It's up to you !

Our actions are not without consequences. It is evident from the natural disasters and climatic shifts faced today and in the recent past, that pollution, careless use of our natural resources and deforestation disturb the primal balance between man and nature. If this continues, we face a disturbing scenario. Imagine a world where our resources and natural wonders of the world come with an ‘Expiry Date’ notification - a date which is a direct outcome of our actions.

Forests

Let's pledge to save our forests.
Forests
WARNING: One and a half acres of forest would have been cut by the time you read this. 129 million hectares of forests – an area the size of South Africa – has been lost since 1990. If we don’t stop, thousands of species of plants, billions of oxygen-producing mini-factories and trillions of rain-producing units will be lost forever.

Let’s pledge to save our forests:
Forests are essential for human life. They add to the oxygen – the most basic element for sustenance. Forests regulate the weather too.

Help conserve forest resources by reducing loss of trees, controlling forests fire and regulating the use of forest products.

Participate in programmes for reforestation and afforestation

Global initiatives for conservation of forests –

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) carries out programs that aid forest conservation

NGOs and other bodies at local level engage in Forest Conservation which include tree plantation, cleaning up surrounding activities, etc.
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Oceans

Let's pledge to help keep our oceans clean.
Oceans
WARNING: Eight million tons of plastic is dumped in our oceans every year. It has formed a floating ‘Garbage Island’ in the Pacific Ocean – the combined size of India, Europe and Mexico. The plastic doesn’t just float; it also kills over a million sea creatures every year resulting in significant loss of marine life.

Let's pledge to help keep our oceans clean:
Plants in the oceans produce close to 50% of the world’s oxygen. Oceans also house algae and kelp that are used in various food production processes.

Oceans occupy nearly 3 quarters of our planet and hold up to 97% of the planets’ water.

Help conserve the oceans by reducing plastic usage in day to day life. The plastic components we junk find their way to the ocean and take several years to break down or be recycled.

Global initiatives for preservation and conservation of oceans –

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) conducts activities on a large scale for sustainability in managing fisheries and other marine life

Local NGOs work with fishermen and local bodies to manage fisheries and provide stable supplies of seafood and conserve marine life
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Glaciers

Let's pledge to reduce carbon emissions.
Glaciers
WARNING: Temperatures continue to rise due to the increase of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. The past nine years have all been among the 25 hottest ever recorded in history. This has resulted in 400,000 square miles of Arctic melt which has caused dangerous increase in sea levels, globally.

Let's pledge to reduce carbon emissions:
Glaciers hold most of the Earth’s fresh water. Meltdown of glaciers leads to reduced sources of fresh water. These affect animals, humans who are dependent on this source.

Any measure that slows down global warming, will slow down the meltdown of glaciers. Cut down on household energy use by ensuring your house is well insulated.

Adopt the approach of recycle, reduce and reuse of plastic, papers and metals

Global initiatives for preservation of glaciers –

IAEA Technical Cooperation project was launched that would address the retreat of glaciers, loss of permafrost and reduction in snow cover resulting from global climate change
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Air

Let’s pledge to reduce pollution.
Air
WARNING: Our vehicles and factories pump out carbon dioxide at a rate of 1000 tons per second. This has pushed carbon dioxide levels to the highest ever recorded, in the past 650 thousand years. Already, entire cities are shutting down schools and offices, due to unacceptable levels of smog.

Let’s pledge to reduce pollution:
Good air quality is critical for supporting human life, preserving our environment and maintaining our way of life.

Ensure reduction in air pollution by choosing efficient, low-polluting models of vehicles.

Turn off appliances and lights when not in use.

Global initiatives for preservation and conservation of air –

The Urban Health Initiative by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition aims to catalyse urban action on air pollution

The 17th GEIA Conference in 2015 explored the implications of urbanization and their environmental and societal impacts at local to global scales.
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Natural Resources

Let’s pledge to use renewable sources of energy.
Natural Resources
WARNING: Earth’s natural resources can’t sustain our greed. We already consume approximately 50% more than what the Earth can provide. This insatiable greed will result in total exhaustion of our planet’s resources within the next 50 years.

