UDUPI: Here is a man who has put his best foot forward by embarking on a mission not just to help the needy, but also safeguard the environment. Thirty-seven-year-old Avinash Kamath collects old footwear from people in Udupi and give them to GreenSole, a Navi Mumbai-based company that recycles and creates new footwear. He has named his mission ‘Nadige’ which means ‘walk’ in Kannada.
Kamath, an event planner and anchor, says his campaign serves two purposes — discarding old footwear in the right manner and putting them to better use by recycling them. He aims to give the refurbished footwear to 4,000 needy children in Udupi.
The Nadige campaign will be held on the premises of MGM College in Udupi from November 30 to December 2. GreenSole also recycles bags, mats and pouches, keeping them away from landfills.
Kamath, who also wears the hat of a voice-over artiste, says he was impressed by a few videos he came across online on GreenSole, and thus ‘Nadgie’ was born.
“We have many initiatives to collect clothes, hair for wigs and more. Then I thought of addressing the issue of unused old footwear as well. I visited the GreenSole plant in Maharashtra last month and spent over half-a-day with Shriyans Bhandari and Ramesh Dhami, co-founders of GreenSole. During the visit, I also had the privilege of launching Nadige’s poster. I have extended an invitation to them to come to Udupi. We have identified children who will receive the recycled footwear that day,” Kamath adds.
Kamath has dedicated several months on ideating this campaign and partnered with the Chosen Generation Charitable Trust. “Formal and sports shoes, slippers, sandals, foam, and rubber shoes will be collected. Various organisations and associations have the opportunity to collect these shoes within their local communities and then deliver them to the designated collection centre,” he adds.
Kamath has been approaching various social organisations and he aims to collect 4,000 footwear. “There are several kinds of charity. Some donate money to provide education. Some donate land to the landless. Nadige came to my mind when I saw many children without footwear,” he elaborates.
On GreenSole, Kamath says Bhandari and Dhami, who are sportspersons, used to worry about discarding their seven to eight pairs of shoes annually. “They thought of venturing into R&D to know how old shoes can be put to best use without burdening the environment. GreenSole was born then,” Kamath adds.
Bhandari says Kamath’s initiative is commendable. ‘‘People can come together for a good cause through this drive,” he says. The used footwear will be collected on the premises of MGM College, Udupi. Shaini Sathyabhama, president of the women’s wing of Kerala Cultural and Social Centre, Udupi, says discarding old footwear is a big challenge because even the waste collectors reject them saying it will burden the landfills.”
Kamath says that if old footwear is given to waste collectors in urban places, they will dump it in landfills. To stop this, better usage of the used shoes is required. “We can contribute this way to a better environment,” Kamath concludes.