Environmental Concerns We have been doing a lot of work for the environment out of the belief that if attention is not given to this aspect, all the other gains would be nullified. We have been associated with India's largest conservation NGO, WWF-India, through the late Mr. S.P. Godrej, who was its founder Trustee and President. The WWF-India Secretariat is housed at the Pirojsha Godrej National Conservation Centre (PGNCC), New Delhi, towards which we have already contributed a Crore and half rupees. The PGNCC was inaugurated on November 3, 1989 in New Delhi by the then President of India, Mr. R. Venkatraman, in the presence of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and President of WWF--International.

We also strongly feel that Nature has blessed our country so richly in a number of ways. Yet, instead of being trustees of Nature, we have degraded our land to lower depths than many less fortunate countries. Our concerns for the wildlife too are well documented. We have been associated with TRAFFIC-India (Trade Record Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce), a division of WWF-India, which is responsible for monitoring and studying legal and illegal trade in wildlife and its derivatives, thus contributing to the enforcement aspects of bio-diversity conservation. Our contributions to the cause received a major fillip, when the late Chairman, Mr. S. P. Godrej was conferred with the WWF 25th Anniversary Benefactor "White Pelican" Award. We are also a member of the exclusive "1001: A Nature Trust", which is actively associated with preservation of nature, wildlife and the environment. Godrej and Trees It has been our endeavour to protect and propagate greenery. The name of Godrej has always associated with TREES. The late Mr. S. P. Godrej had been the Vice-President of the National Society of the Friends of Trees. For the past many years a well-stocked Tree Bank is maintained at Pirojshanagar and saplings are generously distributed, free of cost to voluntary organisations engaged in afforestation work. The uplifting traffic island gardens, particularly the Godrej ‘Chowk’ with the fly-over, have mitigated somewhat the drabness that surrounds us. The annual celebration of "Sarvajanik Holi" under the aegis “Of the Sheriff's Office” is yet another effort initiated by Godrej to curb the wanton destruction of trees. This community celebration has become a tradition in Mumbai. The Godrej Ganga Ecology Panel Concerned as we have been with environmental and ecological problems, we consider it our duty to contribute appropriately towards the management of the ecology in the Ganga Basin, which has a drainage area of 8,60,000 sq. kms., accounting for over 40% of the country's irrigated land and sustaining 37% of the population. This is a step in our endeavour to link business activities with ecological problems like that of the Ganga to restore it to its pristine purity and of the denudation of our forests. The Godrej Ganga Ecology Panel's major role will be to create public awareness. It will strive towards the involvement of the people living on the banks of the Ganga in realising the goals of the Action Plan involving the preservation of Heritage Monuments. It will support suitable non-government organisations and universities in the neighbourhood for ensuring research and social monitoring of the pollution. Noise Pollution In 1983, when the late Mr. S. P. Godrej was the Sheriff of Mumbai, he initiated a campaign against Noise Pollution. This effort made people aware of the ill-effects of noise on our health. "Sarvajanik Diwali", celebrated annually, is a unique example, which demonstrates that Diwali is a festival of lights and not noise! The Forum Against Noise Pollution, which he used to head, is engaged in getting suitable legislation passed in order to combat this dangerous health hazard.