SHASHANK ARUN

CHILD ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST

Climate change is a threat that has become very obvious today. But, it is very impressive that children are already taking part in negating it, with good reason. According to the CIA World Fact Book, children represent 30 percent of the world’s population. Not only do they represent the largest group of people currently affected by climate change, but they are also more vulnerable than adults to its harmful effects. Children and young people are also the generations that will have to deal with the future impacts of climate change whether they like it or not.

Maybe, that’s what is pushing Shashank Arun, a ten year old class 5 student of Chennai, India, turn into a superhero to fight the monster called global warming. This young lad says he was disturbed to learn that our planet was in danger from his 4th grade text book last year and decided to dedicate his summer vacation to save the planet. He learned that the adults were divided in their belief in the existence of global warming and decided children are easier to reason with. He made up his mind that his mission was to inform and inspire children from around the world to reduce their carbon footprints.

Last summer he conducted a kids marathon and gave away seed balls which he dutifully prepared with his friends. Next he began campaigning for kids’ action against global warming in malls, television shows and schools. He presented his ideas in Kidx Asia last July. After this he launched a YouTube comic series about global warming and started a Facebook and Instagram page with activities and appreciation for action against global warming among kids. He presented a monthly activity calendar and a digitally powered awareness creation model in Kidx Asia, Bangkok in October. For his social initiation,he received the South Indian Start Up Award in December last year. This was followed by invitations to schools to give talks to children about his initiative and articles about him in regional kids magazines.

With an aspiration to push for further action, he has now began to equip himself with knowledge on app creation and has began to design an interactive app for kids to join and pitch in to save the only planet which has life. This summer too , this young activist has plans to be part of various summer camps and talk to young minds to participate in this movement and plant and nurture a tree that will grow with the child in the school . He also plans to conduct a cyclathon this April. With children all over the world taking to the streets to persuade the governments to start acting on global warming, Chennai has it’s own friendly neighborhood superhero, “ Captain environment.”