NEW DELHI: Who says the rise in fuel prices cannot be combatted? And what could be the best manner to do so than shunning the fossil-fuel guzzling motors that one drives everyday? A one of the kind initiative that has never been witnessed anywhere in India is now going to happen on January 30. People from across the nation have committed that they will not drive their vehicles on this particular day and instead pedal.
This idea was initiated by CauseBecause, an information-and-discussion web portal that primarily focuses on development and sustainable-development issues. Members of CauseBecause also reached out to several corporate houses and asked them to pass on the message to their employees. All that one had to do was to log on to http://www.causebecause.com, go to the `No Driving Day' section, and press the `I Commit' button.
The volunteer had to register by sharing his name, email id and vehicle number, the last one being optional.
Steadily, mainly through word-ofmouth, the message spread and nearly 350 people committed on the website.
The campaign also picked up momentum on social media networks. On Twitter, CauseBecause has a following of over 400. International organisations, including the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and Partnership on Sustainable Low Carbon Transport (SLoCat), have endorsed the campaign.
According to Ranjan Kaplish, cofounder and writer at CauseBecause, `No Driving Day's primary aim is to begin talks around a much-needed lifestyle change. "We are not saying that one can save the environment by not driving on one day or that one day's restraint will bring about a significant change. No Driving Day is just an initiative to make environmental damage by vehicular pollution a part of our everyday conversations. The Day should not be mistaken for a one-day marathon, cyclothon, rally, or march. It is just a happy, feel-good endeavour wherein we are asking people to experiment with alternate means -cycling, public transport, and walking to commute for short-distance travels.
We want them to feel that it is not that difficult to make it a habit and inculcate the same in their everyday life. That can, over time, mean that they are doing their bit for the environment," Kaplish said.
"We want to build up a community that believes that a change can happen through such small initiatives. There are no prizes for the ones committing. The ones who are joining the community already know the significance of their contribution," Kaplish adds.
According to Padma Pegu, founder, worker and editor at CauseBecause, "An initiative like this is bound to have a fair number of cynics, among the common men as well as corporate managers.
What one must remember here is that this is a call for positive and proactive action -one that has the potential to plant the seed of consciousness regarding one's innate power to bring about true change. This power has an unstoppable multiplier effect, and that is what needs to be harnessed. No change of any meaning can happen without first realizing the individual consciousness and power."
Shreya Gadepalli, senior programme director, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, India (ITDP), states: "ITDP fully supports the `No Driving Day' campaign. This small step of not driving your vehicle for a day will show that the city can function without depending on private vehicles. This will set a trend towards creating a world where these initiatives in the long run will improve air quality, ease traffic congestion and save huge amounts of energy. We need to start acting voluntarily for saving the climate; this is a great beginning."
CauseBecause is aiming to make January 30 an annual `No Driving Day' and believes this can be a model initiative for the rest of the world. The organisation has already sent a proposal to the Environment and Transport Ministries for supporting the campaign. Members are also reaching out to garner the support of as many organisations as it can.
SloCaT Partnership, an organisation that works towards addressing sustainability issues in the transport sector in developing countries, came onboard as a supporting organisation. Other organisations that support `No Driving Day' include Barista, PVR, Harish Bijoor Consults, the Green and Good store, and All-India Marwari Yuva Manch.
The Delhi Cycling Club and DelhiByCycle, too, believe in the idea of No Driving Day which, they say, will encourage cycling as a lifestyle component.
Source: The Pioneer
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