City-based Pampari Sai Prasad’s passion for the environment seems to have paid off. The 28-year-old is one among the only two Indians who’ve been invited to attend ‘The Climate Reality Project’ (co-hosted by The Alliance for Climate Protection) at Los Angeles, California, later this month. The two-week programme is the brainchild of former US Vice-President, Al Gore.
So how did Prasad get selected? Well, his documentary on the contamination of Hyderabad’s largest water body reserves Osman Sagar and Himayath Sagar and the solutions he offered, caught the attention of the organisers.
“I have also spoken about the best practices to restore the lakes. The director of the project and the management committee were impressed with my presentation. So they invited me to be part of the global conference on climate issues,” explains Sai.
Trainees at the programme will be addressed by Al Gore, who will teach them how to effectively convey the science and facts about climate change to their future audiences. “The purpose of this event is to train and nurture us into ‘Climate Reality Leaders’ so that we can spread the message about the urgency and solvability of the climate crisis,” Sai reveals.
Since Al Gore is a crusader for climatic issues, his strategies and campaigns would benefit the restoration of the two lakes in Hyderabad, which are currently suffering from administrative lapses, feels Sai.
“The programme is a great opportunity for me to present the case of how Hyderabad’s lakes are getting contaminated and the world’s best practices our community leaders can adopt to restore them. The programme also gives us guidelines on how to proceed in protecting natural reserves,” says Sai, who is sure the event would further inspire him to do better.
A student activist, Sai has been part of several campaigns and movements that are related to environmental issues in the city. But he adds no matter how much the community leaders and environmentalists fight, ultimately, citizens’ participation is vital.
“The people have to be engaged and made accountable. More importantly, awareness should be created among the youth and the students about climate issues and the urge to reserve natural resources,” concludes the youngster.
