What began as two friends coming together to work on environmental initiatives has evolved into an effort to connect people leading cleanup movements and environmental action across India.
Maansi Desai and Freishia B, founders of India Clean-Up Confluence (ICUC), are working to bring grassroots changemakers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), corporates, CSR leaders and sustainability experts together to share experiences, build connections and explore opportunities for collaboration.
Their journey began on the ground through Carter Clean-Up, where Maansi and Freishia have conducted more than 242 beach cleanups, mobilised thousands of volunteers and removed over 160,000 kg of waste and debris from Carter Road.
As they witnessed more people coming together around cleanup efforts, a broader question emerged: what happens after the cleanup? How can those involved in the work connect with one another, share their experiences and build stronger, sustained environmental action?
That question led to the creation of ICUC.
The platform was established to bring the cleanup community together. With citizen-led cleanup movements growing across beaches, forests, rivers, lakes, mountains and cities in India, ICUC aims to create a space for the people behind these initiatives to connect, exchange experiences and explore ways to collaborate.
The work has also influenced the individual journeys of the two founders. Driven by her interest in developing practical sustainability solutions, Maansi went on to establish her own sustainability consultancy, TerraNiti. Freishia’s work in the environmental space led her to become a WWF India Legacy Ambassador, further deepening her engagement with environmental action and conservation.
From Cleanup Drives to a Wider Community
The first edition of ICUC, held in 2024, brought together more than 200 delegates and 50 organisations. The second edition, held in 2025, expanded to more than 350 participants and 60 organisations and citizen movements, with a reported reach of over 60 lakh.
Across its two editions, ICUC has brought together voices from different parts of India’s environmental landscape, including environmentalist Bittu Sahgal, young changemaker Prasiddhi Singh, Dia Mirza, actor, producer and UN goodwill ambassador, journalist Faye D’Souza, environmentalist Pradeep Sangwan, and Dr Balakrishna Pisupati, Country Head, UNEP India, among others.
The upcoming ICUC 3.0, supported by Irasva Jewellery and Listenlights, will build on this growing community. The two-day event at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi is expected to bring together more than 400 delegates and 80 organisations.
Environmentalist Peepal Baba will be the keynote speaker. The programme will also feature Anshu Gupta, founder of Goonj; Ramveer Tanwar, known as the “Pond Man of India”; Bhavay Sharma of WRI India; Pratima Singh of iFOREST; Pradeep Sangwan of Healing Himalayas; and Anjan Rao Puttige, District Cooling Consultant, Climate Change Division, United Nations Programme.
Creating More Actionable Connections
With young changemakers in mind, the upcoming edition will go beyond conventional panel discussions. One of the key additions is “Mentor Matchmakers”, a format in which grassroots environmental organisations will pitch their work before a panel of mentors and explore connections, guidance and potential collaborations.
Other sessions will examine different pathways through which environmental action can grow.
“Volunteer to Vocation” will explore how people can build careers in the sustainability and environmental sector, while “Many Missions, One CEO” will examine the role businesses and leaders can play in meaningful environmental action.
“Critical Infrastructure: When Development Meets Sustainability” will focus on the challenge of balancing development with environmental sustainability, resource efficiency and climate resilience, bringing together perspectives from environmental practitioners and sustainability experts.
The event will also recognise the people whose everyday work contributes to keeping cities clean. Ten Safai Yodhas, or waste workers, will be felicitated by Fortis Healthcare.
The second day will conclude with a mega cleanup at the Red Fort on World Cleanup Day, taking the discussion from the conference room back to action on the ground.
For Maansi and Freishia, the idea behind ICUC is centred on connecting environmental efforts that are already taking place across communities and ecosystems. By bringing together those doing the work, the initiative seeks to create stronger pathways for collaboration and collective action and build a community capable of taking environmental action further.
