theme, including the G20 logo and Prakriti, the mascot for LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment). The paintings on display were created by over 5900 school students from across the country who competed in an art competition on the theme of coastal and marine pollution, with the top 100 paintings chosen and displayed at the meeting venue.
The Indian Presidency's promotion of the LiFE ('Lifestyle for Environment') concept was a significant aspect in determining the event's success.
LiFE is a concept that promotes changes in individual conduct in order to successfully address environmental challenges. It encourages community stakeholders to implement climate-positive practices into their daily lives in order to help conserve the environment as a whole.
The massive beach clean-up event kicked off the third conference of the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group, which will be held in Mumbai from May 21st to 23rd, 2023. The Ocean20 discourse - a venue for sharing best practices in science, technology, and innovation, policy, governance, participation, and blue finance methods - will be extensively discussed at the summit. These conversations are aimed at developing a solution to ensure a sustainable and climate-resilient Blue Economy, in line with the G20 India Presidency's aims.