Let’s pledge to use renewable sources of energy:
Natural Resources are interconnected and important in contributing to human life, the economy of a nation and ecosystem as a whole.

“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” to preserve natural resources that are not renewable.

Reduce use of water, switch to non-plastics and segregate wet and dry waste.

Global initiatives for preservation and conservation of natural resources–

The Save Food Initiative was launched by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) to counter the issue of loss of food

“Earth hour” has become a global phenomenon to address various issues that damage natural resources by accrediting planet earth.
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Fertile Soil

Let’s pledge to preserve natural soil.
Fertile Soil
WARNING: Genetically modified seeds and hybrid plants are modifying the global food system, driving up demand for chemically enhanced fertilisers and soil. The continual injection of man-made enhancers can mean irreparable damage to the soil these foods are grown in.

Let’s pledge to preserve natural soil:
Compromising on the fertility of soil can lead to degraded soil which means that 30% less food will be produced over the next 20-50 years. Projected demand says 50% more food growth is required, as the population grows and wealthier people in countries like China and India eat more meat, which takes more land to produce than, say, rice.

Preserve the natural resource in one simple way – PLANT TREES. As trees grow, their roots grow deeper and soil holds on to this.

Make sure to water the tree and the soil along with it. Water provides important nutrients required by the soil to get fertile.

Global initiatives to preserve the soil:

World Soil Charter was set up with the objective that soils are managed sustainably and degraded soils are rehabilitated or restored.

Save our Soils campaign launched to spread awareness about living healthy soils and consuming organic food.
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Ozone

Let’s pledge to conserve our ozone.
Ozone
WARNING: Our excessive use of electrical equipment that emit harmful Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) contributes towards the loss of our ozone layer. This causes direct exposure to harmful cancer causing ultraviolet rays. The depletion of the ozone layer also increases the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events.

Let’s pledge to conserve our ozone:
The Ozone layer absorbs ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, preventing most of it from reaching the earth's surface. Without the layer of ozone in the atmosphere, it would be very difficult for anything to survive on the surface.

Protect the Ozone by some simple solutions like limiting private vehicle driving.

Encourage growth of plants that produce oxygen, discourage deforestation

Global initiatives to preserve the ozone:

To protect the ozone layer the international community established the Montreal Protocol to review the substances that deplete the ozone layer

Since 1993, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has played a crucial role in the phase- out of ozone depleting substances.
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Wild Life

Let’s pledge to protect animals.
Wild Life
WARNING: Poaching is among the key reasons for the declining wildlife populations around the world. The value of illegal trade of endangered species is a staggering $19 billion a year. Our love for clothing, artefacts or accessories made from animals has made many of the wildlife species endangered today.

Let’s pledge to protect animals:
Wild Life helps maintain the ecological 'balance of nature' and the food chain. Biodiversity is essential for a healthy and functional ecosystem.

Protect Wildlife. Avoid buying bones, skulls, teeth, trophies or feathers of wild animals.

Stop release of harmful chemicals and toxins in streams and rivers.

Global initiatives to preserve the wild life:

World Wildlife Fund are on mission is to stop the degradation of our planet's natural environment, and build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
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Mangroves

Let’s pledge to protect mangroves.
Mangroves
WARNING: More than 35% of the world’s mangroves are already gone. Mangrove ecosystems act as buffers between land and sea. Mangroves not only help in preventing soil erosion but also act as a catalyst in reclaiming land from the sea. This is a very unique phenomenon, since there is a general tendency of water to engulf land.

Let’s pledge to protect mangroves:
Mangroves play a critical role in protecting lives in low-lying coastal areas from storm surges. They also stabilize shorelines and improve water quality.

Save the mangroves by improving land-use management and stream water quality on nearby lands.

Implement or adjust recreational and commercial fishing regulations.

