Whats your 1
the greatest threat
to a planet is the belief that someone
else will save it
quoted by sir robert swann who is the
first man in history
to have walked to the north and south
poles
and who also happens to be my mentor
hi everyone i’m avni avasti one of the
youngest indians
to have been to the antarctic twice and
a model by profession
titled miss tourism metropolitan india
2019
and i am here today with this belief
that you
and i together can make this world a
better place
with just one percent
robert swann heads the 2041 foundation
which stands for the antarctic treaty
created by the united
nations in 1959
which aims at protecting the ic
continent from
any kind of exploitation until the year
2041
after which the treaty can be edited
extended
or even abandoned
antarctica is such a hopeful place
but even with an existing treaty right
now
the continent is melting at a 10 times
faster rate
than what nasa had initially predicted
majority of the arctic has already
melted
and the resources up there are being
taken out
and used and exploited seriously for the
past
innumerable decades and then we ask
but why is the ice really melting
what we are working towards is to make
sure
that what is happening up not in the
arctic
does not happen down south in the
antarctic
antarctica has been described as a
silence
deep with a breath-like sleep and
trust me the continent’s profound beauty
haunts you for the rest of your days
i witnessed this beauty first hand at
the age of 18
and then again at 20 but this time
i was on the expedition as a mentor
and of course four wouldn’t want to be
that coolest student in class to be a
polar explorer right
but it wasn’t just that simple i was 13
when this journey started but this
wasn’t an excursion it was an expedition
a mission to the end of the world
antarctica
the most pristine place on this earth
a continent whose civilization consists
of penguins
whales and seals and our morning started
with the sight of a whale
and ended with storms chasing us
those of course a huge part of my family
and friends who were so
proud but there is always that one
section of the society that can’t help
but call you crazy
but what’s the fun and not being crazy
right
and so i did i went south to the pole
to become the youngest indian to be on
the antarctic in 2016
and to make it better i embraced it with
a polar plunge into the minus two
degrees antarctic waters
this plunge wasn’t just any other plunge
it was a jump that pushed our limits to
dive into the chilling waters
that helped us appreciate the beauty of
that continent
seventy percent of the world’s fresh
water on this continent
and i was there standing right on it
the wildlife so pristine the air so
fresh and the colors so soothing
but all of this is at a threat
on these expeditions we were a hundred
people
from different nations alien cultures
and varied languages
but all together with just one motive
which is to save
antarctica from what has already
happened to the arctic
now you must be wondering how are we
sitting so far away here in india going
to possibly save antarctica
now let me tell you any tiny action of
ours that contributes to the depletion
or over usage of our planet’s resources
results in an
increase in carbon footprint which in
turn gets our planet to heat up even
more
this heating up of the planet has been
taking place due to us
humans who are so far away from the
south pole
but this is the same heat that is
causing the polar
caps to melt if the whole of antarctica
melts
the sea level is going to rise by a good
68
meters of which one meter has already
increased in the past five years
while i was deep rooted into the frozen
waters of antarctica
i discovered another inclination that
was going to drive my dramatic
aunties to pronounce me unstable
wasn’t it enough for an 18 year old
indian girl to go to antarctica all
alone
for her to start modelling now
well within a year of my photoshoots and
ramp walks
i started shooting professionally and
soon
the ruthless taunting did not take long
to make its rounds
what values are you trying to portray
doesn’t this contradict your values of
being an
environmental advocator do you want to
pour water on
all your efforts and so i succumbed to
this pressure
and took a break from modeling but then
i got thinking
why can’t two of the closest things to
my heart coexist
that’s when i started to use both of
them
to their teacher’s benefit because being
pretty
does not mean being dumb right don’t we
have
stunning examples of intelligent
supermodels and global actors like emma
watson
or dia miza advocating social causes but
also working in the
entertainment industry at the same time
then why not me
jennifer lopez very rightly said
beauty is only skinny and i think
what’s truly important is finding a
balance of the mind
body and spirit so
i found my balance by getting both my
passions
to coexist i started modeling and
promoting green and eco-friendly brands
started using local food and clothing
brands
started up cycling my old outfits into
new ones
and who doesn’t enjoy shopping right
well i do
and so i started buying from thrift
shops online which is my personal
favorite
now sustainable living is not temporary
it’s a lifestyle adapting to certain
habits consciously
but habits that become your lifestyle
without causing too much inconvenience
to you
some changes that i made were cutting
down
on meat by a good 80 percent avoiding
single-use plastic bottles
and bags consciously researching about
brands before purchasing
any product because even clothes are
made up of
microplastics
just like walking the antarctic is no
cakewalk
walking the ramp isn’t either i’m sure
you’ve heard this plenty of times but
trust me what looks like glamour
does not necessarily glitter
what it can do to you is shake your
confidence
and sometimes even break it
in front of the camera for 12 hours
straight
47 changes in 10 hours and walking the
ramp in
six inch heels is no child’s play
but then again what is nothing words
come easy right
the word struggling has a negative
connotation to it
but that is the period that teaches you
the most
and those are the days that help you
identify
what really floats your boat
but then when do we really stop
struggling
do we ever stop struggling
it is okay to try something and realize
on the way that that is not something
that you want to pursue further
your inclinations your interests your
passions over time can change
and that’s okay like minded but just
because
part of my life is so focused on my
shoots and fashion shows
does not mean that my efforts or my
fight towards climate change
has been diluted yes
sometimes our busy statues professional
commitments
do not allow us to contribute enough
time to the environment
in fact we end up contributing to the
damage
even more but that is where our
conscience
and responsibilities come in and that
is your one percent the ability
to balance and live a lifestyle of your
choice
but limiting your actions in a way that
least contributes to giving out your
personal carbon footprint is your real
effort
in every tiny way possible
it can be something as small as
segregating waste
or even something as big as turning
completely vegetarian
you can start today and it can start
with you
be it climate advocacy or modeling
do it because you want to do it
everyone says given your hundred percent
but i say given your one percent
because that one percent multiplied by
millions of people
can transform the world so given that
one percent
because that is only for you
thank you so much