The Nation supported NDTV - Toyota Greenathon 4

Over Rs. 8.89 crore for 508 villages was raised as part of the Green Campaign

May 21, 2012:

NDTV brought together concerned citizens for the fourth edition of the NDTV-Toyota Greenathon on Sunday, May 20, in a 12 hour long gala finale at the Yash Raj Studio in Mumbai.  This year the focus has been on recycling waste, especially plastic, along with encouraging everyone to keep their immediate environment clean. Joining the grand celebrations of Greenathon 4 were a galaxy of film personalities, celebrity chefs, composers and singers, Chief Ministers, Members of Parliament, the Corporate world, school children and citizens from around the country.

In keeping with the green theme this year the NDTV-Toyota Greenathon 4 set was made of recyclable products such as light bulbs, cardboard boxes, tin boxes, used newspapers, plastic bottles, paper plates, etc. The unique Green Set, created by well-known designer Omang Kumar, also had a Green Kitchen area, where celebrity chefs including AdityaBal, Ritu Dalmia, Bikramjit Singh and Vicky Ratnani cooked some eco-friendly, delicious recipes for guests and hosts.

Once again supporting this Green Initiative and raising awareness about the environment, Actor Milind Soman started his 1500 km Green Run on April 20, running from the QutubMinar in New Delhi, across 5 states and ending his Green Run today at Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai. Milind's 1500 km run in 30 days has been recognised as a World Record by the Limca Book of Records, which is a milestone for NDTV-Toyota Greenathon 4's environmental awareness campaign.Limca recognised his challenging feat during the gala programme.

In an attempt to mobilise a mass movement, plastic/recyclable waste collection centres, supported by Tetra Pak and Attero, were set up across New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Phagwara (Punjab), Dharamshala and Nainital. People across these cities came out and participated in the recycling drive by depositing their recyclable waste from plastic (bags and bottles), metal, paper, Tetrapak cartons to e-waste like old phones, computers etc.

Some of the generous supporters of the campaign with both their time and donations were Brand Ambassador Priyanka Chopra, Comedian Cyrus Broacha,  Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Sridevi, FarhanAkhtar, Imran Khan, Deepika Padukone, Rahul Bose, Kunal Kohli, Parineeti Chopra, Arjun Kapoor, Bappi Lahiri and Vasundhara Das. The star studded day saw mesmerizing performances by Javed Ali, Malaika Arora Khan, Ayushman Khurana, Shweta Tiwari, Blaaze, Euphoria, SwanandaKirkire and Rabbi Shergill.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Prannoy Roy, Chairman, NDTV Group, said "NDTV-Toyota Greenathon 4 has been the best we have seen so far. I would like to thank TERI for being there and making this whole experience such a success. Not having light is like losing your eyesight.”

NDTV-Toyota Greenathon 4 saw Rs. 8.89 crore being raised to benefit 508 villages. Indus Tower came forward to donate Rs. 5 crore and the Power Finance Corporation donated Rs 3 crore. Other key donors included Shah Rukh Khan who adopted 12 villages and Aamir Khan who adopted 5 villages. Shahid Kapoor adopted 3 villages, Priyanka Chopra adopted 2 villages; Ms.RajniChitra donated Rs 5 lakh, Rahul Bose, Arjun Kapoor, Ritu Dalmia and Bappi Lahiri each adopted a village. DPS Sharjah and Solid Solars donated Rs 3.5 lakhs each, Dr Sunil Chabaria, Lok Sabha MP Dr Ajay Kumar, Anirudh, Bangalore's Avni Energy Solutions CTC, Toyota each adopted a village.

Since its launch in 2008 The Greenathon Campaign has already funded solar lanterns for over 600 villages benefitting thousands of households.

This year's campaign was launched in April in Agra with a Clean the Yamuna drive by Brand Ambassador Priyanka Chopra.

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