Send Leah to manage waste in India!
A$2,510
of $1,600 targetyrs ago
Successful on 2nd Jan 2014 at 12:00PM.
Hi everyone, I'm raising money to cover program costs of what I hope to be a life-changing trip to India in January 2014 with a fantastic organisation called CERES, to participate in waste management projects there, and to learn about the associated environmental and social issues.
CERES is a not for profit educational organisation located on 4 hectares of rehabilitated landfill in East Brunswick, Melbourne, Australia. CERES runs a program called CERES Global, which aims to encourage a better world through harnessing connections and building cross cultural friendships; through sharing ideas, skills and experiences; and through creating understanding between people from diverse backgrounds. This will be the 8th trip to India for CERES Global, but a first for the waste management project stream which I will be involved with.
The waste management component of the India Cultural Exchange will take the form of two one-week projects: one in a rural context and a huge-bustling-city context.
The first week will take place in Pitchandikulum, in the tropical south of India – 3 hours drive south of Chennai. Here, we will look at local cultural perspectives on waste. Why is there so much pollution, what causes it, and how the introduction of plastic changed the waste paradigm? We'll also look at Social Enterprise resource recovery, and the role of caste in forming waste perspectives. In working with the Pitchandikulum and surrounding communities, we hope to learn about community involvement in litter projects, community based action to clean up rivers and streets, and ways we might introduce similar activities in our own communities back home.
The second week I'll be in Mumbai looking at urban challenges to waste management in one of the world's largest cities (population 11.98 million and counting!). This will include visiting council and understanding the government planning perspective, industry perspective and how investment in waste might develop, access to facilities, procurement, resource recovery and understanding the role of gang lords in the slum areas when dealing with waste. There are so many questions and lessons to be learned from the waste sector in metropolitan Mumbai.
I will stay on in central India for a 3rd week with the CERES Global program but will partake in another environmental/social justice project not related to waste management (therefore I am not raising money for the fees for this 3rd week).
A little about me:
I'm Leah, 33 years old, I work in the environmental sector currently and I have a strong interest in waste and sustainability issues, as well as social justice issues. My long-term career goal is to be doing work which combines the social with the environmental and to be contributing where the need is greatest. This trip would be sort of a sneak-preview into what this future dream career may entail.
The waste management component of the CERES Global India trip is new this year, and I'm really excited to be a part of the first-phase group. I'm looking forward to making some great connections with the locals and the host organisations, and helping lay the groundwork for future participants on the program.
CERES is a not for profit educational organisation located on 4 hectares of rehabilitated landfill in East Brunswick, Melbourne, Australia. CERES runs a program called CERES Global, which aims to encourage a better world through harnessing connections and building cross cultural friendships; through sharing ideas, skills and experiences; and through creating understanding between people from diverse backgrounds. This will be the 8th trip to India for CERES Global, but a first for the waste management project stream which I will be involved with.
The waste management component of the India Cultural Exchange will take the form of two one-week projects: one in a rural context and a huge-bustling-city context.
The first week will take place in Pitchandikulum, in the tropical south of India – 3 hours drive south of Chennai. Here, we will look at local cultural perspectives on waste. Why is there so much pollution, what causes it, and how the introduction of plastic changed the waste paradigm? We'll also look at Social Enterprise resource recovery, and the role of caste in forming waste perspectives. In working with the Pitchandikulum and surrounding communities, we hope to learn about community involvement in litter projects, community based action to clean up rivers and streets, and ways we might introduce similar activities in our own communities back home.
The second week I'll be in Mumbai looking at urban challenges to waste management in one of the world's largest cities (population 11.98 million and counting!). This will include visiting council and understanding the government planning perspective, industry perspective and how investment in waste might develop, access to facilities, procurement, resource recovery and understanding the role of gang lords in the slum areas when dealing with waste. There are so many questions and lessons to be learned from the waste sector in metropolitan Mumbai.
I will stay on in central India for a 3rd week with the CERES Global program but will partake in another environmental/social justice project not related to waste management (therefore I am not raising money for the fees for this 3rd week).
A little about me:
I'm Leah, 33 years old, I work in the environmental sector currently and I have a strong interest in waste and sustainability issues, as well as social justice issues. My long-term career goal is to be doing work which combines the social with the environmental and to be contributing where the need is greatest. This trip would be sort of a sneak-preview into what this future dream career may entail.
The waste management component of the CERES Global India trip is new this year, and I'm really excited to be a part of the first-phase group. I'm looking forward to making some great connections with the locals and the host organisations, and helping lay the groundwork for future participants on the program.
How The Funds Will Be Used
Your donation will go towards the $800/week fee for me to do the India waste management project (2 weeks) with CERES Global. (I will cover my own airfares, insurance and other costs). The fee covers project costs (which contributes to the host organisations) plus internal transport, my meals, accommodation, the purchase of carbon credits to offset airline travel, and administration.
The Challenges
The main risk to my successful completion of this trip is that there is a (hopefully only small) chance I will have to cancel in order to remain at home with my mother, who has a terminal illness. However, she has been stable for nearly a year and is encouraging me to do this trip.
In order to minimise the worry-factors, I have reduced my planned trip from 6 weeks to 3. I will also be booking flexible flights and getting really good travel insurance just in case I need to get home quickly.
In the event that I do cancel, I will refund all Pozible donations.
In order to minimise the worry-factors, I have reduced my planned trip from 6 weeks to 3. I will also be booking flexible flights and getting really good travel insurance just in case I need to get home quickly.
In the event that I do cancel, I will refund all Pozible donations.
You will be invited to a slide night presentation about the trip (will likely include dinner) at CERES, upon our return.
5 chosen
Est. delivery is Mar 14
Leah will send you a postcard from India! Plus you will be invited to the slide night presentation about the trip (will likely include dinner) to be held at CERES, following our return.
19 chosen
Est. delivery is Mar 14
Leah will make you a jar of home-made Indian chutney or pickle. Leah will also send you a postcard from India, Plus you are invited to the slide night presentation about the trip (likely includes dinner) to be held at CERES following our return.
4 chosen
Est. delivery is Mar 14