Vee Clean and Green at Coorg

This really is not minutes of a meeting, but an action item that needs following through :

A friends' friend Simha has a resort close the forests in Coorg http://www.greenvalleyresort.in/ . The pathway which is accessible as a picnic spot is littered. The activity has to be carried out in the Nagarhole Reserve Forest, we start with the road coming from Hunsur to Gonikoppa, the road inside the Reserve Forest is about 10 kms, so we clean up either side of the road and pick the palstics and put up a signboard as well.

The place needs a volunteer movement to kick start the clean up drive.

We will plan to arrange for local volunteer support in large numbers but since it is the first drive, it is suggested that an experienced crack team from Vee Clean and Green would be advantageous.

Generous offer of stay and food at the resort to the team !!

Meeting : 11 Jul 2009 : Koramangala

Attendees : Sheetal, Pradeep, Anitha, Sandeep, Adarsh, Sachin, Sadhana, Roopa. Was hoping more volunteers would be in, there were a few tentative acceptances..

1. Sign Boards group - Pradeep, Sandeep, Sheetal and Sachin will each call for sign board quotes and meet/discuss coming sunday 19 Jul with a probable list of sign board makers. This quote will then be used for the discussions with the corporate sponsors. This team will provide their updates to Sheetal - else Sheetal to follow up ...

2. Adarsh, Anitha, Rakesh (he was volunteered in his absence) along with remote participation from Roopa - will prepare a presentation for our corporate sponsors - for various sustainable solutions participation from the sponsors. This team is now coined as the Corporate Liaison Team :The main one of these is that a sponsor company adopts a place and employs one or two safai karmachari (from the local society). The onus of maintaining the pcinic spot is with these staffers. They will engaged as an employee and will report into the volunteer team of the corporate sponsor. Clean and Green will interface with the volunteer team of the sponsor company, help identify (through JLR resident manager) a local who is amenable for this Job profile.

The other ways that corporate sponsors can engage in sustainable solution at picnic spots - is have the same employees or a set of volunteers in bringing about awareness against littering.

Placing / sponsoring of bins and boardsAdministrative support for Clean and Green.

This team will also actively seek new sponsors and follow through on various new leads - to be provided by RoopaThe presentation sequence to start with Wipro (from where we left off) : start by 22 Jul 09. Bi-Weekly progress from the team - should report to Sandeep on various activities and updates.

3. Roopa to seek time with MD JLR. Discuss the following with the MD/ED Request for a slot for presentation to the JLR properties Resident Managers at their Monthly meeting.Propose if the Resident Managers at the JLR properties can help identify a few locals for employement with the corporate sponsors for cleaning up the picnic spots. Check with the MD if a rewards mechanism can be put in place, for recoginising above-and-beyond-the-call-of-duty response from any Manager. Suggest a feedback mechanism from the resident managers on a monthly basis on the progress/update on the cleaning, quantum of plastic collected, date of delivery to KKPWM.

4. Roopa to ::At the presentation for the Resident Managers : give a brief on Clean and Green. Provide a background for the request to clean up of the nearby picnic spots - by sharing the past discussion with MD JLR. Give a Std Operating Procedure for accomplishing a plastic/litter free picnic spot. Introduce them to KK Plastic Waste Mgmt Pvt Ltd.

5. Education Cell : Based on the success of Sachin and Sheetal in the events (teaching and cleaning for Life Dream NGO, in urban area), this two member team will form a small group from friends and foes who are interested. This group will be responsible for providing Awareness about environment, issues affecting it, awareness campaign for school children. Adarsh to provide a list of NGO that work with underprivildged children who are to be contacted for the educations sessionsSheetal and Sachin to contact Azim Premji foundation to see how we can take the education programm to the vast network of school the foundation works with.

6. Considering a name change for the group - not a complete revamp but either a prefix or suffix that will uniquely identify the group.

7. Adarsh proposed that it is now time for Clean and Green to meet with some of the groups operating on environmental issues. He will coordinate a meeting with Saahas.

Meeting with MD, Jungle Lodges and Resorts : 23 Jan 2009

We were invited to a meeting with the MD, Jungle Lodges and Resorts. An honour to have such an opportunity. Vee Clean and Green was represented by Deepa Mohan and Roopa Sankaran. As remarked by Sandeep - another Red Letter Day for Vee Clean and Green.

