Surat (Gujarat) [India], November 5: To support the EcoKranti Revolution, The Art of Living, Sri Sri Rural Development Programme & Sustainability (SSRDP), together with the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), entered into a Memorandum of Understanding. Together, the trio aim to make Surat, already one of the cleanest cities in India, a green model of their development in the country. The proposed vision is to see innovation, along with a city living in harmony with the environment, gaining popularity as a model of environmentally safe urban development globally.
As the city shifts towards modernity, the message is simple: development should not come at the expense of nature. The development should also align with environmental conservation, a hallmark of Indian heritage and cultural values.
The central topic of the mission is the eradication of single-use plastic and promoting environmentally friendly behaviour of citizens. With the help of the SSRDP-SMC partnership, the project enhances sustainable projects, promotes scientific waste recycling, and fosters green innovation, contributing to the transformation of Surat into India’s greenest city.
The movement aims to unite people towards discouraging the use of single-use plastics, which pose a silent danger to the environment and the health of citizens. During the degradation of plastics, they all dissolve to form microplastics that escape into the air, water, and food. Research indicates that the average human is being exposed to microplastics every week that are the size and weight of a credit card, which also heightens the risk of cancer and autoimmune diseases, as well as fertility dysfunctions and other medical complications. It is a crisis of human health, as it requires collective efforts to abolish single-use plastics and secure a better future.
To address this issue, the Art of Living design developed a series of environmentally friendly products that biodegrade naturally within nine months, a significantly faster process compared to one-use plastics, which can remain in landfills for over 1000 years. The movement encourages citizens, companies, and industries to invest in and embrace these sustainable alternatives.
Surat, which initiated the initiative, was backed by Shri Paresh Patel, President of Surat BJP. Directors and Trustees of SSRDP Devang Vora (the representative of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji), the Mayor of Surat Daxesh Mavani, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the SMC Rajan Patel, Member of District Development Committee the Art of Living Prakash Dhoriyani, as well as teacher CA Hari Arora were present at the MoU signing ceremony.
On the product launch day, EcoKranti products costing over 10 lakh were given out free of charge in over 50 locations throughout Surat, marking the first significant step in transforming Surat into a large-scale green revolution.
EcoKranti is committed to bringing about change worldwide, resulting in a cleaner, greener, and happier planet for future generations and ensuring that sustainability is the first option, not the last.
The eco-sustainable EcoKranti products are also available on online stores like Amazon or Blinkit, where everyone can easily access them, ensuring that living organically is not a difficult task to undertake.
