In a stark instance of climate change activism, traveller and climate change activist, Aakash Ranison, as part of his project, #sustainably, installed the world’s first Single-Use Plastic Deathbed, which is a pyre built of 26 kilograms of single-use plastic.
It is an art installation which is built to remind the viewer that the plastic they mindlessly use and throw away has the power to kill humanity, as well as other organisms. The installation was revealed on 20 December 2020, which is the UN International Human Solidarity Day and was built with the support of Blue Jay Hostels, Municipality of Laxman Jhula, Clean Himalaya NGO, and the locals. The pyres are currently situated at Freedom Ganga Ghat in Rishikesh.
Built by a community of locals, environmentalists, activists, and travellers, the making of the three ‘deathbeds’ showcased a united effort in celebrating unity in diversity, whilst tackling climate action together.
A climate change campaigner himself, Ranison’s vision and aim with this installation echoes and mirrors UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 13 – Climate Action. He has also been working for the last 5 years with various organisations on multiple projects around the globe. Ranison is also an avid traveller, and it’s been 7 years since he has been travelling across the length and breadth of India and other countries, by either walking, cycling or hitchhiking.
As part of #sustainably’s community outreach efforts, Aakash Ranison along with eight volunteers and the team of Clean Himalaya NGO also visited around 180 homes and 220 hotels within a span of 30 days since 20 November, to create awareness amongst people. The team undertook a survey and collected data in the areas of Rishikesh, Tapovan and Laxman Jhula to individually educate people about dry and wet waste disposal, as well as to avoid single-use plastic.
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