Mr N.D Tiwari, MD, JLR received us on time. Thanked him for the support extended so far. He asked what are the other areas that we can work together on. Just minuting the discussion :

1. JLR will have some staff (identified number of staff) working in Mutthathi and Sangama to do the clean up during weekdays. Weekends being very busy at JLR, the staff will work duing the weekdays on cleaning up.

2. JLR property managers will now become part of the EDC and actively participate in involving the locals in maintaining the picnic spots. Vee Clean and Green volunteers to be prompters to the Managers to ensure this is taking place.

3. JLR vehicles will continue to bring back the plastic from this cleaning to KK Plastics Waste Management - as has been recently accomplished. Again Vee Clean and Green to play the prompter role, to ensure no slack in the continued activities. Note 1 : Mr Tiwari, assured that he will direct his staff at Galibore and Bheemeswari about the role they have to play in ensuring these above mentioned points. Note 2 : Mr Tiwari expressed his concern over the problem of litter and assured that having a clean environ is a felt need. He was very appreciative of the efforts from Vee Clean and Green so far.

4. Provide a proposal for review to Mr Karthik of JLR, who will then coordinate a meeting of Clean and Green with Director Tourism Subhash Hari Singh.
Note 3 : Mr Tiwari, reassured that Vee Clean and Green will face no challenges and will enjoy and recieve support from his office and his staff in the implementation of the key points (above) in ensuring Muttathi and Sangama clean.

First Meeting of 2009 : 10 Jan !

Epoch making meeting. Minutes are below :
The meeting started with introductions and mingling at 10AM on 10 Jan 2009.

Attendees : Shekhar, Deepak, Pradeep, Anitha, Sandeep, Rakesh (he is doing well), Adarsh (he is back in Bengaluru), Ajith, Roopa.

1. It has been acknowledged that Clean and Green needs to completely focus on getting the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary declared a plastic free zone. The options are a) stop the ingress of plastic into these places b) responsibly manage the waste generated there
The decision on which of these options will be implemented would be arrived at, as part of the discussions and negotiations with the Administrative machinery of the Taluka. Admin Dept - meaning DC of the Taluka and/or the Tourism Dept of the State.

2. Activities ahead to accomplish this objective :
We need to establish contact with the Administrative system :the DC of the Taluka. As a team, we need to present a proposal to the DC and get a complete buy-in to the solution proposed. Presently we need to take the first steps to find out how to connect with the DC - members who are taking this forward are Deepak and Anitha.. They are to revert on the milestone dates of all their activities.the Tourism Department as a stakeholder, to check if they will participate in ensuring a litter free Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. The contact to be established through the MD of JLR. Sandeep will be setting up a meeting with the MD in the coming week. Roopa to represent Clean and Green with the MD to get his buy-in and a reference to the Tourism Department in the State Govt.

Imparting Eduation to the Local Population :
There has been no doubt that educating the local population and thereby get their participation is paramount to making this plastic free implementation successful. Therefore we need to make regular and systematic visits to Mutthathi and Sangam, and interface with the locals.
A small team of 3 to 4 members is required to be formed. This team will coordinate weekly visits to Mutthathi and Sangam (in an alternate manner).
The core team will be the coordinating team. They will seek volunteers from within CnG, other environmental related e-groups, our various Corporate sponsors and their volunteer teams, to form a team of 4 to 5 volunteers for each week.
Such team of about 4 to 5 volunteers, would make a visit to Mutthathi and Sangam with the purpose of educating the local population, shop keepers, the priest, the temple purohit. These visits and the education imparted would help to gain the confidence of the local population in the measures to be implemented for a plastic litter free picnic spots
We are seeking volunteers from within Clean and Green to coordinate this part of the activity.

Bins and Boards : The success of the implementation of the project also depends on adequate infrastructure being available at the picnic spots. So the team of Rakesh, Adarsh, Sandeep and Pradeep will handle the placing of bins and signborads on a turn-key basis. This task entails assessing how many bins and signboards would need to be placed, order them and get sponsors to fund the infrastructure, and execute the same.

Roopa to provide a list of contact who have envinced interest in sponsoring these items

Am hoping I have captured the essence of the meeting, please add in case ...

