Today is World Environment Day. For those of you who have visited Mumbai and Dharavi in particular, you will know that sadly people in our communities do not think much about their impact on the earth on a daily basis. So for this special day we think that it is important to take time out to raise awareness about environmental issues.

Our friends at RUR, an organisation dedicated to creating eco-conscious citizens, invited us to participate in two earth-friendly activities this year. On Sunday the 3rd of June, we cycled for recycling in a 8 km course showing the public how they can reduce their load on landfill. 110 participants – the youngest was 6, the oldest 75 years – joined the rally to spread the word for a greener environment. Reality Tours and Travel supported the event by organizing 100 bicycles for the participants. Furthermore our guides ensured that the participants stay safe and ride the right way.All the participants block a street at a traffic light.

Today, we took our-eco-friendly efforts on foot and led a group of École Mondiale students on a tour of Dharavi to talk with them about the impact of this community on the environment. Because it is a complex topic, RUR led a talk after the tour to discuss both the positive role Dharavi plays in recycling and the challenges that remain in the garbage and pollution that is generated here. She asked the kids to come in the front to tell what they liked on the tour and what they want to do to safe the environment in future. Arjun (12) from the 6th grade of a High School in Bandra said: “I expected Dharavi to be a smelly and disgusting place like I heard it very often before. But the tour showed my that people here work hard to recycle any kind of material we are using every day and that really impressed me. I will try to reuse more things at home and also talk to my parents about it. I will also tell my friends at school about this tour.”

We hope you will take some time out of your week to spread awareness about environmental issues. To learn more about our regular cycling tours of Mumbai and the Dharavi slum tour, visit our brand new website with the 100% recycled www.realitytoursandtravel.com.