Volunteering Communities of Pune: MyPrakriti’s Growing Movement for a Cleaner City

Pune is home to several citizen-led initiatives that are creating meaningful change at the grassroots level. Among them is MyPrakriti, a young and dynamic environmental community founded by students and early-career professionals who dedicate their Sundays to making the city cleaner and greener.

Started in November by a small group of eight friends, MyPrakriti was born from the belief that environmental awareness must be accompanied by on-ground action. While the founders initially focused on spreading awareness through digital content, they soon realised the need for direct community engagement. This led to the launch of weekly clean-up drives across Pune.

In just six months, the initiative has grown into a thriving community and has successfully conducted around 30 clean-up drives. Beyond waste collection, MyPrakriti seeks to raise awareness about pressing environmental challenges, including waste management, river pollution, biodiversity loss, and the need for ecological restoration.

What makes the initiative notable is the commitment of its volunteers. Despite weekly work and study schedules, they choose to spend their weekends contributing to a cleaner environment. Many participants go on to share their experiences with friends and bring new volunteers to future drives, creating a ripple effect of environmental consciousness
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By providing citizens with a platform to contribute, the group is helping build a future where people and nature can coexist in harmony—one cleanup drive at a time. The Adar Poonawalla Clean City Initiative (APCCI) has been supporting MyPrakriti’s cleanup drives since the initiative’s inception, recognising the importance of community-led action in addressing environmental challenges and promoting responsible waste management.