In this power-packed session conducted by Jacob Cherian from Jhatkaa, you will learn about the routes and tools available for citizen mobilisation that can serve as the building blocks for an effective movement. Following the workshop, we dive into a 60 minute discussion and 10 minute Q&A with citizen campaigners from across the country. We will be joined by Gabriella D’Cruz (Save Mollem), Yash Marwah (Let India Breathe), Arghadeep Barua (Save Dehing Patkai and others), Siddharth Agarwal (Save Panna and others), and Divya Narayanan (Dir. of Campaigns, Jhatkaa).

The government in India has begun incentivising a shift to electric vehicles. Making that shift comes with a unique set of challenges and opportunities. This discussion will bring these challenges and opportunities to the fore, sharing perspectives of experts from reputed organisations like Centre for Science and Environment [CSE], Environmental Defence Fund [EDF] and Uber. They will address questions like: What is the real impact of consumers making the shift? When can we expect a mass shifting to occur, if at all?

With modern agriculture, we have lost 92% of our vegetable crop biodiversity. This discussion, starring women farmers and forest workers, is centered around wild foods of the forest and the impact of our diet’s moving away from these traditional foods. We’ll explore how climate change and shifting forest ecology affects the availability of forest foods, thus changing consumption patterns and human nutrition intake (especially for women). We will also look into how this invaluable traditional knowledge about wild foods has been passed over time from older to younger generations. The conversation is a space for members of indigenous communities to share their feelings, stories, memories, desires, hopes and sorrows around climate change.

What would your next meal look like if you made only sustainable shopping choices? In this panel, we’ve brought together leading thinkers, do-ers and farmers working to make our food systems better, for both people and the planet. To bring this conversation home, Laura will guide everyone to grow food themselves by making a DIY self-watering garden, using upcycled plastic bottles.

Do our leisure pursuits support regional wildlife and ecosystems? Do local communities prosper? What can we do to give back? These are all questions posed by the ethical world-wanderer and questions we will explore in this event, presented by RARE India. Speakers include Amit Sankhala, Raghu Chundawat, Aly Rashid and Shoba Mohan.

HarperCollins Publishers India, ALT EFF and Avid Learning present a panel discussion on the making of ‘Coral Woman - An illustrated Book for Children’. Conceptualised around Priya Thuvassery’s mesmerising film, ‘Coral Woman’, this book follows it’s protagonist into the vast blue sea. Shedding light on the vitality of coral reefs and the impact they have on marine life and coastal communities, this book also raises awareness about the threats to our marine ecosystems.

Join the WaterInsights team for an interactive workshop on environmental awareness and citizen science. In this session, we will begin by watching a short film, the Peabody Award-winning documentary ‘Inventing Tomorrow’. Sahithi Pingali – one of the stars of the movie – will facilitate an interactive brainstorm about local environmental issues and possible solutions. We will reflect on the process of science and the value of community-driven action. At the end of the session, everyone will receive a WaterInsights testing kit, to start engaging in citizen science action in their own community!

In this conversation, filmmakers Ellie Stones and Doel Trivedy join conservationists Moses Arineitwe and Mordecai Panmei to explore the role of documentary cinema and student filmmaking in conservation. They’ll explore questions like: How do films move people? Why is getting trained in filmmaking important, when trying to find your own voice? How can film impact wildlife?

In September 2021, artist and visual communicator Pooja Gupta held a workshop called ‘Turning Science Into Art’, where she worked with 8 young participants to communicate dense scientific ideas visually, with art! All artworks created in September will be presented during this official festival event. Join in to have a peek, and learn more about Pooja’s work. This workshop is sponsored by the Edelgive Foundation, and India Climate Collaborative.

As we wrap up ALT EFF 2021 with our closing ceremony, 2 spoken word poets, from India and USA, will perform, sharing their experiences at the festival in the form of poetry! Earth Day will deliver an educational keynote on climate literacy, and we will announce all the winners from the several giveaway opportunities we had presented leading up to ALT EFF 2021! Join us to bid farewell to another amazing festival week and secure your chance to win prizes!