Global initiatives to preserve the mangroves:

The World Bank has commissioned the “Mainstreaming Conservation of Coastal Biodiversity through Formulation of a generic Code of Conduct for Sustainable Management of Mangrove Forest Ecosystems”.
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Landfill

Let’s pledge to reduce e-waste.
Landfill
WARNING: The global average of changing a mobile phone is just 18 months. Approximately 1.8 billion mobile phones were sold last year. This implies generation of massive amounts of e-waste. 87% of such e-waste ends up in landfills, resulting in polluted drinking water and harming ecosystems with arsenic, lead, and poly-brominated flame retardants.

Let’s pledge to reduce e-waste:
Landfills are often the most cost-efficient way to dispose of waste.

Conserve landfills by reducing the purchase of disposable napkins that take years to decompose.

Avoid use of plastic. Choose cloth instead.

Global initiatives to preserve the landfills:

The Global Methane Initiative (GMI) promotes cost-effective, near-term methane recovery through partnerships between developed and developing countries, with participation from the private sector, development banks, and non-governmental organizations.
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Water

Let’s pledge to harvest rainwater.
Water
WARNING: 70% of our planet is covered in water, yet only 0.2% of this is available and viable for human consumption. Given the scarcity and demand of water today, our global management of water could be considered a failure. This mismanagement causes 3.2 million children under the age of five to die due to unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation in developing nations.

Let’s pledge to harvest rainwater:
Water is one of the prime elements responsible for life on earth. Water circulates through the land transporting, dissolving, replenishing nutrients and organic matter, while carrying away waste material.

Conserve water by using low flow taps in wash basins, dual flush toilets which help to flush different levels of water, installing low-flow shower heads which are energy-efficient.

Check plumbing for leaks - especially leaking toilets and faucets, recycling of waste water, rainwater harvesting as also timing our water usage.

Global initiatives to preserve water:

Global water Initiative (GWI) is a partnership funded by Howard Buffet Foundation which works to improve water management policies, research, investment and knowledge resources as also supporting water resources for sustainable agriculture.
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Mountains

Let’s pledge to protect our mountains.
Mountains
WARNING: Mountains play a key role in precipitation and are vital sources of fresh water reservoirs, which keep our rivers flowing. Today, almost every major mountain range is being cleared of its forests and topsoil for farming, mining or commercial development. This abusive treatment of our silent sentinels not only disrupts the natural rain cycle, which fills our rivers, but also leads to deadly landslides and avalanches.

Let’s pledge to protect our mountains:
Mountains influence regional and global weather conditions and climate. They provide human beings with medicinal products, food, biodiversity, energy and freshwater.

Preserve our mountains by setting up wildlife sanctuaries to conserve the natural habitat and ecosystem while participating in the initiatives taken up by the government to preserve mountains.

Global initiatives to preserve the mountains:

Save Our Mountains Foundation (“SOMF”) is dedicated to facilitating the improvement of the mountains and desert Preserves in Phoenix. It provides sanctuary for wildlife in unique, vanishing Sonoran Desert habitat.
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Making the world a better place for you and me

Recycling is the best way for us to create a positive impact in the world. Recycling can reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. Apart from the traditional methods of recycling there are other alternatives that one can try. We at VFS Global bring some of those unique methods of recycling in this calendar to turn your trash into treasure.

Our Commitment to Environment Preservation

At VFS Global, we firmly believe that being an industry leader brings with it an obligation to lead not only in terms of business competencies, but also in terms of addressing challenges the world faces today, such as preservation of our natural environment.

VFS Global implements and supports various environment preservation initiatives at an organisational level. From engaging our team members globally in various environment management activities, to partnering and supporting organisations associated with the cause, we ensure we are doing our best towards preservation of our natural habitat.

We believe in leading by example and are truly committed to effective and sustainable practices through sensitisation of our workforce, partners and suppliers.

VFS Global achieved ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management System) certification in 2013 from TÜV-SÜD, one of the world’s leading certification bodies.

In 2015, the Government of India honoured VFS Global with the prestigious Golden Peacock Environment Management Award in the "Organisational Responsibility towards Environment Management" category. The award acknowledges the various green ideas and best practices implemented by the company in its day-to-day operations.

Throughout this year, we will continue to focus on the cause and recognise initiatives and change made by our employees all over the globe. These initiatives are driven by the benchmark we set on our workforce to ensure a sound Environment Management System.