LEADearthSHIP - A TERI-Tetra Pak Youth Initiative
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Tetra Pak India announced the launch of LEADearthSHIP - a youth programme on leadership and business sustainability at Fergusson College. A first of its kind initiative for graduate and post-graduate students, the programme was flagged off in Pune this morning through an innovative 'Cycle to Recycle' rally.
Sensitising citizens on environment conservation and responsible consumption, the cycle rally saw the participation of preeminent polar explorer Robert Swan, OBE. Robert was joined by scores of students and industry professionals including Tetra Pak South Asia Markets Managing Director Kandarp Singh. Supporting the rally were Joost Notenboom and Michiel Roodenburg, two young sustainability champions from the Netherlands who recently cycled 30,000 km from Alaska to Antarctica to raise awareness on sustainability.
At the launch ceremony, Swan said, "I am proud to be associated with LEADearthSHIP as this is a positive step towards India's development. Having visited India several times through my association with Project SEARCH, the TERI-Tetra Pak awareness initiative on waste management for school students, I am certain that the country's future will be shaped by the youth. LEADearthSHIP is an opportunity to empower the youth to fashion a tomorrow based on ideas oriented and committed to making lives better." Swan is also the ambassador for TERI and Tetra Pak's educational and sustainability initiatives.
Kandarp Singh, said, "Tetra Pak's approach to business is governed by our motto, 'Protects What's Good'. This doesn't just relate to the contents of a Tetra Pak package, but is also the philosophy that governs our sustainable approach to business. For this reason, it is important that the youth develop competencies that integrate sustainability in thought and practice in the careers they choose. I am proud to build on our partnership with TERI and launch LEADearthSHIP, which I am certain will give students a platform to understand how sustainability can and is integrated into businesses."
The programme offers opportunities to young people to gain first-hand experience of cutting edge sustainable practices by industry leaders and learn about the triple bottom line - people, planet, profit - through its interventions like LEADearth Fellowship and Future Leaders Cafe. The most exciting feature of the programme is the LEADearth Video contest, where a student will have an opportunity to accompany Robert Swan on his two-week long International Antarctic Expedition in March 2014