Meeting 20 Sep 2008 : Koramangala

All, Attendees : Sandeep C, Deepa Mohan, Shekhar M, Deepak R, Neil D, Anush S, Urmila P, PS Raghavan [LIFE], Levine L [LIFE], Sridhar P, Anitha M. Venue : Grape Garden, 6th Block Kormangala Time : 5pm
1. Discussion began with an introduction by Sandeep on the activities of CnG and accomplishments so far. He also covered the challenges ahead

2. KNG group rep Shekhar and Deepak informed that a good source of information on DC at Kankapur is through Janaagraha. Deepak, Urmila and Sridhar to provide Jangrahaa contacts to Roopa. Get DC contact details and propose similar project as done at Nandi, declare CWS as Plastic Free, Followed by a clean up ...

3. Keep Nandi Green (KNG) will bring up the discussion of declaring other picnic spots plastic free - in the Advocates association. and attempt approaches to the Cheif Justice through the Advocates association. Hoping for a positive response to the suggestion and hope this will avail a meeting for the voluntary groups with the Advocates Association.

4. The proposal submitted by Sandeep submitted at Forest Dept can be used as the basis for a formal discussion with the powers that be.

5. Conduct a roadshow for KK Plastics, met with approval. Roopa followed through by calling up Mr Rasool Khan. Meeting to be setup for Satuday with Mr Khan to take this forward.

Meeting 19 Jul 2008 : Indiranagar

On Saturday, 190708, we met at our usual swank spa resort venue, ie,the Indira Nagar park, with nice little thimblefuls of hot chai laidon!
Those present were:
1.Anitha Majji <anitha.majji@gmail.com>

2.Anush Shetty <mail@anushshetty.com>

3.Deepa Mohan <mohandeepa@gmail.com>

4.Pradeep Singh <pradeep.singh.81@gmail.com>

5. Rakesh Chandra, <rakesh24@gmail.com>

6. Vijay Yenne <vijaykumar.yenne@gmail.com>

7. Roopa Sankaran roopasankaran@gmail.com

The action points that were covered were:
1. Can HP and Wipro be taken for a cleanup together? Roopa to checkif this will gel well with both corporates.
2. Roopa told us about the California angel investor, who might be willing to invest in our activities; she will follow up on this. And regarding current sponsors, we need to have a discussion.
3. When should the date of the next cleanup be....August 2 or 9? Since the meeting, I also find that I am not free on the 2nd. Roopa is not free on either date. Also, since the Nandi Hills cleanup is happening on Aug 2, I thought we might do the C and G one on the 9th?

4. My friend Subash Sankhla says that he can give about 20 carboys tobe used as dustbins, but they will need to be transported fromNelamangala to Sangam and Muthathi (Roopa suggested splitting thecarboys between both places, but I suggest that it would be better totake all of them to one place, and putting other bins later in theother place, that will minimize the transportation cost right now.)Subash's number is 99809 22321. He is willing to organize transport,but we will have to pay for it. However, if we can organize thetransport ourselves, he is OK with that, too. If Subash is to organizethe transport, he wants to know the destination where the carboys areto be delivered.
We also have to see how to secure these carboys so that they will notget stolen. We saw the design of the dustbins in the park, which arebolted into the ground and which pivot on a horizontal axis for easycleaning....but apparently these have been stolen, too!

5. We discussed, once again, the knotty problem of incentive/pay forshopkeepers in Sangama. We want to do this so that they police thearea and bring down the trash amount. We do not want the situationAdarsh had earlier warned us about, where the shopkeepers look on themoney as a regular income for collecting trash.

6. We have to follow up on the Nandi Hills group, ATree, and WinningAspirations, all of whom have contacted us with various cleanup initiatives.

7. Regarding the signboard that Sun was supposed to have paid for,Anita says that the budgeting is over, and we seem to have missed thedeadline. However, Roopa said she will check with Sun Micro as to whether the accounting has ended, or whether they can pay for it.

8.This brings us to the problem of keeping to deadlines such assubmitting proposals like this before the companies close theiraccounts. If we maintain a calendar, we can submit proposals well intime, and ensure that earmarked funds do not go unutilized.

Anush volunteered, if given the data about such deadlines, tomaintain calendar of funding, and the dates by whichproposals/estimates have to be submitted. (Eg, if accounts at Sunclose on 1st July 2008, we should have the estimate/paperwork ready by15th of June.)

9. Regarding the school initiative,Sandeep is to check on this atKanakapura and we have to check if Mohan is in town.

10. We need to know whether we could get some of the gunny sacks back,or whether Rakesh has to buy fresh ones.

11. Need more corporate sponsors who will fund these activities.
Trust I have covered every point..if not, do add to this!