Women-led ‘Harit Utsav’ campaign kicks off to promote sustainable festive culture

Patan (Lalitpur), Aug 8: A women-led ‘Green Festival’ campaign, aimed at promoting sustainable, environmentally friendly and responsible festive practices, has kicked off on Saturday at the historic Patan Durbar Square in Lalitpur district.

Launched under the theme-‘Green Festival: Women Leading the Change,’ the campaign aims to raise awareness about environmental protection and encourage sustainable practices during festivals.

During the launch of the campaign, Basana Thapa, Chief Whip of the Nepali Congress, asserted that environmental protection is shared responsibility.

“Environmental protection is our responsibility. Preserving our heritage and maintaining a green environment create a positive impact. Climate change is no longer the only concern of any particular class or community; it is, instead, a shared concern of all citizens,” Thapa noted.

Calling for greater use of reusable materials, Thapa argued that promoting reuse could have a positive impact on society and believed that it would significantly contribute to environmental conservation.

Likewise, Bhumika Shrestha, a lawmaker representing the Rastriya Swatantra Party, mentioned that people across all sections of society are being affected by climate change, stressing that it should not be viewed only as a cause for concern among women’s or minority’s.

During her speech, she pledged to play an effective role in Parliament in advancing policies and legal provisions aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change.

Similarly, Renu Devi Shah, a member of the Madheshi Commission, underscored the need to prioritize green initiatives, reuse and recycling to reduce the impacts of climate change.

She called for collective efforts from all stakeholders towards environment protection.

Also speaking during the event, Madhu Ghimire, Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment pointed out the need for sustainable and responsible consumption, urging people to optimize available resources.

Furthermore, Prajita Karki, Chairperson of the Sath Sathai Foundation, shared that the campaign seeks to raise public awareness about environmental protection and promote environmentally sustainable practices.

For effective implementation of the campaign, she added that it would rope in feminist organizations and groups working for the cause of climate change.

Also voicing her views, Babita Basnet, Executive Director at the Media Advocacy Forum, emphasized collective efforts to reduce plastic waste, promote reuse and recycling, and develop sustainable practices for effective plastic waste management.

She called for unified efforts to promote environmentally responsible practices.

The campaign is jointly launched by the Sath Sathai Foundation, Intergenerational Feminist Forum (IGFF) and the Lalitpur Metropolitan City.

Present in the inaugural of the campaign were women, youth, artists, climate activists, civil society representatives, officials of the government agencies, journalists as well as local residents.

Initiated as a pilot project in Bagmati Province, the campaign aims to promote a circular economy based on the Rs seven, rethink, refuse, reduce, repair, repurpose and recycle, informed the campaigners.

It also seeks to promote sustainable lifestyle practices at the community level, they said.