“We all have important values and ideas, things we care about and want to share. Sometimes we feel our ideas can even change the world, and we want to let other people know how they can join in and make all our lives better.”
Such is the belief of Thanal, an environmental group based in Kerala, India and longtime grantee of Global Greengrants Fund. In a region where environmental consciousness is scarce, Thanal has become a positive force for change – working to protect the natural beauty, resources and health of communities in southern India.
Almost ten years ago, Greengrants began supporting Thanal, and we have since seen the organization tackle significant environmental threats. Taking on unsafe waste management practices and dangerous overuse of chemical pesticides, Thanal has challenged Indian society and the local government to think critically and alternatively about the toxins in their environment. The group has successfully pushed for a pioneering Zero Waste program, organized a monthly organic farmers’ market, and campaigned against the loss of traditional farming practices to large-scale monoculture.
The Hindu, India’s national newspaper, recently profiled Thanal for their remarkable leadership and progress in raising environmental awareness and standards in their community. We at Global Greengrants Fund are incredibly proud of the work Thanal has done, yet we recognize the many challenges that lie ahead – powerful industrial agriculture interests, impending climate change, and rapid population growth and demand for resources, to name a few. As the group continues their mission to care for our planet and its people, the Greengrants community stands in solidarity with the belief that together, “our ideas can even change the world.”