This New Year, Volunteer With 2 Friends Who Have Cleared 450000 Kg Waste Off a Mumbai Beach
Worried about the planet’s future, Akshat Shah and Shubh Mehta launched ‘Change Is Us’ in Mumbai when they were in Class 12. Now, they’re supported by 25,000 volunteers cleaning Girgaon Chowpatty Beach on weekends.
When Mumbai resident Kunti Oza was younger, beach days meant fun — the sun, sand, waves and castles were the perfect recipe for a great day. Add to that chaat sold by vendors at Mumbai’s Girgaon Chowpatty beach and Oza says she had everything she needed to be happy.
So now, when her feet encounter thrash at the beach every few steps, she is aghast.
“Even when I was younger, there was waste at the beach, but it was mostly food waste. Today, the kind of waste found has dramatically changed; it is majorly plastic packaging,” she shares.
Worried about the fate of the planet, Oza decided to channel her concerns into an endeavour ‘Change Is Us’, which is led by two engineering graduates Akshat Shah and Shubh Mehta.
It is almost deja vu for 75-year-old Oza as her weekends are once again packed with trips to the beach, albeit for different reasons now. As the 23-year-old founders recall, she is one of the most excited volunteers they have seen on their clean-up sprees.
Oza shrugs when asked the reason for the unconventional hobby choice at 75. “I believe it is important to stand up and take responsibility for our environment. This planet and the positive change that we encourage in society is the most impactful legacy that we will leave behind.”
Change starts here and now
Cleanup drives are loved at ‘Change Is Us’. Volunteers find it satisfying to watch thrash pile up in buckets as it leaves golden sands behind.
But in 2019, when the venture was launched, it was just a duo that was at the helm of affairs. Akshat and Shubh have watched the initiative take root, and grow wings as it has scaled its impact, diverting over 450 tonnes of waste off the shores of Girgaon Chowpatty.
For Akshat especially, the month of November 2018 holds profound meaning. It is then that this idea took shape in him. A Class 12 student at the time, Akshat was scrolling through social media one day when his feed was flooded with news of global climate campaigner Greta Thunberg’s angst against officials. The 15-year-old’s protest demanding action against climate change was making headlines.
“The first thought that crossed my mind was ‘What is going on with our Earth?’” shares Akshat. “If things had reached this state now, what would they be like in a few years?”
Gratis the Instagram algorithm, soon, Akshat’s feed resembled a collation of warnings about the planet’s doomed fate. Anxiety brewed in him.
And in January 2019 when news of the Amazon Rainforest being ablaze was added to the list of climate anomalies, Akshat knew he couldn’t sit quiet any longer. Change starts in the smallest of ways, he says in hindsight. He couldn’t start a revolution, but he could pick up a few pieces of thrash.
The next few months witnessed him approaching beach clean-up drives around the city of Mumbai trying to gauge how they operated. He credits the ‘Mahim beach cleanup’ group led by couple Indranil Sengupta and Rabia, for introducing him to the fascinating world of cleanups and creating impact through drives.
Determined not to let anything dim the spark that had now been ignited, Akshat reached out to his school friend Shubh, who is an integral part of the initiative today. The duo were all set to lead change from the front.
Bettering today for tomorrow
What is fascinating is how dynamics of age, gender, and caste are blurred as a clean-up drive ensues. Jamila Saleem (18) has been volunteering with the group for the past seven months now. While the first time she did it to give her friend company, she says it soon transformed into a habit she wanted to keep following.
Meanwhile for 55-year-old Kranti Salvi, beach cleanups are just a small part of the plethora of climate-related activities she is a part of. A member of ‘Women For Climate Change of WorldC40’, Salvi devotes her time to mountain treks, plogging runs, and mass events to champion change.
“It makes me feel like a careful and responsible citizen of the planet,” she shares.
Akshat and Shubh are delighted to have formed such a diverse group of volunteers. Chronicling their journey, Shubh says, “The majority of the people that used to come for the cleanups were young people. Some were motivated to do something for the climate, some wanted to spend their weekend doing something different, some found beach cleanups therapeutic while others found it to be a good place to mingle and meet new people.”
But he says, over time they have witnessed an evolution of mindsets. “Now people want to do something for their planet. They are more inclined towards the climate.”
Currently, Shubh can be seen leading the drives on the ground, while Akshat, who is pursuing his master’s in the United States, is a part of things virtually.
The duo recalls their first-ever cleanup in July 2019. “We were joined by 18 volunteers,” Shubh says. Cut to today, when over 25,000 eager people have been a part of their initiatives.
‘Change Is Us’ has grown through these years, with 80 team members being at the helm of operations. From social media management to taking care of the logistics before a drive, they oversee everything.
Leading an initiative that has positivity at its core comes with its own share of heartening moments. One such moment was when an 80-year-old signed up to be a part of one of the drives. “It felt like the reason we had started this endeavour was finally realised. A dream-come-true kind of moment,” says Akshat. But, he is quick to add that aside from these highlight moments, each drive is an experience in itself.
One of his favourite anecdotes to share is a drive conducted in 2019 where a few foreigners were part of the volunteers. “They were working so hard to collect the thrash, that watching them, others at the beach soon joined in. Soon, we had covered over 500 metres of the beach — more than the average area we usually manage to clean up. That’s when it dawned on me that cleaning a beach transcends all national and international boundaries.”
When the team isn’t occupied planning a drive, they are busy conducting youth advocacy sessions and workshops at schools and colleges, addressing topics such as plastic pollution, sustainability, global warming, etc. They have conducted over 25 of these sessions. At other times, their empathy drives are spreading cheer around South and Central Mumbai as they visit orphanages and old age homes to spread awareness about their endeavours and climate change.
Remind them of the massive impact they have managed to create — 450 tonnes and counting — and they say numbers keep them going but it isn’t the reason they started.
“In our initial months of starting, we were just counting the numbers of buckets filled with thrash,” shares Shubh. “It was only later that we realised understanding metrics and statistics was important because that quantified the impact.” However, he notes, their focus has always been to increase their number of volunteers in contrast to the numbers of thrash cleared. “Once the former increases, the latter must.”
It is, of course, saddening when the morning after a cleanup, thrash floods the beach once more. But, the ‘Change Is Us’ team gets back to work. Revolutions are not a one-day job, they believe. If you are looking to join the team or start something similar, don’t be disheartened by not receiving support, says Akshat.
“Look at any great movement in history. It all started because one person decided to move out of their comfort zone and ask ‘What can I do?’ Likewise, one day people will see your purpose and support you. But it’s you who has to take the first step.” If you found our stories insightful, informative, or even just enjoyable, we invite you to consider making a voluntary payment to support the work we do at The Better India. Your contribution helps us continue producing quality content that educates, inspires, and drives positive change. Choose one of the payment options below for your contribution- By paying for the stories you value, you directly contribute to sustaining our efforts focused on making a difference in the world. Together, let’s ensure that impactful stories continue to be told and shared, enriching lives and communities alike. Thank you for your support. Here are some frequently asked questions you might find helpful to know why you are contributing?
To volunteer for the upcoming beach cleanup drives, click here.
Edited by Pranita Bhat
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