ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2022
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. Over 31,000 young leaders on 2,400+ campuses across 140+ nations applied to join the Class of 2022. 200+ campuses worldwide (just 8%) were selected to host the 3,000+ Millennium Fellows.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT PIYUSH KHANDU SONAR, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2022.
Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology Nagpur | Nagpur, India | Advancing SDG 12 & UNAI 9
" I have a strong passion for climate change. I believe that we can start addressing it immediately by giving people environmentally friendly options and raising their awareness of the issue on a continual basis. By doing this, we can reduce carbon emissions. I want to take part in this trip that will result in a better tomorrow since the future depends on what we do in the present. "
Millennium Fellowship Project: Zero-Waste VNIT
To set up a system for the continuous propagation of change, we have decided to form a climate action society, under the official banner of our institution. As a society, our first goal is to develop a zero-waste plan for our university. The term zero-waste implies that no waste produced on campus is landfilled, and each type of waste is reprocessed and repurposed. We have conducted a waste audit of our campus and have been using the information we find to conduct a rudimentary economic analysis of the established waste management system. After we have done so, we will begin work on addressing the unsustainable aspects of the current waste management system, and proposing technical interventions for going zero-waste as a gated community. A zero-waste plan has thus been developed and, we are conducting an economic analysis to have quantitative proof of the returns obtained from such a plan. We will further present it before the relevant authorities of the institute and assist them in developing a zero-waste policy from the plan, which will act as approval for the implementation. The outcomes of this project involve the development of a zero-waste plan that will be able to translate to a dynamic zero-waste policy, and beginning the transition process to a zero-waste campus, addressing the multitude of dimensions required for sustainable change.
About the Millennium Fellow
Piyush Sonar is a creative, innovative, and driven student at VNIT Nagpur pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. He has always been captivated by science in everyday life, particularly climate change, for as long as he can remember. He has taken part in numerous science project competitions and heard speeches about climate change throughout his time in school. He hopes to establish a society that will serve humanity better by bringing together others who have the same vision as him and are actively seeking out ever-more effective solutions to the difficulties we are now experiencing.