Rapid urbanization and growing urban affluence tend to have profound environmental consequences causing threat to human beings and the environment. Prolonged ignorance of the ecological feedback is affecting every living and non-living element on Earth. The human ecosystem is bearing the brunt in matters of health, city and regional problems, disrupting social structure, economic inequalities as well as global sustainability. Such environmental changes are distinctly visible in rapidly growing Indian cities and urban agglomerations and even rural regions. Excessive land and air pollution, increased carbon footprint owing to fossil fuel-based energy use, deforestation, depleting water quality, problems of electronic waste disposal, declining population of flora and fauna – to name a few.

While public-policy interventions are effective instruments for mitigating the environmental burdens, informed choice at individual and community level will make significant contributions in alleviating the environmental degradation challenges. With more than 400 million mobile internet users in the country and widespread trend among younger population to consume and create content over internet and social media, the mobile internet channels can effectively be leveraged to communicate SBCC interventions; and nudge the city-dwellers, especially the youth to inculcate environmentally responsive practices.

To address the aforementioned challenges, Vodafone Idea Foundation & _VOIS have initiated an integrated knowledge platform called _VOIS Planet. It is aimed at aggregating and helping co-create knowledge and information on environmentally responsive behaviours and concurrently pursuing result-oriented social media campaigns to encourage people and specifically the youth, to take proactive actions in promoting sustainable lifestyle and creating a positive impact on the environmental ecosystem in their surroundings.

_VOIS Planet portal will primarily focus on environmental sustainability covering various aspects: Low carbon, Renewable energy usage and E-waste management. It will also have a resolute emphasis on environment/climate change induced vulnerability of marginal communities and pragmatic steps for building resilience.

The knowledge portal will have informative articles, perspectives, photo stories, case studies, campaigns and interesting facts on the aforementioned topics. These articles will be authored/co-authored by specialists, with extensive industrial and academic knowledge.