Source: http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article1105316.ece
Social activist and environmentalist Francis Xavier tells A.SHRIKUMAR about his green projects and latest initiative, iGREEN
Photo: G. Moorthy
The Hindu NATURE NURTURER: Francis Xavier. Photo: G. Moorthy
Social activist and environmentalist Francis Xavier talks about his green projects and latest initiative, iGREEN
Wearing an infectious smile, sparkling spectacles and a casual tee, Francis Xavier defies the image of a serious social activist. One's first impression is that he is not the type to lead rallies and head committees. But Francis has mended the broken bones of our society for over a decade now. Life through his lens is a roller coaster ride, vibrant, peppy and sometimes giddy. His theory is that we need to be socially conscious, and that everyone can contribute to bettering our society.
Last July, nature knocked on his door and he promptly nodded a yes. Soon, he set up iGREEN, a consortium of grassroots activists and voluntary organizations concerned with environmental degradation and pollution. The project comprises ten NGOs as partners, five of them from Madurai and the rest from neighbouring districts. With this new-found love, Francis is now busy as a bee. “I am totally excited at the way my latest project is shaping up,” he says. He has held lectures and demonstrations under the project, using innovative tools to create extraordinary impacts.
He explains the concept behind iGREEN. “Self transformation leads to world transformation. The ‘i' shows that every individual should shoulder responsibility to bring in a positive change.” Since its formation, the consortium has come up with interesting projects to address the issue of global warming. Francis registered iGREEN with one programme that gained immense response, the 350 Initiative. The 350 Initiative is part of the international 10:10:10 campaign, started in the United States in 2007, which urges every individual and institution, to bring down carbon emissions by 10 per cent each year.
“The particles per million of carbon in the atmosphere have increased from 287 ppm to 390 ppm after the Industrial Revolution,” Francis elaborates. “The apt measure needed for the world to sustain has been quoted as 350 ppm and we organized the initiative based on this.”
He kick-started the initiative with short lectures at the SOCO-Trust, Fatima College, Apollo Hospital and churches in the city to explain the concept to students and young people. This was when R.J. Andrews, a classmate of Francis, offered his help in the cause. Soon, Radio Mirchi joined hands with iGREEN to observe a ‘green week programme'. The channel also spoke up for the campaign.
“The idea was to explain environmental issues among the general public and plant tree saplings,” says Francis. “We networked with various agencies and Suguna Chicken came forward to provide free saplings.”
Around 10,000 saplings were planted in colleges and institutions during ‘green week', and interactive sessions were held for students. “We splashed green, the colour of life, on a small slice of the city.” he beams. “It will definitely add to the town's green cover in whatever little measure.”
The week-long campaign ended with a ‘climate action day' in which a cycle rally, inaugurated by the District Collector, ran from the Collectorate to Race Course. School children were roped in to spread the word about renewable energy resources. To add a competitive element, people submitted posters and photographs on ‘alternative solutions to reduce pollution'. Participants came up with innovative pictorial suggestions, and three of them bagged prizes for their creations.
Having tasted success with the 350 Initiative, Francis now has a long to-do list for iGREEN. The consortium also focuses on ecological protection in the South Indian peninsula with special attention on the Western and Eastern Ghats and the East coast. “iGREEN will act as a platform for research students, youth, women and industrial workers on bio-diversity and environment conservation,” Francis hopes.
Francis's parents were both teachers, and his inspiration comes mainly from his mother, who worked in a Christian management school. “She used to deliver motivational talks to prisoners, quoting the Bible,” he recollects, with a twinkle in his eye. Love for social service dogged this BA History graduate and he went on to do a Masters in social work at the Madurai Institute of Social Sciences. His stint as a trainee with SOCO-Trust, Madurai, fetched him a placement offer. He soon plunged into an array of activities. “Working in groups was essential, as social work is not a one-man army,” Francis says.
Francis returned to Madurai last April and joined the People Welfare Society, a Kodaikanal-based NGO, as Project Director. This 30-plus father of two girls points out that we needn't all sacrifice our lives for society, but simple, conscious efforts can still make a better world.
Rooted in his field of passion and city of choice, Francis will continue to paint Madurai green. “Let life take its own course,” this sevak advocates. “Never run behind its perks. Anything done with sincerity is sure to fetch you results.”
Making a better world
•In 1998, when the State witnessed intense communal clashes in Ramnad district, Francis conducted a yatra for communal harmony from Kanyakumari to Chennai. His team staged street plays stressing the dangers of casteism and highlighting the benefits of a harmonious society.
•As programme officer with the SOCO-Trust, he released 270 child labourers from North India and helped them get rehabilitation from the government.
•In 2004, he worked as District Recovery Facilitator and Liaison Officer with United Nations Development Programme for the three tsunami-struck coastal districts of Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi.
•He helped the district administration raise funds for tsunami victims and involved teachers, fire officers and other organizations in nine disaster management drills in nine days in nine blocks of Kanyakumari district.
•As Monitoring Information Systems Officer with a Gurgaon-based international NGO, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, he collaborated with the Revised National TB Control Programme and came up with innovative information, education and communication materials on ways to prevent and treat TB in the tsunami relief camps. One of his flipcharts on TB has been adopted by the Tamil Nadu Government.
•As Project Director with the People Welfare Society, he set up a tailoring unit with half a dozen sewing machines and a tuition centre to support women and children who had lost their livelihood and education at 500 Veedu, a colony of displaced families, during the Vaigai Road Laying Project near Idayapatti in Madurai.
