Adar Poonawalla Clean City Initiative

One of the most inspiring highlights of this year has been the increasing involvement of young volunteers stepping up and taking responsibility for their city. At Adar Poonawalla Clean City Initiative (APCCI), cleanliness activities have always been at the heart of our work—beyond our day-to-day operations, actively engaging in large-scale public cleanliness drives across Pune. These initiatives include cleaning public spaces, riverbanks, areas around heritage sites, post-marathon clean-ups, and restoring cleanliness after major festivals. As we reflect on 2025, it stands out as a particularly special year, marked by meaningful participation and growing public awareness. A Visible Shift in Public Awareness This year witnessed a substantial increase in both the number of cleanliness drives and the volunteers who joined them. This growth clearly reflects a positive shift in citizens’ mindsets. People are no longer passive users of public spaces—they now want to actively con...

When we think of soil we think of food, when we think of soil we think of plants, when we think of soil we think of the habitat for countless organisms that survive on it, when we think of soil, we think of water and when we think of soil we think of earth! Healthy soil is fundamental to life, serving as the basis for food production, biodiversity, and the regulation of water and climate systems. It supports plant growth, sustains ecological balance, and underpins the planet’s essential nutrient and carbon cycles. When we think of soil we think of vast open farmlands, away from urban areas but rarely do we think about the urban soil which is the very theme of this years ‘World Soil Day’ celebrated on 5 th December every year. This World Soil Day 2025 focuses on urban landscapes with the theme "Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities." It  is no secret that with climate change, increasing human activity our soils are getting affected. It is not only affected the soil health but ...

माती म्हटलं की, झाडे, अन्न, मातीवर अवलंबून असलेली असंख्य जीवजंतूंचे अधिवास अशा अनेक गोष्टी आपल्या डोळ्यासमोर उभे राहतात. माती म्हटले की पाणी आणि पृथ्वी आठवते! निरोगी माती ही जीवनाची पायाभूत गरज असून ती अन्न उत्पादन, जैवविविधता तसेच पाणी व हवामान व्यवस्थापनासाठी अत्यंत महत्त्वाची आहे. माती वनस्पतींच्या वाढीस आधार देते, पर्यावरणातील संतुलन राखते आणि पृथ्वीच्या आवश्यक पोषकद्रव्य व कार्बन चक्राला स्थिर ठेवते. साधारणपणे माती म्हटलं की आपल्याला शहरांपासून दूर असलेली विशाल शेत जमीन आठवते, पण शहरी भागातील मातीबद्दल आपण क्वचितच विचार करतो आणि यावर्षीच्या वर्ल्ड सॉईल डे चा विषय हा या शहरी भागातील मातीच्या आरोग्यावर आधारित आहे.दरवर्षी 5 डिसेंबरला साजरा होणाऱ्या ‌‘जागतिक मृदा दिन‌’ (वर्ल्ड सॉईल डे) 2025 ची संकल्पना ही हेल्दी सॉईल्स फॉर हेल्दी सिटीज (निरोगी शहरे निरोगी मातीमुळे) ही असून शहरातील पर्यावरण व माती यांवर विशेष लक्ष केंद्रित केले आहे.   हवामान बदल आणि वाढत्या मानवी हस्तक्षेपांमुळे आपल्या मातीवर गंभीर परिणाम होत आहेत. याचा परिणाम फक्त मातीच्या आरोग्यावरच नाही तर संपूर्ण ...