In the year 2022, one of the biggest topics for discussions is that of climate change. Climate change has been adversely affecting our day to day activities and if we do not act on it sooner, it will be too late and the damage will be irreversible. According to an article ‘These are the climate change trends to look out for in 2022’ published by World Economic Forum, it highlights that ‘From phasing out fossil fuel subsidies to tackling the surging costs of loss and damage caused by climate change impacts, 2022 is likely to see growing pressure for more ambitious action to fight global warming on the ground.
Given the theme of this year’s World Environment Day, #OnlyOneEarth, actions are needed to preserve our nature and learn to live in harmony. While there are many ways to tackle climate change, one of the most important ones is making a shift to sustainable living. Sustainable living promotes regenerative practices and relies on eco-friendly alternatives and initiatives like POWER (Producer Owned Women Enterprises) Project, implemented by Industree with support from USAID exemplifies an example of natural fibre based livelihoods for the women community.
The POWER Project showcases how socio-economic opportunities, based on natural fibres such as Banana, Bamboo and NTFP support women from rural and tribal areas and make eco-friendly products. The women receive skills and training which enables them to understand their role to conserve the environment/planet. Women here are taught ethical ways of sourcing and manufacturing products and thus saves a lot of carbon footprint. For instance, with making sustainable products more accessible to people, POWER aims to end the use of single use products made from toxic materials. The sal and siali plates and bowls, for example, which are made by the tribal women of Odisha aims to replace plastic. These sal and siali products are made from leaves that are handpicked and the women are taught how to stitch them together and then press them into products.
The climate-driven impact under POWER has resulted in the support to natural fibre-based products, moving towards sustainability, conserving the environment and in the long run, facilitating climate positive action.
Industree Foundation 