WeNaturalists Giving a Purpose to People's Passion for Nature

National Energy Conservation Day is an important day to educate and inform people of the sustainable practices that can be adopted to safeguard our natural resources. National Energy Conservation Day 2021 is celebrated in India every year on December 14; the day has been celebrated since 1991.

On this Day, The Hans India got in touch with Amit Banka, the Founder, and CEO at WeNaturalists, to raise awareness about the significance of energy and the need to save or conserve energy by using less energy.

Amit Banka founded WeNaturalists in 2019 with a simple motive – to give a purpose to people's passion for nature. Holding an MBA in Finance and a Bachelor's in Science, Amit has led a distinguished career over two decades and spanning across sectors while identifying key trends and offering strategic solutions to businesses leading to significant value creation. Amit has successful stints with various corporate houses, including Disney UTV Group and Zee Group, and has founded multiple ventures in business transformation, crowdfunding, online gaming, and F&B. Amit brings extensive experience across sectors and around building businesses, global operations, strategy, and finance including M&As, fundraising, and IPOs.

WeNaturalists is Amit's business acumen and passion for nature, all in one. He founded the company with a bright young team for a global community of naturalists and nature lovers united by a passion for nature and defined by opportunities to collaborate, communicate, learn, and grow together.

What inspired you to be a Nature lover?

Growing up, I've always been drawn to nature, wildlife, water bodies, and green ecosystems. So when I began working, I had some great opportunities to work on agri-businesses ranging from farm-to-fork models to agri-solutions advisory to finding eco-friendly substitutes. In addition, I was fortunate enough to drive a not-for-profit foundation to provide holistic living solutions to underprivileged villages. That set the tone for community building.

And I have always been overwhelmed with our dependence on nature. This first-hand learning of crop yield production, climatic effects, and water and energy consumption has further made me want to do something for the environment. That's when I decided to create an ecosystem for the People of Nature - WeNaturalists.

The journey of WeNaturalists

WeNaturalists was born out of a need to create an ecosystem for nature professionals. While there are spaces to recognize the work as an entrepreneur or your qualification as a Harvard graduate, there is no space for naturalists to showcase his work. In a world where there are so many avenues to find people to network with for business, networking for exploring a new nature trail is limited. This community of professionals has no other platform to engage, discuss and most importantly, find opportunities.

That's why it's been incredibly rewarding to create a tech-enabled ecosystem with features like Circles, Projects, Storybook for nature photographers, conservationists, safari operators, lodge owners, and much more. Of course, we knew the kind of journey we were embarking upon when we began. But the sheer scale of the naturalist community, their passion for the environment continues to surprise me to this day. The journey, I would say, has been rewarding and fulfilling. Yet, there's so much to be done and not enough time.

The vision behind starting WeNaturalists

It might sound strange, but it's probably been within me to create something for this community. Of course, driving a not-for-profit has played a huge role. Another catalyst was discussing with an ace naturalist and my childhood friend, Kartikeya, about the naturalist community. On a trip in the lap of nature with him, several questions came to my mind - Who are these nature professionals? What motivates them? How do they find different opportunities to work and collaborate? And most importantly, what could I do with my background in financial advisory and business development? The answer was clear - build an ecosystem for all-things-nature.

Why is National Energy Conservation Day observed on December 14?

National Energy Conservation Day is an important day to educate and inform people of the sustainable practices that can be adopted to safeguard our natural resources.

We, conscious environmental citizens, must collaborate and collectively make people energy conscious and encourage them to shift to greener and cleaner forms of energy. Furthermore, we need to monitor the judicious use of energy sources, take steps to reduce unnecessary wastage of energy, and work towards achieving sustainable development goals.

Methods to reduce power consumption

This decade of 'Generation Restoration' presents us with a unique opportunity to rebuild the world through our conservation efforts.

We can start by laying down some methods to reduce power consumption.

- An excellent way to start would be to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Shifting to free and clean energy, i.e., renewable sources like offshore, green hydrogen and solar cells, etc., would save our costs incurred from electricity and prevent pollution.

- Buying energy-efficient appliances is also recommended, as they utilize optimum resources and produce desirable outputs. Furthermore, it is essential to regularly inspect our appliances and repair them to save on energy wastage.

- Creating the best out of waste is a plausible option as well. Extracting energy from biowaste helps us delimit our dependency on conventional energy sources.

- Green Habitats should replace the conventional buildings. They are designed to use less natural resources, produce less waste and make spaces for comfortable living.

