SIDCN Environment Forum

A new peer-led forum to create space for discussion and sharing learning on programmes that address or consider environmental issues. This takes place at 9.30am on the last Friday of every month. Expect to discuss things like tree-planting, composting toilets, regenerative farming, solar energy, construction, off-setting and more.

Join Nish Tailor, From The Kula Foundation for an online talk with Ashish Agrawal, co-founder of Paryavaran Mitra (Friends of the Environment), an organisation working alongside women waste pickers in India who provide an essential yet often invisible service to society and the environment.

Women waste pickers play a critical yet often unrecognised role in keeping cities clean and supporting recycling systems. Known as Paryavaran Mitra or Friends of the Environment, these women collect recyclable waste from the streets, helping protect the environment while earning a living under challenging conditions.

In this online talk, Ashish Agrawal, co-founder of Paryavaran Mitra, shares the story of an initiative that began as a Manav Sadhna project and has since grown into an independent, community-rooted organisation. The focus is simple but powerful: restoring dignity and respect to ragpicker sisters through fairer wages, improved quality of life, and holistic development.

Ashish will explore how grassroots, women-led approaches can reshape waste management, environmental justice, and livelihoods, offering practical insight into what ethical, long-term social change looks like in action.

This is a space to listen, learn, and reflect on how environmental sustainability and social justice are deeply interconnected.

This talk is open to anyone working in the non profit sector and:

• Anyone passionate about environmental justice and sustainability

• Those interested in livelihoods, dignity, and grassroots development

• Charity leaders, volunteers, and trustees seeking ethical, community-led models

• Students and professionals working in development, social impact, or climate-related fields

• Supporters of inclusive, people-centred approaches to systems change

Whether you are deeply engaged in this space or simply curious to learn more, you are very welcome to join.

Please register before the event in order to receive the Zoom details.