It is no longer Climate Change
Within a tolerable range.
A crisis is what it’s about
With fires, floods as well as drought.
Every week a constant blast,
Far worse than seen in the past.
If we must, we will adapt
Prevention though would be more apt.
There is a cost to adaptation,
It’s rising fast in every nation
As well as for the world at large.
This will be a heavy charge.
In fact we should all conclude
Prevention would be far more shrewd.
It actually would cost much less
And avoid a lot of stress.
These awards can save the day
By rewarding those who pave the way!
In capitalism's early days we see
Social responsibility in some degree.
To dissipate the urban gloom
Both Cadbury, Lord Leverhulme
Then pioneered the company town.
In India too this has come down.
My grandfather probably saw
These examples and found no flaw.
He bought faraway marshy land.
His critics just couldn't understand.
They concluded he’d gone quite mad
But today we are glad, not sad.
A township then slowly arose
And this is where our business grows.
We provided every needed tool
Housing, hospital and school.
My uncle known as Sohrabji
Way back could clearly see
The environment was under stress
Neglect he knew would be a mess.
In saving tigers he played a role.
The environment was a major goal.
Our creek side land was reserved
The mangroves there well preserved.
And all of you should understand,
This was two thirds of our land.
And from my office I gaze out there,
A Mumbai view that's very rare,
With greenery all the way
Until you sight New Bombay.
And now and then, with friends I float
On a gently moving boat,
With pink Flamingos in full flight,
To my mind a splendid sight.
And now it is our aspiration
To pursue research and conservation
And spreading awareness all around.
This strategy is very sound.
Under my cousins Pheroza and Jamshyd
I’m very sure that we’ll succeed.
At first there was benign neglect
But thanks to research we could select
An approach that is more integrated
This is widely appreciated.
Many innovations have been tried
Our mangroves are ISO certified.
We were the first of the block
Of all our species we’ve taken stock.
Our fishermen’s livelihoods are preserved
Flood prevention is usefully served.
Carbon is sequestered, we all know
As our mangroves steadily grow.
It is indeed a cause for good cheer
That it’s 60,000 tons each year.
Over a million tons is now the stock
So much Carbon we could lock.
For us it’s clearly understood
Preserving mangroves is really good.
And for all the good work that’s been done
Many sustainability awards have been won.
All this is great cause for celebration
But more can be done with collaboration.
And all of us should now rejoice
That WWF and Godrej and Boyce
Are training the youth of nine coastal states
This should open the knowledge floodgates
And enlightened citizen participation
Enables mangrove preservation
Which leads to biodiversity conservation
And several benefits to the world and our nation.
Godrej and Boyce’s recent mission
Was setting up the Indian Wetland Coalition.
There are many partners we can see,
Wetlands International, WWF and GIZ.
India’s Ministry of Environment is very much there
Forests and Climate Change, CII have a share.
This extensive collaboration
Is very good for the nation.
Mangroves are good for soil retention
They ensure flood prevention.
Biodiversity is maintained
Ecotourism can be attained.
Profitable fishing is sustained.
Indeed so much can be gained.
For our good work we were rewarded
In your eighth edition we were awarded
For our contribution to earth care.
I would also like to share
In the year 2010
Studies were commissioned and then
With the help of Dasra and FSG
Our new program, one could see.
We aptly named it Good and Green
And what a journey it has been!
And how do we define our role
What could be a proper goal?
Now the UN has a lengthy list,
So in recounting, some would be missed!
So I will focus on just three
That I think would be the key
For all the others to fall in place
And enable us to win the race.
Good health through perfect sanitation,
Environment and education.
All of these can be seen
In our program Good and Green.
All industry should play a role
In the carbon neutral goal.
GHG emissions should be reduced
More green energy should be produced.
And so without partiality
Our goal for all's neutrality.
Whether water, carbon or solid waste
And very soon we will make haste
To make our net emissions zero.
Will that make the group a hero?
In 2010 the goal looked tall
But we took a reasoned call
Technology would save the day.
So far it has turned out that way.
To achieve these goals we will strive
To do it all by 2025.
As technology takes a leap
Green energy gets very cheap.
Keen observers quickly saw
That Solar also tracks Moore's law.
Whether groundnut shell or bagasse
Our India's full of biomass.
And bamboo now is on the way.
A major role it can play.
At first we thought we'd have to spend
But that's not true, for in the end,
The more we thought and the more we slaved
We did invest but we also saved.
And solar is still getting cheaper
And as we start digging deeper
In India it has hit the goal
Of being cheaper than even coal.
Our cost of water is not so high
But yet we do attempt to try
To reduce our water consumption
But all the same it's a safe assumption
Our water use won't disappear
And so to be neutral I fear
We will have to mitigate.
Though fortunately I can state
That developing a watershed
Doesn't cost much and instead
Our agribusiness can benefit.
The government will do its bit
But where it fails we'll fill the breach
And hopefully we will reach
Many farmers on the cheap
But the benefits that we reap
Will compensate for the cost
And once again nothing's lost.
There are many paths that we can see
For achieving Carbon neutrality.
But the cheapest way is certainly
Through energy efficiency.
Real interest rates are rather low
And high returns quickly flow
From any energy saving device.
For business this is very nice.
Not only are returns quite brisk,
There’s also very little risk.
Much innovation is what we see
In each and every factory.
Last year our Valia factory
Was awarded for heat recovery.
We’ll be inspired to greater heights
Neutrality is within our sights.
Your awards help us all.
More and more will take the call!
In India mandated CSR
Can help us go very far.
Multiple benefits is what one sees
With water projects or growing trees.
Good livelihoods are created
Our carbon emissions are abated.
Trees planted at a river’s source
Maintain the flow throughout its course.
So many benefits we can see:
The preservation of biodiversity,
Different species can be tried.
Useful products can be supplied
Like biomass or edible fruits
And yet the trunk and the roots
Can sequester carbon, clean the air,
A win-win that is very fair.
So while we decarbonise
Why not also monetise.
So never fall for either or.
Our hearts and minds demand much more.
And if we do what’s just and right
And collectively apply our might.
Successfully we will get there
To a brave new world that’s green and fair.
