A rare moment of pride is seen in a collective of young volunteers from the beautiful Gagangeer district Sonamarg as they went to do a cleanup of a forest area that had been encumbered by piles of garbage that some careless visitors had left behind.
Their work is the perfect example of community-based conservation and at the same time it is a good way of illustrating to people the significance of protecting our natural heritage.
Sonamarg is the “Meadow of Gold” and it is indeed an exquisite destination in Kashmir that tourists from all over the world have to visit once in their lifetime. As the footfall is increasing in number, pollution has become a problem because food wrappers, plastic wastes, and other plastic garbage have now come to invade these once pristine sites.
The young volunteers, knowing this, did not come together with complaints or regrets but through positive action, they have reiterated that change will always start from the bottom.
Their cleanliness drive is so much more than just an environmental initiative-it is not only a project to establish the awareness among the youngsters, but it is also the empowerment of them as the advocates of the sustainable tourism, and to recognize the rightful owners of the place to be the local community.
Instead of waiting for the authorities to step in to get involved, these young volunteers have set an example for other people to follow because, as we know, collective action can make all the difference.
The campaign has a double purpose: it points out the ecological condition that is the problem of mass tourism and thus it is necessary to change tourism to be more responsible and conscious. The tourists may be indeed able to enjoy the nature at its best, but at the same time, they have to make sure that nature remains there for the future generations to enjoy.
These volunteers should be the motivation that visitors have to be more careful in the disposal of their waste and they have to be very conscious that their behavior has to be more environmentally friendly when they travel.
