Bhupender Yadav urges concrete action, not just awareness on World Environment Day

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday urged citizens to shift from awareness to action to tackle the growing crisis of plastic pollution.

He launched the campaign ‘One Nation, One Mission: End Plastic Pollution’ nearly a fortnight ahead of the World Environment Day on June 5, nudging the public to align their efforts with Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), India’s sustainability initiative launched in 2022. The campaign aims to promote sustainability as a way of life and strengthen individual action for environmental protection.

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The mission aims to promote collective action against plastic pollution, which has seeped into every part of the planet—from water bodies and cities to mountain peaks, ocean floors, the air we breathe, and even the human body.

Through the campaign, the minister set the tone for this year’s World Environment Day theme, “Say No to Single-Use Plastic.”

Moving beyond awareness and advocacy, the initiative urges citizens to reduce the use and generation of plastic.

With the mission statement “Rethink, Refuse, and Reduce” , the campaign also calls for the development of sustainable alternatives to replace existing single-use plastics. It further promotes improved plastic waste management through segregation, collection, disposal, and recycling.

To boost public participation, the campaign will involve a wide range of activities across Central Ministries, State and UT governments, local bodies, educational institutions, industry, civil society, and community groups.

These include awareness drives through social media, street plays, public pledges, marathons, and creative competitions; clean-up campaigns at public spaces like parks, riversides, beaches, and railway stations; and educational initiatives such as school exhibitions, hackathons, and recycling-themed activities.

Workshops on sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic and localized efforts led by RWAs, Anganwadi workers, and cooperatives for waste segregation and recycling are also planned.

The minister shared a video on his social media platform to launch the campaign.