Layman's approach to conserving energy on a daily basis

Adverse human impacts have plagued Earth. Preserving and protecting biodiversity is essential for restoring the health of the ecosystem.

Each one of us should significantly contribute towards conserving energy regularly. But how is it possible?

● To combat the energy crises, we need to adjust our behaviour and habits accordingly. For example, switching off an appliance when not in use is essential. Also, using a device (e.g., a washing machine) once a week is better than using it regularly; switching off heating devices like geysers after use is another excellent way to conserve energy.

● Utilize natural sources of energy optimally. For example, make use of the sunlight coming in through your windows and doors. Similarly, use natural air for drying your clothes instead of a gadget.

● Replace the old appliances and repair the faulty ones. This repair or replacement is essential to reduce our energy consumption significantly.

● Switch to energy-efficient products wherever possible. For instance, replace the incandescent lights with LED lights. Similarly, using microwaves for cooking instead of conventional ovens helps energy conservation.

● Keep our immediate environment clean. This includes cleaning the ducts, pipes, appliances, etc., to avoid wasting energy.

● Fixing the leaks and crevices in the house is an excellent way to minimize wastage. In addition, home ventilation and furnaces should be inspected regularly to conserve energy. Also, sharing resources contributes significantly to sustainability. Like, using a carpool instead of private cars, etc.

Importance of National Energy Conservation Day for the coming generation

When the world is turning towards not just protecting large species and forests, etc., but degraded habitats and ecosystems, it is essential to include the voices of future generations in preserving the environment.

To stress the importance of energy conservation, public and private stakeholders need to push for initiatives to involve the younger generation.

Most importantly, I believe we need to ensure a Green Childhood for all. If we educate the children about climate action early, they will adopt green habits in their daily lives. It's important to understand that parents and children need awareness to transition green and clean energy. Children are the key policy drivers of tomorrow. The earlier they get acquainted with sustainability goals, the faster they can undertake development tasks to better the population.

The next generation is poised to play an essential role in shaping our future world - be it the food we eat, the air we breathe, or the land we will walk upon.

What SEforALL (Sustainable Energy for All) is?

Climate change is here, and we need to meet our climate targets by 2030. But the path that we chart is critical and will finally decide if we can lead our way into a sustainable future.

To ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all (SDG7), Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the "Sustainable Energy for All" initiative in 2011.

Currently, (SEforAll) is an international organization working in partnership with the UN, government leaders, philanthropies, financial institutions, and society to ensure a smoother transition to cleaner, greener energy and unlock potential opportunities for every citizen in the world.

Let us remember that every little effort on our part can have a monumental impact in protecting nature and helping SEForAll achieve its target. Wherever we are, we can make a difference.

India's move towards Renewable Energy

The decline in the global GDP results from massive threats to nature. Therefore, environmentalists have repeatedly emphasized the need to shift from "business as usual" practices to "practices in harmony with nature." Hence, the national leaders are devising ways to strategize their policies following environmental conservation.

Are renewable sources of energy the only way forward? Let us explore India's take on going green.

From an economic standpoint, India can save more than "$90 billion in imports between 2021 and 2030" if even half the generated renewable energy is utilized to replace coal.

Reducing the carbon footprint and emissions to net-zero is a global goal outlined in the Glasgow Agreement, and India, a signatory, wishes to fulfil the same by 2050. Moreover, our Prime Minister's "self-reliant" (Atmanirbhar) initiative urges Indian companies to deploy renewable resources to produce energy instead of creating pressure on the already-depleting fossil fuels.

By 2050, India targets to produce three-fourth of all hydrogen from green sources. PM Modi's launch of the National Hydrogen Mission and his vision to transform India into a "global hub for green hydrogen production and export" is a massive opportunity for public and private stakeholders to contribute to the renewable energy mix.

Schemes to Promote Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency

When the world is in the grips of the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and degrading ecosystems, it is essential to introduce sustainable solutions through policy reforms. Specific initiatives and schemes launched by the Indian Government promote energy conservation and efficiency like the 'Standards & Labeling programme,' which helps us choose equipment that uses low energy yet provides desired outputs. Similarly, the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency fosters sustainable business models in the Energy Efficiency Sector. In addition, by including energy conservation in the syllabi of high school students and forming Energy Clubs in Schools, the School Education programme has taken a bold step towards awareness creation around clean energy. But our work doesn't stop here, and we need many more groundbreaking steps to achieve a sustainable future.