On the occasion of Earth Day, with the objective of creating awareness about the merits of having a symbiotic society, and maintaining a fine balance between mankind and Mother Earth, keeping in mind the theme of Earth Day for 2021 ‘Restore Our Earth’, World Trade Center Mumbai organized an interactive webinar on ‘Health Vs Climate - Humanity’ in association with C4 Integrated Wellness Pvt. Ltd.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Nisha JamVwal, Columnist, Author, Brand Consultant and Environmentalist said that in recent years, we are witnessing extreme climatic conditions displacing people from their natural habitats, and Covid-19 has been a hard stop to put a brake on devastating environmental outcomes. 2020 has been a year of introspection on whether we have been acting responsibly towards protecting our environment, but even today we find a huge amount of face masks being disposed in the sea. We are on the brink of an abyss and an irreversible environmental damage is not distant.

Ms. JamVwal said rising pollution levels call for recycling, reusing, renewing, recovering and repairing our existing assets. She suggested that products used in our day-to-day life should be used responsibly, and plastics and clothes should be recycled.

Ms. JamVwal called for judicious use of our natural resources and emphasized on the importance of healthy living habits such as walking and cycling in place of vehicular transport to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

Dr. Vijay Warad, Pediatrician and Allergy Specialist, Sai Hospital and Research Center, highlighted that creating awareness about environmental protection is crucial. Extensive use of pesticides and fertilizers is spoiling our health systems and use of powders, perfumes and deodorants in our everyday lives is increasing the potency of dust mites. He said dust mites are responsible for the majority of our asthma problems. He, therefore, suggested use of natural and organic products, and advocated to avoid dusting and brooming activities at home.

Dr. Warad further explained that plants are meant to harmonize our environment, but increased industrialization and infrastructure development has led to pollens traveling large distances, thereby creating sickness and environmental pollution. He opined that pollens also carry the Covid-19 virus, and therefore, restricting people from traveling will not be the only solution to address this pandemic. Dr. Warad suggested planting trees and reducing burning of bio waste as long-term solutions for mitigating adverse climate change.

Dr. Shilpa Desai, Founder, C4 Integrated Wellness Pvt. Ltd. explained the importance of good health for a healthy environment, and emphasized on utilizing each day in conserving biodiversity, and “Arise, Awake and Act” to help protect the environment.

Dr. Desai further highlighted the importance of meditation, yoga and Pranayam (deep breathing exercises) and expressed that when one doesn’t have enough oxygen to cleanse the pollution from their body, they need to know the techniques of scientific breathing such as deep breathing, shallow breathing etc., for increasing the oxygen-carrying capacity of the lungs in order live a full and happy life.

In his Welcome Address, Mr. Anil Velde, DGM - Trade Promotion and Marketing, World Trade Center Mumbai said, the ongoing pandemic has opened new demands in the healthcare and wellness industry. People are increasingly trying to understand how to optimize their nutrition, exercise habits, recovery, sleep, mental health, emotions and stress management to lead a wellness-obsessed and holistic lifestyle.

The programme was attended by businesses, executives, medical practitioners and students from the healthcare, wellness and nutrition industry.