Change agent

USHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND talks to Deepa Gupta, the youngest recipient of the Green Globe Premier’s award.

When I think of people going hungry for weeks on end, I think of those on this planet living in drought-ridden land, which won’t yield the crops they have been waiting for.

I think of those thwarted by the changing monsoon patterns; who can’t predict when to plant their seeds.  I think of people who have been victims to a hurricane or flood and have lost access to food and water.

I think of the victims of climate change: past, present and future.

Far-sighted and passionate, these words of wisdom were spoken by 22-year-old activist and change agent Deepa Gupta at Climate Justice Fast, an international campaign that coincided with Copenhagen Summit late last year.

Ironically, she belongs to a millennium fuelled by abject consumerism, where more is less and brand power rules. But unlike most of her Gen Y peers, Deepa is rooted in Gandhian ideals, opting to lead by example.

Born and raised in Sydney, her aim is to create and communicate powerful solutions for a sustainable future.

Support, Unite, Share, Engage, Inspire, Change – that is Deepa’s mantra for change.

“I have one of the best lives and best jobs in the world,” says the Indian Australian eco warrior. The NSW government recently acknowledged Deepa Gupta with the prestigious Green Globe award for extraordinary environmental achievement, making her the youngest ever-individual recipient.

In late July, the Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Frank Sartor announced Deepa Gupta, as the Green Globe Individual Sustainability Champion Award at a ceremony at NSW Parliament House.

The Sydney Theatre Company’s ‘Greening the Wharf’ project took the Green Globe Premier’s Award for Sustainability at the same event, and was accepted by Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton.

“As a climate change activist, I have been privileged to meet and work with young people all over India and the world who want to change the world for the better, who want to protect our earth and all those who live off it – youth who I believe are the real heroes of today,” she adds.

Currently on the last leg of a Bachelors degree in Business from University of Technology Sydney, which she put on hold to pursue her dreams, Deepa will relocate to India in late 2010, to champion its cause.

The rising economic superpower has two major issues to be addressed – development and climate change. And the power to change rests with the country’s youth, she told Indian Link.

Having represented Australia and India at global climate forums, she co-founded Indian Youth Climate Network to whip up public opinion and lobby government action.

IYCN, she explains, is a generation wide grassroots movement created to orienteer Indian youth and youth organisations. It aims to empower them to take adequate and urgent action to reduce their carbon footprint.

While in India, Deepa hit the dirt trail with the first ever Climate Solutions Road Tour, travelling across the breadth of the nation for over five weeks in solar powered vehicles, spreading the message of sustainable living through road shows and dance gigs, thereby planting the seeds of change.

 “One of the biggest outcomes has been the launching of eco-groups at colleges and corporate campuses,” says the petite campaigner. “We hope that by the end of 2010, hundreds of campuses will have joined.”

She also plans to “have made inroads into policy circles, with representatives in the Indian Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change.

So how did the academic high achiever stray into developmental work and climate crusade?

After all, Deepa was faithfully pursuing every second generation ethnic Australian’s dream career pathway – selective school background, sought-after Bachelors course, lucrative finance career.

“Honestly, even two years ago, I could not have imagined doing so much”, she admitted. “But when I think of thousands of field workers out there passionately championing the cause and doing amazing things, I feel humbled”.

Her first exposure to environment activism came at North Sydney Girls. But it was at UTS’s Enviro Collective that her campaign gathered momentum. She ran promotions, delivered impassioned lectures and attended sustainability meetings, while collaborating nationally to mobilise youngsters. She has been very active with the  “Flick my switch” campaign to make UTS, Australia’s first major institution to be powered by 100% renewable energy. Besides engaging the Australian Hindu youth in her capacity as faith campaigns coordinator, she has also been the Indian facilitator for the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC), liaising between the two superpowers for clean technology transfer.

Deepa has also worked for the global auditing major PWC in both business assurance practice and climate change teams.

“I guess I got really involved when I heard about climate change activist Kartikeya Singh who was the only Indian to speak at the Bali UN Climate meet”, she revealed.

Deepa took a semester break and even got sponsorship from UTS to continue her work in India.

IYCN was thus born in March 2008 and Deepa addressed the UN summit at Poznan. There’s been no looking back since. From a core group of three, IYCN now has over 300,000 members, sending delegations to the global enviro summits.

Leveraging on her core skills, Deepa hopes to develop business models for IYCN, tapping into fundraising networks.

Armed with the capacity to dismantle geographic boundaries, according to Deepa, the global youth climate movement is now a veritable force.

Speaking against Australia’s emission trading scheme, Deepa said that, although 80% of the world’s power currently comes from coal, “the thinking that caused the problem will not be the thinking that will create the solution. We really need to stop using coal as our future and put an immediate price on it”.

Likewise, she is highly critical of the world’s largest coal exporter for lack of strong direction. “For anything to be efficient, the market needs clear indicators, making it hard for businesses to act”.

“I also call for urgent legislation to end all new coal power stations. Otherwise we will get locked in for another 50 years. Australia needs to be taking targets of 40 percent or more by 2020. More incentives and investment needs to be made”.

Quoting statistics, Deepa says Australia needs to focus on renewable energy sources like solar and wind power.  “Australia is one of the windiest, sunniest countries in the world. It is surrounded by ocean. It has the best hot rocks and a CSIRO study says that in the next 15 years we can actually generate 1 million clean energy jobs. For Australia, it is definitely doable.’

Likewise, she advises her all youngsters to seize  “every opportunity that comes your way, even if it seems small. I too started small by signing up to the Enviro Collective and three years later I’m helping to build one of the world’s largest youth movements.”

Deepa’s parents have been very supportive of her decisions. “I grew up in an environment where volunteering and social awareness played a big role”, she explained. Her family has been actively involved with the Ekal movement in their drive to eradicate illiteracy and poverty in remote rural India. While she may have derived her core values from them, more recently it is her parents who have been inspired by Deepa’s climate activism to go green. Their Epping home is entirely powered by renewable energy, with an organic veggie garden.

Quite clearly Deepa and her family practice everything they preach.

Meanwhile, 350 is the magic number Deepa is focussing on – 350 parts per million as the upper limit of safe carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to prevent nations going underwater.

At the moment though, the inspirational young woman is busy spearheading climate change campaigns for Get Up Australia ahead of the 2010 Federal elections.