The Rotary Club of Poona Downtown hosted the first E RYLA of the Rotary year 2021-22. Environment, being the 7th thrust area Rotary International, the theme for the RYLA ‘Environment Warriors’ was apt and relevant to the needs of the day. The event was attended by over 75 participants from various educational institutions of Pune, Rotarians and their spouses and friends. The speakers were Dr. Binish Desai, the ‘Recycle Man of India’, Ms. Nandini Upadhayay, an ESG Consultant and Mr. Nandan Bhat, Founder and Director of Ecokaari. The event began with RCPD President Asis welcoming the speakers and those attending the event. Rt. Anand Mahukar, RYLA Chair gave additional inputs about RYLA and its significance and importance in the Rotary context in bringing together the youth and developing and recognizing leadership skills and qualities in young people. PP Rt. Sameer Rupani, District Director for Environment was most appreciative of the theme and choice of speakers for the RCPD RYLA. He emphasized the importance of focusing on the Environment and the areas where Dist. 3131 is playing a vital part in preserving nature through tree plantation drives and river cleaning projects as well as waste disposal (particularly E Waste which is posing many hazardous issues). The first speaker at the RYLA was Dr. Binish Desai, an innovator and social entrepreneur. Based in Valsad (Gujarat). The fact that Mr. Desai has converted different types of waste into more than 193 products and recycled more than 2700 tonnes of industrial waste, has aptly earned him the title of ‘The Recycle Man of India’. Dr. Binish Desai spoke of his journey and belief that, “There is nothing useless in this world. What might be waste to you is though someone else’s asset”. His latest innovation is converting used masks and PPE kits into bricks which are used in low-cost housing! The talk was inspiring and evoked many queries. Ms. Nandini Upadhyay was next. She gave a comprehensive and in depth talk on the importance of Sustainability in the 21st Century with emphasis on global climate crisis water conflicts and the role countries have to play collectively in an endeavor to mitigate the situation. She went onto speak about the part the corporate sector can play through CSR activities. Her talk explained the avenues open to the youth in the area of ESG (Environment, Social Governance). The final speaker was Mr. Nandan Bhat, Founder and Director, Ecokaari ---Humanizing Fashion was an eye opener. An innovator at heart and with fire in his belly to do something different ---- and this he did when he founded Aarohana Eco social Developments and then Ecokaari --- Humanizing Fashion! As an innovator he has been pivotal in starting and setting up the process of Upcycling Waste Plastic into sustainable fabric. He dreams of integrating various forms of Indigenous Indian Crafts with Ecokaari’s upcycled fabric! The beautiful products manufactured by Ecokaari are made out of waste plastic bags which are literally sourced from landfills and garbage dumps. The RYLA was a team effort of all the members of the RYLA Committee and though on a virtual platform, the talks were impactful and reached out to the youth who were attending.