00:17There was a time when the earth felt endless. The air was not something we measured, the rivers were not
00:23something we feared and the future was not something we questioned.
00:27In a small town in India, a boy planted a sapling. His grandfather told him, protecting the earth is not
00:35one big act, it is something you do every day. The boy did not think about the impact. He didn't
00:42wait to be perfect. He simply began.
00:45Years passed and the boy grew up and India grew faster than ever before. Cities expanded, consumptions increased, convenience became
00:57the new normal.
00:59Somewhere along the way, we stopped noticing what we were losing. Today, according to the CPCB, India generates over 1
01:08,60,000 tons of solid waste every single day.
01:10India is home to 14 of the world's 20 most polluted cities. IQAR reports suggest the same. Air pollution contributes
01:18to nearly 2 million deaths annually.
01:21Over 70% of India's surface water is contaminated, according to the NITI AYOGA report.
01:28600 million people face high water stress. 30% of land is degraded or is unusable.
01:36But this crisis did not come from one decision. It came from millions of small ones. And today, we wait
01:44to be perfect.
01:46If I can't do anything or everything, what's the point? But while we wait, the crisis grows. The Mother Earth
01:55does not need perfect people. It needs people who begin.
02:00Across India, change is happening. Communities restoring lakes, villages conserving waters, citizens managing waste.
02:08And CSR plays a critical role. India spends over nearly 25,000 crore annually on CSR expenditure according to Ministry
02:17of Corporate Affairs.
02:18When directed towards sustainability, it can transform ecosystems. Because change begins with participation, not perfection.
02:27The man looked at the tree again. It wasn't perfect. But it was alive. And it made a difference.
02:33He joined a young girl in planting a new sapling. Because protecting the Earth is not a one-time act.
02:41It is a shared responsibility.
02:43Our power is in our actions. Our planet depends on it. The only question is, what will we do next?
02:52Or what will you do next?
02:53Thank you and wish you all a very responsible International Earth Day.
03:00Thank you and wish you all a very responsible International Earth Day.
