What radical policy the government adopts and implements to leave a strong footprint in the paradigm of global climate remains to be seen but micro steps are already being taken by individuals in various other sectors. Carbon offsetting is entering mainstream conversations and niche spaces like film making are thinking green. The first example of a carbon neutral production was George Clooney’s Syriana (2005). And now, the unit of the Bollywood movie Aisa Yeh Jahaan,  starring Palash Sen and Ira Dubey among others and directed by Biswajeet Bora, has become India’s first ‘carbon-neutral’ movie.

The crew planted a host of saplings at all the locations where the film was shot to compensate for the carbon emitted during its shooting.

Bora had earlier said, “While shooting, we pollute the environment in several ways including the consumption of electricity and fuel. We need to compensate for the pollution we cause.”

The unit got in touch with the Centre for Environmental Research and Education (CERE), a Mumbai-based NGO, which works to promote environmental sustainability through action-oriented education, awareness and advocacy to plant these trees. Together with them, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the villagers of Upper Assam’s Golaghat district where the trees have been planted, stating that they cannot cut down the trees for at least the next fifteen years.

Read more about the unit’s efforts here.