Avadhut Abhyankar | North American Association for Environmental Education

Avadhut is a young advocate who has spent the past decade working in the urban environment sector, with a focus on urban mobility, climate education, solid waste management, and urban governance.

About Avadhut's Community Action Project (CAP)

In Indian cities, moving in and around the city is a challenge for all road users, mainly because of the increased number of private vehicles leading to traffic congestion. Mobility is even more challenging for pedestrians, due to inadequate walking infrastructure, badly designed walkways (footpaths), encroachment on footpaths, and lack of enforcement.

Often mobility issues are addressed by the traditional approach of road widening, adding new lanes and flyovers, which are short term solutions. At the same time, sustainable modes of transport like buses and infrastructure for non-motorized modes like walking and cycling are not getting adequate attention by city governments.

My idea is to work with communities to understand how people currently travel and how they perceive urban mobility. Through dialogue and participatory assessments of neighborhood conditions, I aim to raise awareness about sustainable transportation—especially non-motorized options—and help generate community demand for more sustainable mobility.

About Avadhut

I hold a Master's degree in Urban Policy and Governance from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, and have over seven years of experience working as a Project Officer with

the Centre for Environment Education (CEE). My work primarily focuses on issues related to urban governance, solid waste management, sustainable urban mobility, the informal economy, and youth engagement in climate action. I have been involved in a range of projects and programs across Pune city and the state of Maharashtra.My experience includes facilitating public consultations, conducting focus group discussions (FGDs), carrying out stakeholder interviews and workshops, undertaking policy analysis, designing and delivering climate action training, and leading information, education, and communication (IEC) campaigns.

More About Avadhut

What influential environmental book or author would you recommend other people read?
I recommend one reads books and articles by Dr. Madhav Gadgil.

What are three environmental values you try to emulate?
Minimalism, respect for nature, and empathy for other species.

What is your favorite memory of being in nature?
My favorite memory is being in the western ghat regions of India.