PRESS RELEASE
KUPPAI THIRUVIZHA - Zero Waste Carnival
Chennai
For immediate release
Kuppai Thiruvizha, first conceived by Citizen consumer and civic Action Group in 2018, has been a yearly festival of all things sustainable. This year’s edition of the festival, held in collaboration with the Patrician College of Arts and Science, Adyar in their campus, brought together thirty zero-waste vendors, and experts on waste to give Chennai-ites a leg up in their zero waste journeys. It was attended by over one thousand people - young, old and everyone in-between.
‘Kuppai’, one of those things that we rush to get out of our homes, has been long indicted through much scientific evidence as having serious impacts on the health of humans, flora and fauna, the aquatic environment and the economy. Chemicals in plastic waste are released into the soil, water as well as the atmosphere. Other toxins in plastics are directly linked to cancers, birth defects, immune system problems, and childhood developmental conditions.
Fabric waste, another growing concern, as fast-fashion fast leads the way into pollution and toxic carbon emissions, was also a topic of discussion at the event. The fashion industry’s consumption and exploitation of water resources, their continuous production of use-and-throw merchandise, and the current low levels of recycling were all emphasised by Ms. Mamta Jain, Founder & CEO, Samposhan.
All activities and events through the day were carefully curated to represent the best of ‘Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ that Chennai has to offer. One of the primary aims of the festival was to help households understand the diversity of factors that impact waste management in Chennai, while also celebrating the alternatives available to them. Consumers are often the ones most blamed and burdened within the waste management chain. They are also the weakest, and the ones with the least bargaining power. Events such as the Kuppai Thiruvizha is one of several events that have been planned across the city to mark Climate Action Month, 2024 (CAM). These events, throughout the month of August, are intended to serve as a platform for bringing together multiple stakeholders to stimulate discussions, share experiences, exchange ideas, and plan collective action over climatic issues of universal importance. Kuppai Thiruvizha empower the average citizen with meaningful data and affordable solutions.
Press contact: Vamsi Shankar Kapilavai, phone - +91 94938 92929,
email - vamsishankar.kapilavai@cag.org.in
About CAG: Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG) is a thirty eight year old non-profit, non-political and professional organisation that works towards protecting citizens' rights in consumer and environmental issues and promoting good governance processes including transparency, accountability and participatory decision-making.