Bhumi Pednekar wishes green Diwali with saplings

Mumbai

Actress Bhumi Pednekar has come up with an extremely innovative idea to highlight the need for conservation of nature. She is gifting saplings to industry friends and colleagues this festive season.

"The reason behind gifting saplings to my family, friends and colleagues comes from a very simple thought of spreading green joy on Diwali. I am a climate warrior and while I absolutely love the spirit of Diwali, the festivities and gifting our near and dear ones, I thought this year I should start by changing the way I give gifts to people," Bhumi said.

She says she is gifting saplings this Diwali.

"This Diwali, I am gifting saplings in earthen pots, with the packaging made from jute and 100 per cent biodegradable materials. Also, we are adding more plants to this world. That is the need of the hour," Bhumi said.

"I hope that in near future we see people gifting eco-friendly gifts and plants during Diwali and other festivals," she added.

As her advocacy campaign, Climate Warrior, completes its first year, Bhumi is also launching a new logo that will signify the objective of the campaign going forward.

She said: "We need to understand that Earth is for all living organisms and we can't be selfish to think that it's just for humans and our needs. There are billions of living creatures and organisms thriving on this planet who have an equal right to live on Earth."

She said that humans are a superior race but that means "we should be responsible and considerate and use our skills to protect and preserve all other species".

The actress says power is with humans and should not be misused.

"We need to preserve our depleting natural resources, our forests to make our planet green again. Sustainable solutions/steps need to be taken to make our Earth green. This is the thought behind the Climate Warrior logo. I want us to realize that we need to co-exist with all living beings peacefully for this world, humanity to continue to survive," she said.

Bhumi says she will stay focussed on raising as much awareness on climate change as she can, because it is a critical issue.

"With each passing year, we hear about species getting extinct, wildfires raging across the globe, ice caps melting, weather changes -- which is all leading to large scale ecological imbalances in nature.

"While many of us might not realise what has hit us, I want to make as many people take notice through my initiative Climate Warrior that climate change is real and is happening now. We need to be more compassionate, more caring towards the nature and its beings to live in a safer and greener world," she said.