From one man’s vision to a people’s movement, Clean Green Panunda sets an example in community participation
Clean Green Panunda, a volunteer-led organization in Kerala, has become a model for community-driven environmental conservation. The group organizes weekly clean-up drives and promotes sustainable practices like waste segregation without relying on government funding.
Why it matters
The initiative demonstrates the effectiveness of grassroots, apolitical community participation in solving local environmental and infrastructure issues.
Every Sunday before dawn, while most villagers are still asleep, more than 60 volunteers comprising schoolchildren, homemakers, government employees, retirees, and workers assemble in Panunda village in Pinarayi panchayat in Kannur, Kerala, with brooms and gardening tools.
What started seven years ago as one man’s effort to fill potholes and clear overgrown roadsides has evolved into ‘Clean Green Panunda,’ a registered voluntary collective that has become a model for community participation in environmental conservation and cleanliness.
The organisation has over 180 registered members and a WhatsApp network of around 250 volunteers. Every Sunday, members clean nearly 3 km of roads, bus shelters and public spaces across Panunda, Pottanpara, Eruvatty, and Oliyakkara wards. They also maintain more than 700 ornamental plants and 150 trees; promote waste segregation and organic farming; and create environmental awareness.
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