Pune: Dr. Vinita Apte, the founding president of TERRE Policy Centre, has been awarded the 'Global Leadership Award' by the Indo-Scandic Organization.
This recognition was presented by the organization's president, Suresh Pandey, during the Baltic Water Conference held in Helsinki.
During the award presentation, Suresh Pandey praised Dr. Apte's efforts, stating, "Dr. Vinita Apte has been a steadfast advocate for environmental awareness and conservation for the past two decades.
It is an honor to recognize her leadership in guiding NGOs beyond India and her collaborative efforts with numerous organizations on various environmental initiatives."
Dr. Apte founded TERRE (Technology, Education, Research, Rehabilitation for the Environment) Policy Centre. Although she had the opportunity to work with the United Nations Environment Programme in Paris, she chose to return to India to further her mission in environmental conservation.
Under her leadership, TERRE has made significant strides in promoting environmental sustainability. Over the past seven years, Dr. Apte has spearheaded the planting and nurturing of more than 500,000 trees across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, and other states, creating employment opportunities for local communities.
She has also successfully established 21 forests, with initiatives expanding to cities outside Maharashtra, including Lucknow, Moradabad, Sanand, and Chennai.
In addition, Dr. Apte has led mangrove plantation efforts along the coasts of Mumbai, Chennai, and Andhra Pradesh, planting over 200,000 mangroves and empowering local women through employment opportunities in these projects.
Dr. Apte's commitment to raising environmental awareness extends beyond reforestation efforts. She launched a national-level online environmental quiz competition, which has reached 23 million students across India.
The TERRE Olympiad, another initiative under her leadership, has seen participation from over 1.2 million students. The Dr. Abdul Kalam Fellowship, also established by TERRE, has attracted more than 6,000 applications in the past five years, awarding nearly 50 fellowships.