On a breezy September morning in Mumbai, over 350 participants gathered under one roof with a shared purpose—to push India’s sustainability movement from scattered ripples to powerful waves. At the heart of this gathering stood the driving forces behind Carter Cleanup & Greenmyna, creators of the India Clean-Up Confluence (ICUC) 2.0.
Freishia B., co-founder of Carter Cleanup, said, “ICUC was never just another conference. It was a dream to bring together voices from every corner of the country—grassroots leaders, corporate changemakers, policymakers, and citizen volunteers—into one collective force.”
Nupur Agarwal, co-founder of Greenmyna, added, “The clean-up movements in India began with small, local actions. ICUC is about showing what’s possible when those actions connect and grow.”
A Gathering of Changemakers
Co-created with Nupur Agarwal and supported by Carter Clean Up, ICUC 2.0 brought together 60+ organizations and citizen movements, amplifying the impact to over 60 lakh people nationwide. The day featured three high-impact panel discussions and two fireside chats, exploring topics from technology-driven waste solutions to citizen-led activism and corporate-community partnerships.
The event’s emotional highlight was the ICUC Changemaker Awards, where grassroots heroes were recognized for their tireless work. In one of the most moving moments, BMC Safai Karamcharis were invited on stage and honoured—a gesture that drew a standing ovation and became the emotional cornerstone of ICUC 2.0.
Voices That Matter
The confluence attracted some of India’s leading sustainability advocates, including Monica Nagelgaard (Consul General of Norway in India), Faye D’Souza (Founder – Beatroot News), Bittu Sahgal (Sanctuary Nature Foundation), Kartick Satyanarayan (Wildlife SOS), Jimmy Mistry (Founder – Della Township), Himay Shah (Listenlights Pvt. Ltd.), Prasiddhi Singh (Prasiddhi Forest Foundation), Pradeep Sangwan (Healing Himalayas Foundation), Malhar Kalambe (Beach Please India), Lazar Jankovic (Ek Din Ek Gully), and more.
Journalist Faye D’Souza commented, “Change happens when people demand it — pressure creates policies. What ICUC is doing beautifully is turning the energy of clean-up movements into a collective force that cannot be ignored.”
Sustainability at Its Core
Walking the talk was central to Freishia’s vision. ICUC 2.0 was designed with sustainability in mind: solar-powered batteries replaced diesel generators, saving 120 litres of diesel and 360 kilograms of CO₂ emissions; participant badges were made from recycled plastic and recollected for reuse, and the photo-op backdrop was repurposed into school bags for students. 50 trees were planted in Colaba to offset the travel emissions of the speakers.
From Local Ripples to National Waves
Reflecting on their journey, ICUC founders Maansi Desai, Ashwin Malwade, Freishia B and Nupur Agarwal shared, “ICUC began with small ripples of citizen action. In just one year, participation has doubled, with more youth stepping forward. That’s proof that this movement is not just growing—it’s transforming.”
ICUC 2.0 proved that when vision meets action, local initiatives can indeed swell into waves of lasting change. The confluence became more than an event—it became a movement, demonstrating the transformative power of collective citizen action.
