May 25, 2019 / 17 SDGs

Oxygen, Kolkata’s first Sustainability Festival

Kolkata, 25th May, 2019 – How many times have you told yourself that it was progressively getting too warm to step outside, or too hard to breathe, or too dirty on our streets?

In this era of climate emergency and overall environmental deterioration, you probably increasingly have done so. Organic Events – Kolkata’s newest event curator focused on making a positive impact through art, music and entertainment as primary educational tools – has decided that it was high time to do something about it. Piyali De & Rahul Chakraborty, founders of Organic Events, confirm: “We’re killing the planet slowly, everyone is feeling the effects of it, but not many people are doing anything about it. This is what inspired us to create Oxygen, a spark that can create a positive change towards sustainability and generate mass awareness – Music and Art being our weapons for this crusade. This first edition of Oxygen is definitely not the last one!”.

Oxygen, Organic Events’ first curated event in the city, gathered artists, musicians, sustainability experts, social entrepreneurs, sustainable brands and impact organisations on Saturday May 25th, 2019. The event hosted an organic flea market, expert talks and panel discussions, workshops, live art, jam sessions and live music from some of the best local bands. Only one space could host such an event: Offbeat CCU, initiative of Techno India Group, an ecosystem for life-long learners combining education, hospitality and entertainment under the same roof. Meghdut Roy Chowdhury, Founder and Chief Curator of Offbeat CCU, believes that: “Education does not end in the classroom, and it is our duty, as promoters of education, that awareness about social and environmental impact is continuously made available to citizens through various innovative initiatives at Offbeat CCU.”

The event assembled hundreds of different profiles and talents, all gathered under the banner of Responsible, Sustainable Living and Citizenship. Y-East, an aggregating platform for players in the sustainability and social sectors, joined hands as Sustainability Partner of the event, therefore ensuring outreach to its network of experts in the field across East and North East India. On this matter, Pauline Laravoire, Founder of Y-East, explains: “We cannot hope to have a significant impact against the current pressing social and environmental issues individually. We need to collectively take action and join hands to reverse the trends. This is the primary motive of Y-East, and Oxygen: building and structuring networks and communities for such causes.” Y-East platform also acted as a gatekeeper to ensure quality implementation according to global standards.

More details about Oxygen

– Sustainable Flea Market – Here was a chance for the audience to buy sustainable products like organic perfumes, chocolates, clothes, and find solutions to lead a sustainable life and gain insight on some of the initiatives happening around in Kolkata.

– Live Concert at Topcat CCU – Five of the best indie bands from the city entertained the crowd and play some soulful tunes: Paloma & Adil, The Milgram Experiment, Street Food Music, The Virtual Brothers, Whale in the Pond.

– Sustainability Workshops – Workshops by experts on the field of Food waste, E-waste and Plastic waste management were programmed to spark conversations and inspire the youth to make positive mindful choices.

– Conservation Conversation – Panel discussion On Nature, Climate Change and Sustainability by experts of the field followed by a question-answer round with the audience to educate us on the rising issues faced by our planet.

– All Day Jam Session (Acoustic) – Musicians from around the city joined with their acoustic instruments to spread some positive musical vibes

– Live Art – Visual Artists created thought-provoking artworks on spot to spark conversations on sustainability and conservation.

Outreach:
As the event combined so many different sectors and talents, Oxygen pulled a large audience from the artist and musician community, sustainability and social impact experts, celebrities, media professionals, students… for the collective cause.
Oxygen had a social media reach of 17.3k people on its event page. https://www.facebook.com/events/361140484749685/

Core Partners:
Smoke Inc., Global Call for Climate Action, Sustainable Green Initiative, Jamsteady, Momo i am, Chillum Ink, Alameeb Media Art lab, Y-East & Offbeat CCU.

Associate Partners:
Kolkata Clean Air, Green faith, Right Track, Earth Day Network, Vinisha’s for Kolkata, Hoje Live, Waste Wheel, The Blue Patch, Mash Project & Hulladek, Thought for Food