Hi,

As the twilight of 2023 nears, we at EARTHDAY.ORG are filled with profound gratitude and awe for the incredible, transformative work that we've achieved together with our supporters and partners this year. As we approach the season of giving, we invite you to become a part of the solution by donating to make possible more positive changes like the success story below that has restored hope in three pond communities in Kolkata, India.

🌱 A Journey of Restoration 🌱

This year, a heartwarming tale of resilience and community spirit unfolded across the waters of Jugal, Paip Para, and Sim Pukur ponds in Kolkata. Once the lifeblood of the community, these ponds had become noxious stinking cesspools, filled with trash and overtaken by invasive water hyacinth. Families were unable to access the ponds for household water use, and commercial fishermen could no longer cast their nets in the once-thriving waters. The choked ponds were breeding grounds for deadly diseases like dengue and malaria.

🌿 Your Support and Community Effort = Triumph 🌿

With the support of EARTHDAY.ORG and our funders, in an extraordinary effort of unity and determination, 381 committed locals came together and clocked an astonishing 33,054 hours to reclaim these important community resources. With arduous efforts, often spent in waist deep water, volunteers removed 64 tons of waste—equivalent to over ten adult elephants—to revitalize these ponds.

🌻 Turning Challenges into Opportunities 🌻

Community women turned adversity into economic opportunity by drying the invasive water hyacinth and selling it for animal feed and compost. The Briji Patuli Fishing Cooperative and other members of these pond communities have pledged to steward these ponds into the future to keep them from falling back into their polluted condition.

💚 The Rebirth: Ponds Teeming with Life and Hope 💚

Thanks to the generosity of EARTHDAY.ORG donors, the commitment of our team in India, and the hard work of the local community, these restored ponds are thriving again. Families in these under-resourced communities can now access the water, and community fishermen can once again cast their nets to support their children.

🎥 View the Photos and Video of this Incredible Restoration 📸 

Please consider helping us impact more communities around the globe through our work to diversify, educate, and activate the environmental movement. Your compassionate end-of-year gift can breathe life into more communities, nurture nature, and foster a resilient planet for generations to come.

🍃 Join us in Sowing Seeds of Hope and Restoration 🍃

Thank you for your unwavering support and your commitment to making sure that every day is Earth Day.

For the planet,

Kathleen Rogers
President